Artois

Artois (Dutch Artesië; German also Artesiens ) is a historic county in the north of France. Artois is located in the interior of the Pas- de -Calais, whose western part was the former Boulonnais. The area of ​​the province is about 4000 square kilometers with a population of about one million inhabitants. Artois is located at the western end of a coal field, which extends to the east by the Nord and the central Belgium.

The main cities of the province are Arras, Saint- Omer, Lens and Béthune.

The Artois was originally a Carolingian county to which the counts are Odalrich witnessed the end of the 9th century the end of the 8th century and Ecfrid. In the year 898 the Artois was built by Count Baldwin II in the County of Flanders. 1180 divided Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, Artois as a dowry for his niece Isabelle of Hainaut occasion of her marriage to the French king Philip Augustus. 1190 died Isabelle and Philip kept the Artois, but gave it in 1200 with the Peace of Peronne back out. With the Treaty of Guines 1212 Saint-Omer, Aire -sur -la -Lys and Guines were ceded and released the kidnapped Countess Johanna I. and her husband Ferdinand in return. After the defeat of the Battle of Bouvines 1214 and the Treaty of Melun in 1226 the entire Artois went to the French crown. In 1237 the country was then collected for Robert I, a grandson of Philip and Isabelle the French county. 1384 came under the rule of the Dukes of Burgundy. In the French possession, it was again only with the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659.

During the second half of the 19th century, the area benefited from an industrial boom that was due to the rich coal deposits. During the First World War the front line between German and Allied troops ran through the province and led to the complete destruction of infrastructure and landscape. Still be found between La Bassée and Arras dozens of military cemeteries and monuments, but hardly remainders. Most impressive are the heights of Vimy ( Canadian monument) and Loretto (French cemetery and ossuary ).

Due to the slump in demand for coal since about 1960 the area as others suffering from industrial decline (see industrialization of France # mining).

For the province Artesiens see also Artesian wells.