Rethel () is a
commune in the
Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geological ...
department in northern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is a
sub-prefecture and third-most important city and economic center in the department. It is situated on the river
Aisne
Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374.
Geography
The department borders No ...
, near the northern border of
Champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
and 37 km from
Reims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
.
Its
inhabitants are called ''Rethélois''.
History
According to legend, the city was founded by
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
, who established a camp on the site of the city during his campaigns.
The parents of
St. Arnulf of Metz were said to have given all they owned ''in villa Reistete'' (in the city of Rethel) to
St. Remigius, bishop of Reims, so that their prayers for a child would be answered.
The city belonged to the
Abbey of Saint-Remi and was administered by its
advocati. One of them, Manasses I, became the first
Count of Rethel
The first rulers of Rethel might have governed under the Abbey of Saint-Remi and later independently, before the county passed first to the counts of Nevers, then to the counts of Flanders, and finally to the dukes of Burgundy. In 1405 the coun ...
. In 1481 the county, with Rethel as its seat, was elevated to the
Peerage of France; it was elevated to a
duchy
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition.
There once existed an important differe ...
in 1581 and in 1663 it became the Duchy of Mazarin.
During the
Franco-Spanish War it was captured by Spanish forces under
Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé on 30 October 1652 after a four-year siege, but was retaken by the French in July 1653.
In 1814 Spanish prisoners of war from the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
introduced
typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...
to the city. Jean-Baptiste Reberotte-Labesse cared for the soldiers who were ill.
Cholera
Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
epidemics occurred in 1832 and 1849, while
typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...
ravaged the city in 1839, with an average of thirty deaths a day.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Rethel was the site of heavy combat from May to June 1940 during the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
. French troops under
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French ''général d'armée'' during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952.
...
repelled German assaults on the town for a month before it fell.
In 1974, Rethel absorbed the former commune Pargny-Resson.
Modifications aux circonscriptions administratives territoriales (fusion de communes)
''Journal officiel de la République française
The ''Official Journal of the French Republic'' (), also known as the ''JORF'' or ''JO'', is the government gazette of the French Republic. It publishes the major legal official information from the national Government of France, the French Pa ...
'' n° 0030, 3 February 1974, pp. 1283-1284.
Population
Personalities
Rethel was the birthplace of:
* Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes (1788–1868), archeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeol ...
and antiquary
* Louis Christophe François Hachette (1800–1864), publisher
Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
.
* Maurice Maillot (1906–1968), film and theater actor.
Climate
See also
* County and Duchy of Rethel
* Alfred Rethel (1816 to 1859), artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
.
* L'Ardennais, an automobile
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
manufactured in Rethel from 1901 to around 1903.
* Counts and dukes of Rethel
*Communes of the Ardennes department
The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include Frenc ...
References
Communes of Ardennes (department)
Subprefectures in France
Champagne (province)
Ardennes communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia
{{Ardennes-geo-stub