Melun () is a commune in the

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

department in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne, and the seat of one of its ''

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements ...

s''. Its inhabitants are called ''Melunais''.

History

Meledunum began as a

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...

town;

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 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 a civil war, an ...

noted Melun as "a town of the Senones, situated on an island in the Seine"; at the island there was a wooden bridge, which his men repaired. Roman Meledunum was a ''mutatio'' where fresh horses were kept available for official couriers on the

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

south-southeast of Paris, where it forded the Seine. Around 500 A.D,

Clovis I Clovis ( la, Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single ki ...

granted Melun to a Gallo-Roman magnate, Aurelianus, who had fought for Clovis several times and apparently influenced his conversion to Christianity. The

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

sacked it in 845. The castle of Melun became a royal residence of the Capetian kings. Hugh Capet (See also:

House of Capet The House of Capet (french: Maison capétienne) or the Direct Capetians (''Capétiens directs''), also called the House of France (''la maison de France''), or simply the Capets, ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most ...

) gave Melun to Bouchard, his favorite. In the reign of Hugh's son,

Robert II of France Robert II (c. 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (french: link=no, le Pieux) or the Wise (french: link=no, le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted his ...

, Eudes, the

count of Champagne The count of Champagne was the ruler of the County of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the County of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title count of Champagne. Count Theobald ...

, bought the city, but the king took it back for Bouchard in 999. The chatelain Gautier and his wife, who had sold the city, were hanged; Eudes escaped. Robert died there in July 1031. Robert of Melun (c. 1100 – 27 February 1167) was an English scholastic Christian theologian who taught in France, and later became

Bishop of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. The episcopal see is centred in the City of Hereford where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is in the Cathedral Church of Sa ...

in England. He studied under

Peter Abelard Peter Abelard (; french: link=no, Pierre Abélard; la, Petrus Abaelardus or ''Abailardus''; 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, poet, composer and musician. This source has a detailed des ...

in Paris before teaching there and at Melun, which gave him his surname. In July 1415, Melun was besieged by King

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...

, who had recently signed the

Treaty of Troyes The Treaty of Troyes was an agreement that King Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the French throne upon the death of King Charles VI of France. It was formally signed in the French city of Troyes on 21 May 1420 in the aftermath of ...

with King

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...

. The town was in the hands of the Dauphin, later

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...

, who had been dispossessed by the treaty. The defenders were led by Arnaud Guillaume, seigneur de Barbazan, and fought off the besiegers for fourteen weeks before capitulating. The town was liberated by

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

on 17 April 1430.

Counts of Melun

* Aurelianus (c. 500) *Donatus (?-834) *Bouchard I (956/967–1005), also Count of Vendôme and

Count of Paris Count of Paris () was a title for the local magnate of the district around Paris in Carolingian times. After Hugh Capet was elected King of France in 987, the title merged into the crown and fell into disuse. However, it was later revived by the ...

Viscounts of Melun

The early viscounts of Melun were listed by 17th and 18th century genealogists, notably Père Anselme. Based on closer reading of the original documents, Adolphe Duchalais constructed this list of viscounts in 1844: *Salo (c. 993; possibly legendary) *Joscelin I (c. 998) *William (possibly c. 1000) *Ursio (c. 1067–1085) *

William the Carpenter William the Carpenter (fl. 1087–1102), viscount of Melun, was a French nobleman who participated in the '' Reconquista'' in Spain and on the First Crusade. He was notorious for defecting from the army both in Spain and on the crusade, but he was ...

(c. 1094) *Hilduin, Garin, Ursio II, Jean (unknown dates, possibly not viscounts) *Adam (c. 1138–1141; married Mahaut, daughter of his predecessor) *Joscelin II (c. 1156) The title eventually became an honorary peerage. Such viscounts include

Honoré Armand de Villars Don Honoré Armand de Villars, 2e duc de Villars (4 October 1702, Paris – May 1770, Aix), Duke and Peer of France, Prince of Martigues, Grandee of Spain, Knight of the Golden Fleece, Viscount of Melun, Marquis of la Melle, Count of Rochemiley, ...

and

Claude Louis Hector de Villars Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Prince de Martigues, Marquis then Duc de Villars, Vicomte de Melun (, 8 May 1653 – 17 June 1734) was a French military commander and an illustrious general of Louis XIV of France. He was one of only six Marshals ...

Population

Climate

Transport

Melun is served by the Gare de Melun, which is an interchange station on Paris RER line D, on the Transilien R suburban rail line, and on several national rail lines.

Main sights

The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame, Melun was the original home of the

Melun Diptych The Melun Diptych is a two-panel oil painting by the French court painter Jean Fouquet (c. 1420–1481) created around 1452. The name of this diptych came from its original home in the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame in Melun. The left panel dep ...

. The nearby

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. No ...

of Vaux-le-Vicomte is considered a smaller predecessor of

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

. The officers' school of the

French Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Mini ...

is located in Melun.

Notable people

Melun is the birthplace of: * Morgan Ciprès, pair skater * Jérémie Bela, footballer * Willy Boly, footballer *

Pierre Certon Pierre Certon (ca. 1510–1520 – 23 February 1572) was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was a representative of the generation after Josquin and Mouton, and was influential in the late development of the French chanson. Life Most likel ...

(c.1510-1520-1572), composer of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

(probably born in Melun) *

Jacques Amyot Jacques Amyot (; 30 October 15136 February 1593), French Renaissance bishop, scholar, writer and translator, was born of poor parents, at Melun. Biography Amyot found his way to the University of Paris, where he supported himself by serving som ...

(1513–1593), writer * Chimène Badi (1982–), singer * Samir Beloufa (1979–), professional footballer * Raphaël Desroses, basketball player * Khamis Digol, footballer * Stéphane Dondon, basketball player *

Grégory Guilvert Grégory Guilvert (born 8 May 1982) is a French racing driver currently competing in the TCR International Series. Having previously competed in the Blancpain Endurance Series, Eurocup Mégane Trophy & FIA GT3 European Championship amongst oth ...

, racing driver * Judah of Melun (13th century), French

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

and '' tosafist'' * Yvan Kibundu, footballer * Godson Kyeremeh, footballer *

Edmé-François Mallet Edmé-François Mallet, also abbé Mallet, (29 January 1713, Melun – 25 February 1755, Châteaurenard) was an 18th-century French theologian and encyclopédiste. Biography Edmé-François Mallet first received his education by the country pri ...

(1713–1755), theologian and encyclopédiste *

Steven Mouyokolo Steven Stefan Fabrice Mouyokolo (born 24 January 1987) is a French footballer who last played for Celtic in 2014 as a centre back. He is currently a free agent. Club career Early career Mouyokolo was born in Melun, France to Congolese paren ...

, footballer *

Granddi Ngoyi Granddi N'Goyi Majundu (born 17 May 1988) is a professional footballer who plays for Régional 1 club Sénart-Moissy. He is a former France under-21 team international, and also received a call up to the DR Congo. He plays primarily as a midfi ...

, footballer * Yrétha Silété, figure skater * Oumar Solet, footballer *

Bertrand Grospellier Bertrand Grospellier (; born 8 February 1981 in Melun), also known as ElkY , is a French poker player and former '' StarCraft: Brood War'' and '' Warcraft III'' esports player. He has won a World Poker Tour (WPT), a World Series of Poker (WSO ...

(1981–), poker player *

, viscount of Melun in the 11th century * Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, politician and former Minister of Transport

Education

A campus of the École nationale de l'aviation civile (French civil aviation university) is located in Melun. Public high schools/sixth form colleges:Liste des établissements scolaires
." Melun. Consulté le 29 août 2016. * Lycée Léonard de Vinci * Lycée Jacques-Amyot * Lycée Georges Sand There is one private high school/sixth form college: * Lycée Saint Aspais

Twin towns – sister cities

Melun is twinned with: * Crema, Italy * Spelthorne, England, United Kingdom * Vaihingen (Stuttgart), Germany

External links

* *
Tourist office website

* {{Authority control Communes of Seine-et-Marne Prefectures in France Senones