Picquigny () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

Picquigny is situated at the junction of the N235, the D141 and D3 roads, on the banks of the river Somme, some northwest (and downstream) of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

. Picquigny station has rail connections to Amiens and Abbeville.

Population

History

Already established as a Gallic settlement before the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

arrived, a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

cemetery was discovered in 1895 in the area known as ''Les Vignes''. Known through the ages by various names, in 942 as ''Pinquigniacum'', ''Pinconii castrum'' in 1066 and ''Pinchiniacum'' in 1110, then as ''Pinkeni'', ''Pinkinei'' and ''Pecquigny'' . After the defeat of the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

Lihons Lihons is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Lihons is situated east of Amiens, on the D337 road Population Places of interest The tomb of Prince Murat. Louis Marie Joachim Napoléon Michel ...

-en-Santerre, the inhabitants of

, who had helped the barbarians, took refuge in the castle of Picquigny, to hide from the vengeance of

Dagobert Dagobert or Taginbert is a Germanic male given name, possibly from Old Frankish ''Dag'' "day" and ''beraht'' "bright". Alternatively, it has been identified as Gaulish ''dago'' "good" ''berxto'' "bright". Animals * Roi Dagobert (born 1964), ...

, where they were then besieged by him.Grandes Chroniques de France On 17 December 942,

Arnulf I, Count of Flanders Arnulf I (c. 893/899 – 27 March 965), called "the Great", was the first Count of Flanders. Life Arnulf was the son of margrave Baldwin II of Flanders and Ælfthryth of Wessex, daughter of Alfred the Great.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische S ...

and

William I, Duke of Normandy William Longsword (french: Guillaume Longue-Épée, nrf, Willâome de lon Espee, la, Willermus Longa Spata, on, Vilhjálmr Langaspjót; c. 893 – 17 December 942) was the second ruler of Normandy, from 927 until his assassination in 942.Det ...

came to Picquigny to sign a peace treaty. They met on a small island in the Somme, having both left their armies behind. After the meeting, William left but was then assassinated by Arnulf's supporters. As early as the 14th century, the town had commune status and a county judge. In 1307, several

Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, were arrested and imprisoned in the dungeons of the château by order of Philip IV of France, On 29 August 1475, with the

Treaty of Picquigny The Treaty of Picquigny was a peace treaty negotiated on 29 August 1475 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France. It followed from an invasion of France by Edward IV of England in alliance with Burgundy and Brittany. It left Lou ...

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

brought to an end the Hundred Years' War. The French king had to pay King Edward IV an annual sum of fifty thousand crowns. In 1547,

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

established a market, on every second Monday of the month.

Main sights

* Château de Picquigny: Built around the beginning of the 11th century and rebuilt over the following centuries. It was severely damaged during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The vestiges are still picturesque and imposing, nevertheless. Outside of the ramparts, there are other

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

buildings : a prison, a kitchen, two cellars, latrines and the ''Pavillon Sévigné''. Image:Picquigny château et église 1.jpg, The ruins of the chateau Image:Picquigny château (âtre de cheminée de la cuisine) 1.jpg, The kitchen fireplace Image:Picquigny Chateau.jpg, Louis Duthoit (1807-1874) - Château de Picquigny * The church: Originally the chapel to the château, is found behind the ruins of the old chateau, inside the ramparts. The roof was destroyed in a fire at the start of the 20th century. Image:Picquigny église (fonts baptismaux).jpg, Steps to the crypt, found behind the baptismal font Image:Picquigny église (salle du souterrain) 1.jpg, The crypt of the church

Notable people

* Patriarch Warmund of Jerusalem, Crusader Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem during the early 12th century.

References