Asfeld () 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 the

Grand Est Grand Est (; ) is an Regions of France, administrative region in northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-A ...

region of north-eastern

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 ...

, formerly named Ecry or Ecri. The commune has been awarded one flower by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Asfeld is located some 35 km east by south-east of

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The Ancient Diocese of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held s ...

and 8 km north-east of Neufchâtel-sur-Aisne. Access to the commune is by road D 926 from Vieux-lès-Asfeld in the south-west passing through the town and continuing north-east to Aire. The D 37 also goes from the town north-west to Villers-devant-le-Thour. The D 18 from Villers-devant-le-Thour to the D 926 north of

Balham Balham () is an List of areas of London, area in south-west London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, with small parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. It has been settled since Saxon times and appears in t ...

passes through the north-east corner of the commune. The D 137 road branches off the D 18 in the commune and goes south-west to Avaux. The D 237 goes from the town south-east to Roizy. Apart from the town there is also the village of Juzancourt in the north of the commune. The commune is mainly farmland with some forested areas near the river and in the north.Google Maps
/ref> 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 ...

passes through the commune from east to west forming a part of the eastern border and continuing south-west to eventually join the

Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...

Compiègne Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' (). Administration Compiègne is t ...

. The Canal des Ardennes also passes through the commune parallel to the Aisne. The Ruisseau des Barres forms the eastern border of the commune as it flows south to join the Aisne.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

A fortified point beside the Aisne

Asfeld was a village formerly called ''Ecry'' where the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

were defeated in 883. On 28 November 1199 a tournament was held in Ecry, in which several of

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

's papal legates recruited

Theobald III, Count of Champagne Theobald III (; 13 May 1179 – 24 May 1201) was Count of Champagne from 1197 to his death. He was designated heir by his older brother Henry II when the latter went to the Holy Land on the Third Crusade, and succeeded him upon his death. He co ...

, the tournament host, Louis of Blois, Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester and Reynald of Montmirail for the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

. Historians have debated whether one of the Pope's most controversial papal legates Fulk of Neuilly was one of the aforementioned recruiters. In the

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

, the Lords of Escry built a fortified residence. It was passed to the Grandpré family then to the Bossut. The chateau suffered numerous assaults: in 1359 it was sacked by the troops of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

riding from

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

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 ...

then again by the

Burgundians The Burgundians were an early Germanic peoples, Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared east in the middle Rhine region in the third century AD, and were later moved west into the Roman Empire, in Roman Gaul, Gaul. In the first and seco ...

around 1425. In 1625 it was again attacked by Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, profiting from the

Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in the Kingdom of France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition ...

to plunder

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 threaten

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

. In 1671,

Jean-Jacques de Mesmes Jean-Jacques is a French name, equivalent to "John James" in English. Since the second half of 18th century, Jean Jacques Rousseau was widely known as Jean Jacques. Notable people bearing this name include: Given name * Jean-Jacques Annaud (born 19 ...

, Count of Avaux bought the fief of Ecry after it had been devastated by these successive invasions to complete his territory. The main town of ''Ecry'' was then renamed ''Avaux-la-ville''.

From Avaux-la-Ville to Asfeld

Jean-Jacques de Mesmes stimulated the local economy by establishing a weekly market and two annual fairs. He strengthened and enlarged the chateau and its approaches. In 1680 he decided to build a new church as the existing church was in a particularly bad state. This construction was part of an overall plan for the surroundings of the château.Philippe Seydoux, ''Country seats and fortified Houses in Champagne, Marne, and Ardennes'', Éditions de La Morande, 1997, Vol. 1, 320 pages, p. 94-97, and ''Plan of the Château d'Avaux-la-Ville'', p. 95 The new church building was blessed on 15 June 1685. On 20 March 1728

Claude François Bidal d'Asfeld Claude François Bidal, marquis d'Asfeld (Paris, 2 July 1665 – Paris, 7 March 1743) was a French Marshal of France. He was the son of Pierre Bidal (1612–1690), a French merchant and banker who did business with Christina of Sweden. He re ...

bought the County of Avaux which was created from Avaux-le-Château, Avaux-la-Ville, Aire, Vieux, and Vauboison. In 1730 this lordship was raised to a marquisate. Avaux-la-Ville, which had been called ''Ecry'' until 1671, again changed its name and took the current name of ''Asfeld''. Claude François Bidal Asfeld was ''Lieutenant-General of the armies'' (equivalent to

General of division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

of the King and Director-general of fortifications, succeeding to this function from Vauban. At the same time, Nicolas Bidet from

, a winemaker and author of a botanical treatise on the nature and the culture of grapevines, became Lord of Juzancourt, now a hamlet in Asfeld commune.

Revolutions and political upheavals

The son of Claude François Bidal d'Asfeld, Claude Étienne, the second Marquis of Asfeld lived mainly in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

but had strong relationships with the inhabitants of Asfeld. The French Revolution of 1789 accentuated the conflicts. The gates of the château were forced open on 13 June 1790. The Marquis of Asfeld condemned the leaders but on 25 August 1792, hearing of the fall of the monarchy, mobs again entered the property of the Marquis and symbolically burned his

Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

. The Marquis preferred to emigrate to

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

following the French Revolution. His assets were seized and sold as '' Biens nationaux'' (national property). The castle was demolished the following year. The church was spared. During the Revolution the commune took the name of ''Écry-le-Franc'' or ''Escry-le-Franc''. In 1814, during the Battle for France, the region of Berry-au-Bac in Asfeld was the scene of fighting between Field Marshal Blücher, the Duke of Ragusa, and General Ricard. In February 1848 a native of Asfeld, the botanist Jean-Baptiste Payer, participated in the revolutionary events in Paris, became Chief of staff for

Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869) was a French author, poet, and statesman. Initially a moderate royalist, he became one of the leading critics of the July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe, aligning more w ...

then enjoyed a burgeoning popularity in his native region and was elected MP for Ardennes in the

French Second Republic The French Second Republic ( or ), officially the French Republic (), was the second republican government of France. It existed from 1848 until its dissolution in 1852. Following the final defeat of Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle ...

although it was ephemeral. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century the construction of railways was encouraged by freight traffic from the

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...

industry. Spurred by the brothers Jules and Désiré Linard, the railway was quickly built and created potential for further diversification for farmers.

Conflicts of the 20th century

Throughout the 1914-1918 war the area was close to combat zones until the final days and suffered extensive damage. In 1940 after the breakthrough at Sedan in May, it was along the

and in particular at Asfeld that a line of defence against the German invasion was attempted to be organized in early June without much success. In the years that followed, resistance movements emerge, such as the

FTP The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard communication protocol used for the transfer of computer files from a server to a client on a computer network. FTP is built on a client–server model architecture using separate control and dat ...

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Asfeldois'' in French.

Culture and heritage

Asfeld is a stage on the ''Route de Porcien'', a tourist route promoted by the Tourism Office of Ardennes

Civil heritage

*The former Arlot Flour Mill (17th century) Logo monument historique - rouge sans texte

*The German War cemetery File:Asfeld (Ardennes) Mairie.JPG, Asfeld Town Hall File:Entrée Asfeld 01267.JPG, Entrance to the German War cemetery File:Monument Asfeld 01273.JPG, The German War cemetery File:Asfeld (Ardennes) Cimetière allemand.JPG, Inside the German War cemetery File:Asfeld (Ardennes) Cimetière allemand, plaque.JPG, Commemorative Plaque at the German cemetery File:Asfeld (Ardennes) Monument aux morts.JPG, The War Memorial File:Collège 01171.JPG, Asfeld college File:Communauté de communes 01170.JPG, Community of communes office File:Gendarmerie 01157.JPG, Police Station File:Pompiers 01159.JPG, Fire Station

Religious heritage

*The Church of Saint-Didier (17th century) Logo monument historique - rouge sans texte

contains a: **Painting: The Martyrdom of Saint-Sebastian Logo monument historique - noir sans texte

*The Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Pitié contains a Sculpture of the Virgin of Pity Logo monument historique - noir sans texte

Ministry of Culture, Palissy File:Église Saint-Didier d'Asfeld.jpg, Church of Saint-Didier File:Entrée église 01173.JPG, Entrance to the Church of Saint-Didier File:Église Saint-Didier d'Asfeld 4.jpg, Plan of the church File:Église Saint-Didier d'Asfeld 2.jpg, Choir of the church File:Orgues 01200.JPG, The church organ File:Autel Didier 01228.JPG, The main Altar File:Vitrail 01208.JPG, Stained glass in the church File:Table 01227.JPG, Table in the church File:Chapelle Notre -Dame de la Pitié-Asfeld 1.JPG, Chapel of Notre-Dame de la Pitié

Notable people linked to the commune

, Count of Avaux *

*Nicolas Bidet of Juzancourt *Jean-Baptiste Payer *Désiré Linard

References

External links

''Asfeld'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Ardennes (department)