Montargis () is a commune in the

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (; ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior ...

, France. Montargis is the seventh most populous commune in the

''région'', and the second in the

''département'' after

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and light industry Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...

and farming, including

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...

. Due to its numerous canals and bridges, Montargis sometimes bills itself as the "Venice of the Gâtinais." Though quite modern, it retains a medieval charm in its downtown area.

Geography

Montargis lies on both banks of the river

Loing The Loing () is a long river in central France, a left tributary of the Seine. Its source is in Sainte-Colombe-sur-Loing, in the southwest of the departments of France, department of Yonne, and it flows into the Seine in Saint-Mammès, near Mo ...

and the Briare Canal, in the

Gâtinais Gâtinais () or Gâtine () was a province of France, containing the area around the valley of the Loing, corresponding roughly to the northeastern part of the département of Loiret, and the south of the present department of Seine-et-Marne. U ...

region. The town is about south of

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 ...

and east of

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and Montargis station has rail connections to Nevers, Melun and Paris. The A77 autoroute (Montargis–Nevers) passes west of the town.

History

Though the town is known to date to ancient times, during the Renaissance, fanciful etymologies were invented to account for the place name ''Montargis'', whether as ''mons argi'', Mount of Argus, the place where the jealous goddess Juno charged

Argus Panoptes Argus or Argos Panoptes (, "All-seeing Argos") is a many-eyed giant in Greek mythology. Known for his perpetual vigilance, he served the goddess Hera as a watchman. His most famous task was guarding Io, a priestess of Hera, whom Zeus had transf ...

with guarding her rival Io, or connected with the chieftain Moritas mentioned 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 ...

, in his

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland). Gauls, Gallic, Germanic peoples, Germanic, and Celtic Britons, Brittonic trib ...

Origins and Middle Ages

Numerous

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

artifacts have been found in the area and many are in the town's Gâtinais Museum. Later the town was a stronghold of the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

king

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

. Montargis was originally a seat of the house of Courtenay, which fortified a château on a hill overlooking the town. The town was ceded to the king of France in 1188. Eleanor Plantagenet, second daughter of King John of England and wife of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (killed at the Battle of Evesham), died here on 13 April 1275. In the 14th and 15th centuries it was a royal residence.

Hundred Years' War

In 1427, during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

, the Earl of Warwick besieged the town with artillery, beginning bombardment on 15 July. During the siege the residents of Montargis sabotaged the dikes of numerous ponds in the district, causing flooding and drowning many of the besieging Plantagenets. On 5 September a French force of 1600 men led by

Jean de Dunois Jean d'Orléans, Count of Dunois (23 November 1402 – 24 November 1468), known as the "Bastard of Orléans" () or simply Jean de Dunois, was a French military leader during the Hundred Years' War who participated in military campaigns with Joan ...

and La Hire, commanders who would go on to lead the army of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 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 Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

, broke the siege. It was the first important victory by the army of King Charles VII in the war, gratefully remembered by Charles later. After being wounded in an unsuccessful attempt to besiege Paris in September 1429, Joan of Arc passed through Montargis on her way to

Gien Gien () is a Communes of France, commune in the Loiret Departments of France, department in north-central France. Gien is on the river Loire, from Orléans. Gien station has rail connections to Montargis, Nevers and Paris. The town was bought ...

. After the war Charles VII rewarded the town for its valour by granting it various privileges. In 1490 Charles VIII officially declared the town ''Montargis Le Franc'' ("Montargis the tax-free"). This title is abbreviated to MLF in the official coat of arms (seen in the seal shown here). This privilege was renewed by his successors and Montargis remained free of taxes for three centuries until it was revoked during the French Revolution.

Legend of the Dog of Montargis

The best-known legend of Montargis is that of the "Dog of Montargis." In the story, Aubry de Montdidier, a courtier of King

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...

, was murdered around 1400 in a forest near Montargis by Robert Macaire, an envious knight. After his death, Mondidier's dog showed a remarkable hostility to Macaire. King Charles decreed a

trial by combat Trial by combat (also wager of battle, trial by battle or judicial duel) was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the ...

in the town between the dog and Macaire, who was armed with only a

cudgel A club (also known as a cudgel, baton, bludgeon, truncheon, cosh, nightstick, or impact weapon) is a short staff or stick, usually made of wood, wielded as a weapon or tool since prehistory. There are several examples of blunt-force trauma caus ...

. After the dog won the battle, Macaire confessed to the crime and was hanged. A dramatic bronze statue of this fight is in the courtyard of the Girodet Museum in central Montargis, and the contest is depicted in a stained glass window in a local church as well. The story was the subject of a 19th-century melodrama, '' The Dog of Montarges'' (), that held the stage for years in Paris and was performed in English and German translations.

Sixteenth century

In 1528 King Francis I granted the town to his sister-in-law,

Renée of France Renée of France (25 October 1510 – 12 June 1574), was List of Ferrarese consorts, Duchess of Ferrara from 31 October 1534 until 3 October 1559 by marriage to Ercole II d'Este, grandson of Pope Alexander VI. She was the younger surviving ch ...

, Duchess of

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

and daughter of King

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

. After her husband, Ercole II, the

Duke of Ferrara This is a list of rulers of the estates owned by the House of Este, Este family, which main line of Marquesses (''Marchesi d'Este'') rose in 1039 with Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan. The name "Este" is related to the city where the family came ...

, died in 1559, Renée resided at Montargis. She sheltered there Protestant

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s fleeing from persecutions in Paris and elsewhere during the 16th century

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

Industrial development

In the 1880s,

Hutchinson SA Hutchinson is a French multinational Group known as the third-largest manufacturer of non-tire rubber in the world. It was founded in 1853 by Hiram Hutchinson in Châlette-sur-Loing, France. The Group manufactured a range of rubber goods, incl ...

built a rubber factory in Châlette-sur-Loing near Montargis. It today employs 2000 workers to produce tires and parts for vehicles and appliances.

Chinese connections

Montargis was a hub of Chinese expatriate political activity in the 1910s and early 1920s. A significant share of participants in the Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement () stayed there. The most famous of them,

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...

, was a worker producing rubber

galoshes Galoshes are a type of overshoe or rubber boot that is put on over shoes to keep them from getting muddy or wet during inclement weather. They come in both low cut and high, and in both slip-on and buckle-front versions. Names The English wo ...

in the Hutchinson factory of Châlette-sur-Loing for eight months from mid-February to mid-October 1922. This history became a matter for commemoration a century later. In 2014 the square in front of Montargis railway station was renamed in honour of Deng Xiaoping. In 2016 the

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

provincial government opened the Historical Museum of French-Chinese Friendship in an old house in the town centre. On 4 May 2019, for the 100th anniversary of China's

May Fourth Movement The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese cultural and anti-imperialist political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen to protest the Chinese government's weak response ...

, a bronze memorial to the Work-Study Movement by Chinese sculptor Wu Weishan was inaugurated in front of the railway station. In 2023, riots following the death of Nahel Merzouk caused extensive damage in the city centre, including burning buildings and looted shops. The damage is estimated to be worth millions of euros.

Sport

Stage 2 of The 2024 Paris–Nice Cycle Race finished at Montargis, March 3, 2024.

Population

Culture

Pralines, the crunchy confection made from almonds and caramelised sugar, were first made in Montargis during the reign of

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

. The original shop is still in business on Place Mirabeau. Baron Palamède de Charlus relates among his many other blandishments that he is the “Damoiseau de Montargis” in

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...

's . On 4 July 2006 residents of Montargis competed in and won the Intervilles game show against opponent town Moulins. The and are among the town's main sights.

Notable people

* Eleanor of Leicester lived in exile as a nun at the abbey in Montargis and died there in 1275. * Denis Jamet died there in 1625. * Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon was born there in 1648. * Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson was born there in 1767 and the town's art gallery is named after him. * Charles-Etienne Gudin (1768–1812), French general during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

and

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 ...

* Madeleine de Roybon d'Allonne (1646–1718), early settler of

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

* Louis-Jacques Bresnier (1814–1869), 19th-century orientalist, was born in Montargis. *

and

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...

lived in the town's Chinese community in the 1920s. *

Patricia Petibon Patricia Petibon (born 27 February 1970) is a French soprano. Life Born in Montargis, Petibon's parents were both teachers. She initially studied the visual arts, including painting and subsequently changed her academic focus and earned a bac ...

was born here in 1970. * Louis Pierre Manuel (1751 – 17 November 1793), a French writer and political figure of the Revolution * Françoise Delord (1940–2021), zookeeper

Twin towns

Montargis is twinned with: * Greven, Germany *

Crowborough Crowborough is a town and civil parish in East Sussex, England, in the Weald at the edge of Ashdown Forest and the highest town in the High Weald AONB, High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is located south-west of Royal Tunbridge ...

, United Kingdom

References

External links

*
Official website
*

*

* * {{Authority control Communes of Loiret Subprefectures in France Burial sites of the House of Valois-Orléans Orléanais