Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

VERDUN

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 1019 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

VERDUN , a See also:

garrison See also:town of See also:north-eastern See also:France, See also:capital of an See also:arrondissement in the See also:department of See also:Meuse, on the See also:main See also:line of the Eastern railway between See also:Paris and See also:Metz,. 42 M. N.N.E. of See also:Bar-le-Duc. Pop. (1906) 12,837. In addition the See also:population comptee a See also:part (soldiers, &c.) See also:numbers 8198. Verdun is situated in a See also:basin surrounded by See also:vine-clad hills on the Meuse, which here forms the Eastern See also:Canal. Verdun as a fortress is of first-See also:rate importance. It lies directly opposite the frontier of See also:German See also:Lorraine and the See also:great entrenched See also:camp of Metz. At the See also:time of the See also:war of 1870 (when it was defended for See also:long without See also:hope of success by See also:General See also:Guerin de Waldersbach) it was still a small antiquated fortress of the See also:Vauban See also:epoch, but in the long line of fortifications on the Meuse created by Seri-6 de See also:Riviere in 1875 Verdun, forming the See also:left of the " Meuse Line " barrier, was made the centre of an entrenched camp. The first See also:lesson of 187o being taken to See also:heart, forts were placed (Belrupt S.E., St See also:Michel N.E., See also:Belleville N. and La Chaume and Regret W.) on all the surrounding heights that the besiegers had used for their batteries, but the designers soon extended the line of the eastern defences as far out as the sharply defined cliffs that, rising gently for some See also:miles from the Meuse, come to an abrupt edge and over-look the See also:plain of Woevre. On this front, which is about 51 M.

long, the most important See also:

works are (from right to left) See also:Chatillon, Manezel, Moulainville, Eix, Mardi Gras, Lanfee, See also:Vaux and Hardimont. At right angles to this line, the See also:south front, the works of which are placed along one of the long western spurs of the line of heights, are forts Rozellier, St Symphorien and Haudainville, the last overlooking the Meuse. The north front, also on a See also:spur of the See also:ridge, is thickly studded with forts, these in some cases being but 200 yds. apart and the left fort over-looking the Meuse. Behind the See also:east front, chiefly designed to See also:close the valley by which the Metz-Verdun railway penetrates the line of heights, are Fort Tavannes with its outworks and a See also:series of batteries on the adjacent spurs. On the left See also:bank of the Meuse there is a See also:complete semicircle of forts. At the See also:northern end of this semicircle (besides some works in the valley itself), and See also:crossing its See also:fire with the left of the north front, is Fort Belle-lpine, then comes Marre, Bourrus and Bruyeres, all four being on a single ridge facing N.W. The See also:west front is composed of Fort Germonville, Fort Bois de Sartelles, Fort Bois du Chapitre, Fort Landrecourt and Fort Dugny, which last is within sight of Fort Haudainville over the Meuse. In second line behind these works are Fort Choisel, Chana See also:redoubt and Fort Sartelles. In all there are 16 large forts and about 20 smaller works, the perimeter of the whole being about 30 M. and the greatest See also:diameter of the fort-See also:ring 9. The See also:chief See also:quarter of the town lies on the slope of the left bank of the See also:river and is dominated by the citadel which occupies the site of the old See also:abbey of St Vanne founded in the loth See also:century. Several arms of the river intersect the quarter on the right bank. The whole town is surrounded by a bastioned See also:enceinte, pierced by four See also:gates; that to the N.E., the See also:Porte Chaussee, flanked by two crenelated towers, is an interesting specimen of the military See also:architecture of the 15th century.

The See also:

cathedral of Notre-See also:Dame stands on the site of two previous churches of the Romanesque See also:period, the first of which was burnt down in 1047; a See also:crypt and other remains of the second See also:building consecrated in 1147 are still to be seen, but the greater part of the See also:present See also:church dated from subsequent periods. Built under the See also:influence of Rhenish architecture, Notre-Dame has See also:double transepts and, till the 18th century when the western See also:apse was replaced by a See also:facade, had an apse at each extremity. A See also:fine See also:cloister to the S.W. of the cathedral See also:dates from the 15th century. The hotel-de-ville (17th century) contains the museum. Verdun is the seat of a See also:bishop and a sub-See also:prefect and has tribunals of first instance and of See also:commerce, a communal See also:college, ecclesiastical seminaries and a See also:branch of the Bank of France. The See also:industries include See also:metal See also:founding, the manufacture of sweetmeats (dragees de Verdun), machinery, nails, files, See also:embroidery, See also:linen, chairs and rope and the See also:distillation of See also:liqueurs. The canal See also:port has See also:trade in See also:timber, agricultural produce, See also:stone and building materials and See also:coal. Verdun ( V erodunum), an important town at the time of the See also:Roman See also:conquest, was made a part of Belgica Prima. The bishopric, of which' the most celebrated holder was St Vanne (498-525), dates from the 3rd century. Verdun was destroyed during the period of the See also:barbarian invasions, and did not re-See also:cover till towards the end of the 5th century. See also:Clovis seized the town in 502, and it afterwards belonged to the See also:kingdom of See also:Austrasia. In 843 the famous treaty was signed here by the sons of See also:Louis the Pious (see See also:GERMANY, See also:History).

In the loth century Verdun was definitively conquered by Germany and put under the temporal authority of its bishops. Together with Tout and Metz, the town and its domain formed the territory of the Trois-tveches. In the 11th century the burghers of the now See also:

free and imperial town began a struggle with their bishops, which ended in their obtaining certain rights in the 12th century. In 1552 See also:Henry II. of France took See also:possession of the Trois-Eveches, which finally became See also:French by the treaty of See also:Westphalia. In 1792, after some See also:hours of See also:bombardment, the citizens opened their gates to the Prussians—a weakness which the Revolutionary See also:Government punished by the See also:execution of several of the inhabitants. In 1870 the Prussians,unable to seize the town by a coup de main, invested and bombarded it " three different times, till it capitulated in the beginning of See also:November.

End of Article: VERDUN

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
VERDIGRIS 		[next]
VERDY DU VERNOIS, JULIUS VON (1832- )

Site © 2006 - Net Industries