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| Government of Artois Gouvernment d'Artois | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1764–1790 | |||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||
.svg) Location of Artois in France (1789 borders) | |||||||||
| Capital | Arras | ||||||||
| Demonym | Artesians (French:Artésiens) | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| • Type | Province | ||||||||
| King of France | |||||||||
• 1764–1774 | Louis XV | ||||||||
• 1774–1790 | Louis XVI | ||||||||
| Governor of Artois | |||||||||
• 1764–1787 | François Gaston de Lévis | ||||||||
• 1788–1789 | Adrien-Louis de Bonnières | ||||||||
| Historical era | Early Modern | ||||||||
• County created | 1764 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1790 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | France | ||||||||
Artois (/ɑːrˈtwɑː/ar-TWAH,French:[aʁtwɑ];Dutch:Artesië;Picard:Artoé; English adjective:Artesian) is a region ofnorthern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities includeArras (Dutch:Atrecht),Saint-Omer,Lens, andBéthune. It is theeponym for the termArtesian.
Artois occupies the interior of thePas-de-Calaisdépartement,[1] the western part of which constitutes the formerBoulonnais. Artois roughly corresponds to thearrondissements ofArras,Béthune,Saint Omer, andLens, and the eastern part of thearrondissement of Montreuil. It occupies the western end of thecoalfield which stretches eastward through the neighbouringNorddépartement and across centralBelgium.
Originally a feudal county itself, Artois was annexed by thecounty of Flanders. It came to France in 1180 as a dowry of a Flemish princess,Isabelle of Hainaut, and was again made aseparate county in 1237 forRobert, a grandson of Isabelle. Through inheritance, Artois came under the rule of the dukes ofBurgundy in 1384. At the death of the fourth duke,Charles the Bold, Artois was inherited by theHabsburgs and passed to the dynasty's Spanish line. After the religious revolts of 1566 in the Netherlands, Artois briefly entered theDutch Revolt in 1576, participating in thePacification of Ghent until it formed theUnion of Atrecht in 1579.
After the Union of Atrecht, Artois andHainaut (Dutch:Henegouwen) reached a separate agreement withPhilip II. Artois remained with the Spanish Netherlands until it was conquered by France during theFranco-Spanish War. The annexation was acknowledged during theTreaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, and it became a French province. Artois had already been largely French-speaking, but it was part of theSouthern Netherlands until the French annexation.
Artois experienced rapid industrial development during the second half of the 19th century, fueled by its rich coal resources. DuringWorld War I, the front line between the opposingCentral Powers andAllied armies in France ran through the province, resulting in enormous physical damage. Since the second half of the 20th century, Artois has suffered along with nearby areas because of the decline of the coal industry.
Media related toArtois at Wikimedia Commons50°30′N2°30′E / 50.500°N 2.500°E /50.500; 2.500
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