Lillers Lillaar | |
|---|---|
_mairie.JPG) The town hall of Lillers | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Lillers | |
  Lillers  Lillers | |
| Coordinates:50°33′52″N2°28′59″E / 50.5644°N 2.4831°E /50.5644; 2.4831 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais |
| Arrondissement | Béthune |
| Canton | Lillers |
| Intercommunality | CA Béthune-Bruay, Artois-Lys Romane |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Carole Dubois[1] |
Area 1 | 26.9 km2 (10.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 10,200 |
| • Density | 379/km2 (982/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 62516 /62190 |
| Elevation | 18–88 m (59–289 ft) (avg. 29 m or 95 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Lillers (French pronunciation:[lilɛʁ];West Flemish:Lillaar) is acommune in thePas-de-Calaisdepartment in the Hauts-de-France region of France[3] about 15 km northwest ofBéthune and 40 km west ofLille. The riverClarence flows through the town.
After being owned by the Counts ofFlanders, Lillers, which had been fortified against theNormans was given as adowry in 1179 to KingPhilip II Augustus of France. In 1327,Artois was created a county byLouis IX. His brother Robert became the first Count. In 1303, the city of Lillers was looted by theFlemings. In 1340, KingEdward III ofEngland claimed the throne ofFrance and started theHundred Years War, marked by two famous battles, that ofCrécy 1346 and that ofBattle of Agincourt, 1415, where Robert Wavrin, Lord of Lillers, met his death. In 1542, during the war againstCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor, French troops burned Lillers. The population were still living in tents or huts three years later.
After a period of peace, theThirty Years' War caused devastation in the region. In 1637, the town was taken by Marshall de la Ferté forSpain. In 1639, it was won back byMarshall de la Meilleraye to become French again. The Spanish retook it, only to be beaten off by the French in 1657. In 1659, theTreaty of the Pyrenees was concluded, which ceded most of theArtois to France, exceptSaint-Omer andAire-sur-la-Lys.
In 1710, the region was the scene of theWar of Spanish Succession. In 1710, Lillers was taken by Spanish troops. The allied British, German and Dutch forces under the command of theDuke of Marlborough established their headquarters at Lillers until forced out by the Marquis de Goesbriand, the head of the French troops.
TheTreaty of Utrecht ended the war in 1713, when Lillers found itself a part of France. The still thriving shoe industries of Lillers started in the 19th century.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 9,436 | — |
| 1975 | 9,421 | −0.02% |
| 1982 | 9,509 | +0.13% |
| 1990 | 9,666 | +0.20% |
| 1999 | 9,775 | +0.12% |
| 2007 | 9,875 | +0.13% |
| 2012 | 9,988 | +0.23% |
| 2017 | 9,931 | −0.11% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
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