1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Poitiers[a] is a city on the riverClain in west-centralFrance. It is acommune, the capital of theVienne department and the historical center ofPoitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 90,240. Its conurbation had 134,397 inhabitants in 2021 and is the municipal center of an urban area of 281,789 inhabitants. It is a city of art and history, still known popularly as "Ville aux cent clochers" (literal translation: "City of hundredbell towers").
The city's pedigree is associated with two major battles that took place in the area. The first, in 732, also known as theBattle of Tours (to avoid inevitable confusion with the second), saw the defendingFrankish warhost commanded byCharles Martel defeat the belligerent expeditionary army of theUmayyad Caliphate led by Muslim generalAbd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi. The second battle, in 1356, a lionized military capstone was theBattle of Poitiers which was one of the focal battles of theHundred Years' War. It saw the defeat of a larger French royal army by the English and the capture ofKing John II of France by the triumphantPrince of Wales Edward.
The city of Poitiers is strategically situated on theSeuil du Poitou, a shallow gap between theArmorican and theCentral Massif. The Seuil du Poitou connects theAquitaine Basin to the South to theParis Basin to the North. This area is an important geographic crossroads in France and Western Europe.
Poitiers's primary site sits on a vast promontory between the valleys of theBoivre and theClain. The old town occupies the slopes and the summit of a plateau that rises 130 feet (40 m) above the streams which surround, and hence benefits from a very strong tactical situation. This was an especially important factor before and throughout the Middle Ages.
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The climate in the Poitiers area is mild with mild temperature amplitudes, and adequate rainfall throughout the year although with a drying tendency during summer. TheKöppen Climate Classification subtype for this type of climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[11]
Climate data for Poitiers (PIS), elevation: 125 m (410 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1921–present
Poitiers was founded by theCeltic tribe of thePictones and was known as theOppidumLemonum beforeRoman influence. The name is said to have come from the Celtic word forelm,Lemo. But after, the Pax Romana settled, the town became known asPictavium, or later "Pictavis", after the original Pictones inhabitants themselves.
The Pictavis Period has provided the city with a rich wealth ofarcheological finds from the Roman-era in Poitiers. In fact until 1857, Poitiers hosted the ruins of a vast RomanAmphitheatre, which was larger than the Amphitheater ofNîmes. Furthermore,Roman baths, orThermæ built in the 1st century and demolished in the 3rd century, were uncovered after the Amphitheater in 1877.[8]
In 1879, a burial-place and tombs of a number ofChristian martyrs were discovered on the heights to the south-east of the town.[8] The names of some of the Christians had been preserved in paintings and inscriptions.[8] Not far from these tombs is a hugeDolmen (thePierre Levée), which is 6.7 metres (22 ft) long, 4.9 metres (16 ft) wide and 2.1 metres (7 ft) high, and around which the great fair ofSaint Luke used to be held.[8]
The Romans also built at least threeaqueducts. This extensive ensemble of Roman constructions suggests Poitiers was a town of primary importance, possibly even the capital of theRoman province ofGallia Aquitania during the 2nd century.
In the 3rd century, a thick wall 6m wide and 10m high was built around the town.[14] It was 2.6 km (2 mi) long[14] and stood lower on the naturally defended east side and at the top of the promontory. Around this time, the town began to be known as Poitiers.
Fifty years later, Poitiers fell into the hands of theArian Visigoths, and became one of the principal residences of their royals.[8] Visigoth KingAlaric II was defeated byClovis I atVouillé, not far from Poitiers, in 507, and the town thus came underFrankish dominion.[8]
During most of theEarly Middle Ages, the town of Poitiers took advantage of the defensively tactical placement of its location, which was far from the nucleus ofFrankish power. As the seat of anévêché (bishopric) since the 4th century, the town was a cynosure of notable importance and the capital of the county ofPoitou. At the crux of their power, theCounts of Poitiers governed a sizeable domain, including bothNouvelle-Aquitaine andPoitou.
The town was often referred to asPoictiers, a name commemorated inwarships of the Royal Navy, after the Battle of Poitiers.[15]
The first decisive victory of a Western European Christian army over aIslamic power, theBattle of Tours, was fought byCharles Martel's men in the vicinity of Poitiers on 10 October 732. For many historians, it was one of history's most pivotal moments as it marked the end of territorial end of Muslim expansion although the influence of the region would bourgeon for hundreds of years to come.[16]
Eleanor of Aquitaine frequently resided in the town, which she embellished and fortified, and in 1199 entrusted with communal rights.[8] In 1152 she married the future King of EnglandHenry II inPoitiers Cathedral.
During theHundred Years' War, theBattle of Poitiers, an English victory, was fought near the town of Poitiers on 19 September 1356. Later in the war in 1418, underCharles VII, the royal parliament moved from Paris to Poitiers, where it remained in exile until the Plantagenets finally withdrew from the capital in 1436.[8] During this interval, in 1429, Poitiers was the site ofJoan of Arc's formalinquest.[8]
TheUniversity of Poitiers was founded in 1431. During and after the Reformation,John Calvin had numerous converts in Poitiers and the town had its share of the violent proceedings which underlined theWars of Religion throughout France.[8]
In 1569 Poitiers was defended against an assailing siege byGuy de Daillon, Count of Lude, againstAdmiral of FranceGaspard de Coligny, who after an unsuccessful bombardment and seven weeks, retired from a siege he had laid to the town.[8]
The type of political organization existing in Poitiers during thelate medieval andearly modern period can be sheened through a speech given on 14 July 1595 byMaurice Roatin, the town's mayor. He compared it to theRoman state, which combined three types of government:monarchy,aristocracy, anddemocracy. He said theRoman Consulate corresponded to Poitiers' mayor, theRoman Senate to the town's peers andéchevins, and thedemocratic element in Rome corresponded to the fact that most important matters "can not be decided except by the advice of theMois et Cent" (the broad council).1 The mayor appears to have been an advocate of a mixed constitution; not all Frenchmen in 1595 would have agreed with him, at least in public; many spoke in favor ofabsolute monarchy which would be pioneered by theFather of Absolutism,Louis XIV 'Le Roi Soleil.' The democratic element was not as strong as the mayor's words may have seemed to imply: In fact, Poitiers was similar to other French cities such as,Paris,Nantes,Marseille,Limoges,La Rochelle, andDijon, in that the town's governing body (corps de ville) was "highly exclusive and oligarchical:" With a small number of professionals and family groups controlling most of the city offices. In Poitiers many of these positions were granted for the lifetime of the office holder, an archaic byproduct of theAge of Absolutism in France.2
The city government in Poitiers based its claims to legitimacy on the theory of government where the mayor andéchevins held jurisdiction of thefief's administration separate from the monarchy: that is, they swore allegiance and promised support for him, and in return he granted them local authority. This gave them the advantage of being able to claim that any townsperson who challenged their preeminence was being treasonous to the king's decree. Annually the mayor and the 24échevins would swear anoath of allegiance "between the hands" of the king or his representative, usually thelieutenant general or theSénéchaussée. For example, in 1567, whenMaixent Poitevin was mayor,KingHenry III came for a visit, and, although some townspeople were disgruntled regarding the licentious behavior of his entourage, Henry smoothed things over with a warm speech acknowledging their allegiance and graciously thanking them for it.2
In this era, themayor of Poitiers was preceded by sergeants wherever he went, consulted deliberative bodies, carried out their decisions, "heard civil and criminal suits in first instance", tried to ensure that the food supply would be adequate, and visited markets.2
In the 16th century, Poitiers impressed visitors because of its large size, and important features, including "royal courts, universities, prolific printing shops, wealthy religious institutions, cathedrals, numerous parishes, markets, impressive domestic architecture, extensive fortifications, and castle."316th-century Poitiers is closely associated with the life ofFrançois Rabelais and the community ofBitards.
The cosmopolitan town saw less activity during theRenaissance. Few changes were made in the urban landscape, except for laying the way for theRue de la Tranchée. Moreover bridges were built where the inhabitants had colloquially usedgués. A fewHôtels particuliers were built at that time, such as the Hôtels Jean Baucé, Fumé and Berthelot. PoetsJoachim du Bellay andPierre Ronsard converged at theUniversity of Poitiers, before leaving for Paris leaving an indelible mark on the city.
During the 17th century, many people emigrated from Poitiers and the Poitou to the French settlements in the new world and thus manyAcadians who would later beCajuns living in North America contemporarily can trace their ancestry back to this region.
During the 18th century, the town's ebb and flow mainly depended on its administrative functions as the regional capital: Poitiers served as the seat for the regional administration of royal justice, the évêché, themonasteries, and the intendance of theGénéralité du Poitou.
During the 19th century, many army bases were built in Poitiers because of its strategic location. Poitiers would also become agarrison town, despite its distance from France's borders.
ThePoitiers train station was built in the 1850s, and connected Poitiers to the rest of France. TheHôtel de Ville (city hall) on Place du Maréchal-Leclerc was completed in 1875.[17]
Poitiers was bombed duringWorld War II, particularly the area around the railway station which was heavily hit on 13 June 1944.
From the late 1950s until the late 1960s whenCharles de Gaulle ended the American military presence, theU.S. Army andU.S. Air Force had an array of military installations in France, including a major Army logistics and communications hub in Poitiers, part of what was called the Communication Zone (ComZ), and consisting of a logistics headquarters and communications agency located at Aboville Caserne, a military compound situated on a hill above the city. Hundreds of graduates ("Military Brats") of Poitiers American High School, a school operated by theDepartment of Defense School System (DODDS), have gone on to maintain successful careers, including the recent commander-in-chief of theU.S. Special Forces Command, Army General Bryan (Doug) Brown. The Caserne also housed a full support community, with a theater, commissary, recreation facilities and an affiliate radio station of the American Forces Network, Europe, headquartered inFrankfurt (nowMannheim,Germany.)[citation needed]
Parc du Futuroscope (European Park of the Moving Image, some 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Poitiers; theme is visual communication technology in ultramodern buildings)
ThePB86 or Poitiers Basket 86 play in theFrench Pro A basketball league. In the 2009–10 season, three Americans played for PB86: Rasheed Wright, Kenny Younger and Tommy Gunn. The team played the French championship playoffs in the 2009–10 season and was thePro B French Champion for the 2008–2009 season. The team's communication strategy is considered by some to be one of the best in the French basketball scene.
Historic churches, in particular Romanesque buildings, are the main attraction inside Poitiers itself. The town center is gorgeous, with generally well-preserved architecture and a recently re-zoned pedestrian area. There are numerous shops, cafes and restaurants in the town centre.
Since 1987, Poitiers' tourist industry has indirectly benefited from theFuturoscope theme-park and research park in nearbyChasseneuil-du-Poitou. The kernel of town receives visits in complement to the theme-park and benefits from a larger proportion of European tourists, notably from the United Kingdom. In conjunction, Poitiers' tourism has also benefited from theTGV high-speed rail link to Paris.
Urban transportation in Poitiers is provided by a company dubbed Vitalis although their e-infrastructure is difficult to access. Regional ground transportation in the department of theVienne is provided by private bus companies such as "Ligne en Vienne." Rail transportation in the region is provided by the publicTER Nouvelle-Aquitaine (regional express train.)
Between January 2009 and December 2012, Poitiers' town center underwent significant transformations aimed at reducing motor vehicle access. The initiative, called "Projet Cœur d'Agglo," sought to rethink the role of individual car use for accessing the town center and daily transportation. On September 29, 2010, 12 streets were permanently closed to motor vehicles, creating a fully pedestrianized zone. Lastly, a new line of fast buses was added around 2017.
The city of Poitiers has a very old tradition as being a prestigious town where many good universities agglomerate, starting as far back as the Middle Ages. TheUniversity of Poitiers was established in 1431 and has welcomed many famous philosophers and scientists throughout the ages (notablyFrançois Rabelais;René Descartes;Francis Bacon;Samir Amin).
Today Poitiers has more students per inhabitant than any other large town or city in France. All around, there are over 27,000 university students in Poitiers, nearly 4,000 of which are foreigners, hailing from 117 countries.[citation needed] The University covers all major fields fromsciences togeography,history,languageseconomics andlaw.
Since 2001, the city of Poitiers has hosted the first cycle of "The South America, Spain and Portugal" program from theParis Institute of Political Studies, also known as Sciences Po.
^Professor of religionHuston Smith says inThe World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions: "But for their defeat by Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours in 733 [sic], the entire Western world might today be Muslim."
Bachrach, Bernard S. (1975). "Early Medieval Fortifications in the "West" of France: A Revised Technical Vocabulary".Technology and Culture.16 (4 (Oct.)):531–569.
Archives communales de Poitiers, reg. 54, pp. 211–213; in Harry J. Bernstein,Between Crown and Community: Politics and Civic Culture in Sixteenth-Century Poitiers. 2004, Ithaca N.Y., USA: Cornell University Press, p. 22.
Harry J. Bernstein,Between Crown and Community: Politics and Civic Culture in Sixteenth-Century Poitiers. 2004, Ithaca N.Y., USA: Cornell University Press, pp. 22–30.
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