Place:Ardennes, France

Watchers
NameArdennes
TypeDépartement
Coordinates49.667°N 4.75°E
Located inFrance
Also located inChampagne, France    
Contained Places
Arrondissement
Mézières-Charleville
Rethel
Commune
Blanchefosse-et-Bay
Fumay
Hannappes
Juniville
La Grandville
La Neuville-en-Tourne-à-Fuy
Monthermé
Monthois
Mouzon
Quilly
Roizy
Saint-Laurent
Saint-Loup-en-Champagne
Saint-Étienne-à-Arnes
Sedan
Verrières
Former municipality
Bay
Blanchefosse
Flaignes-les-Oliviers
Inhabited place
Asfeld
Attigny
Aubrives
Avaux
Bazeilles
Beaumont-en-Argonne
Bergnicourt
Bogny-sur-Meuse
Brienne-sur-Aisne
Buzancy
Carignan
Charleville
Chaumont-Porcien
Chesne
Chooz
Château-Porcien
Deville
Donchêry
Douzy
Flize
Floing
Fossé
Fromelennes
Fépin
Gespunsart
Givet
Grandpré
Gué-d'Hossus
Hautes-Rivières
Haybes
Hierges
La Besace
Launois-sur-Vence
Liart
Lonny
Machault
Margut
Mazerny
Mohon
Mon Idée
Mézières
Neufmanil
Nouvion-sur-Meuse
Nouzonville
Novion-Porcien
Omont
Poix-Terron
Pouru-Saint-Rémy
Raucourt-et-Flaba
Regniowez
Renwez
Revin
Rimogne
Rocroi
Rumigny
Sachy
Saint-Menges
Sault-lès-Rethel
Signy-l'Abbaye
Signy-le-Petit
Séchault
Thilay
Thin-le-Moutier
Tourteron
Villers-Semeuse
Vireux
Vouziers
Vrigne-Meuse
Unknown
Acy
Acy-Romance
Adon
Aiglemont
Aire
Alincourt
Alland'Huy-et-Sausseuil
Amagne
Amblimont
Ambly-Fleury
Anchamps
Andevanne
Angecourt
Annelles
Antheny
Aouste
Apremont
Ardeuil-Montfauxelles
Arnicourt
Arreux
Artaise-le-Vivier
Aubigny-les-Pothées
Auboncourt-Vauzelles
Auflance
Auge
Aure
Aussonce
Authe
Autrecourt-et-Pourron
Autruche
Autry
Auvillers-les-Forges
Avançon
Balaives-et-Butz
Balan
Balham
Ballay
Banogne-Recouvrance
Bar-les-Buzancy
Barbaise
Barby
Barricourt
Bayonville
Baâlons
Beaulieu
Beffu-et-le-Morthomme
Belleville-sur-Bar
Belval
Belval-Bois-des-Dames
Bertoncourt
Biermes
Bignicourt
Bièvres
Blagny
Blaise
Blanzy-la-Salonnaise
Blombay
Bosseval-et-Briancourt
Bossus-lès-Rumigny
Bouconville
Boult-aux-Bois
Boulzicourt
Bourcq
Bourg-Fidèle
Boutancourt
Bouvellemont
Braux
Brieulles-sur-Bar
Briquenay
Brognon
Brécy-Brières
Brévilly
Bulson
Cauroy
Cernion
Chagny
Chalandry-Elaire
Challerange
Champigneul-sur-Vence
Champigneulle
Champlin
Chappes
Charbogne
Chardeny
Charnois
Chesnois-Auboncourt
Chestres
Cheveuges-St-Aignan
Chevières
Chilly
Chuffilly-Roche
Château-Regnault-Bogny
Châtel-Chéhéry
Châtillon-sur-Bar
Chéhéry
Chémery-sur-Bar
Clavy-Warby
Cliron
Clémency
Condé-les-Herpy
Condé-les-Vouziers
Condé-lès-Autry
Connage
Contreuve
Cornay
Corny-Macheroménil
Coucy
Coulommes-et-Marqueny
Daigny
Damouzy
Dom-le-Mesnil
Dommery
Doumely-Bégny
Doux
Draize
Dricourt
Ecly
Ecordal
Elan
Escombres-et-Le-Chesnois
Estrebay
Etalle
Eteignières
Etion
Etrépigny
Euilly-et-Lombut
Evigny
Exermont
Fagnon
Faissault
Falaise
Faux
Fleigneux
Fligny
Fléville
Foisches
Foulzy
Fraillicourt
Francheval
Fromy
Frénois
Germont
Gernelle
Girondelle
Givonne
Givron
Givry
Glaire-et-Villette
Gomont
Grandchamp
Grandham
Grivy-Loisy
Gruyères
Guignicourt-sur-Vence
Guincourt
Hagnicourt
Ham-les-Moines
Ham-sur-Meuse
Hannogne-Saint-Martin
Hannogne-Saint-Rémy
Haraucourt
Harcy
Hargnies
Harricourt
Haudrecy
Haulme
Hauteville
Hauviné
Havys
Herbeuval
Herpy-l'Arlésienne
Hocmont
Houdilcourt
Houldizy
Iges
Illy
Imécourt
Inaumont
Issancourt-et-Rumel
Jandun
Joigny-sur-Meuse
Jonval
Justine-Herbigny
Juzancourt
L'Ecaille
L'Echelle
La Berlière
La Cassine
La Cerleau
La Chapelle
La Croix-aux-Bois
La Ferté-sur-Chiers
La Ferée
La Francheville
La Hardoye
La Horgne
La Moncelle
La Neuville-aux-Joûtes
La Neuville-aux-Tourneurs
La Neuville-à-Maire
La Romagne
La Sabotterie
Laifour
Lalobbe
Lametz
Landres et-St-Georges
Landrichamps
Landèves
Lançon
Laval-Morency
Le Chesne
Le Châtelet-sur-Retourne
Le Châtelet-sur-Sormonne
Le Fréty
Le Mont-Dieu
Le Thour
Leffincourt
Les Alleux
Les Ayvelles
Les Deux-Villes
Les Grandes-Armoises
Les Hautes-Rivières
Les Hauts-Buttés
Les Mazures
Les Petites-Armoises
Levrézy
Linay
Linchamps
Liry
Logny-Bogny
Logny-lès-Chaumont
Longwé
Louvergny
Lucquy
Lumes
Lépron-les-Vallées
Létanne
Mainbresson
Mainbressy
Mairy
Maisoncelle-Villers
Malandry
Malmy
Manre
Maranwez
Marby
Marcq
Margny
Marlemont
Marquigny
Mars-sous-Bourcq
Marvaus-Vieux
Matton
Matton-et-Clémency
Maubert-Fontaine
Meillier-Fontaine
Mesmont
Messincourt
Mogues
Moiry
Mondigny
Mont-Laurent
Mont-Saint-Remy
Mont-St-Martin
Montcheutin
Montcornet
Montcy-Notre-Dame
Montcy-Saint-Pierre
Montgon
Montigny-sur-Meuse
Montigny-sur-Vence
Montmeillant
Mouron
Murtin-et-Bogny
Ménil-Annelles
Ménil-Lépinois
Nanteuil-sur-Aisne
Neuflize
Neufmaison
Neuville-Day
Neuville-les-This
Neuville-les-Wasigny
Neuvizy
Noirval
Nouart
Novy-Chevrières
Noyers-Pont-Maugis
Oches
Olizy
Omicourt
Osnes
Pargny-Resson
Pauvres
Perthes
Poilcourt-Sydney
Pouru-aux-Bois
Prez
Primat
Prix-les-Mézières
Puilly-et-Charbeaux
Puiseux
Pure
Quatre-Champs
Raillicourt
Rancennes
Remaucourt
Remilly-Aillicourt
Remilly-les-Pothées
Renneville
Rilly-sur-Aisne
Rocquigny
Rouvroy-sur-Audry
Rubigny
Rubécourt-et-Lamécourt
Rémonville
Sailly
Saint-Aignan
Saint-Clément-à-Arnes
Saint-Fergeux
Saint-Germainmont
Saint-Jean-aux-Bois
Saint-Juvin
Saint-Lambert-et-Mont-de-Jeux
Saint-Loup-Terrier
Saint-Marceau
Saint-Marcel
Saint-Morel
Saint-Pierre-sur-Vence
Saint-Pierre-à-Arnes
Saint-Pierremont
Saint-Quentin-le-Petit
Saint-Rémy-le-Petit
Sainte-Marie
Sainte-Vaubourg
Sapogne-et-Feuchères
Sapogne-sur-Marche
Saulces-Champenoises
Saulces-Monclin
Sault-Saint-Rémy
Sauville
Savigny-sur-Aisne
Semide
Semuy
Senuc
Seraincourt
Servion
Sery
Seuil
Sevigny-la-Forêt
Signy-Montlibert
Singly
Sivry-les-Buzancy
Sommauthe
Sommerance
Son
Sorbon
Sorcy-Bauthémont
Sormonne
Stonne
Sugny
Sury
Suzanne
Sy
Sécheval
Sévigny-Waleppe
Tagnon
Taillette
Tailly
Taizy
Tannay
Tarzy
Termes
Terron-sur-Aisne
This
Thugny-Trugny
Thénorgues
Toges
Touligny
Tourcelles-Chaumont
Tournavaux
Tournes
Tremblois-les-Rocroi
Tremblois-lès-Carignan
Tétaigne
Vandy
Vaux-Champagne
Vaux-Montreuil
Vaux-Villaine
Vaux-en-Dieulet
Vaux-les-Rubigny
Vaux-lès-Mouron
Vaux-lès-Mouzon
Vendresse
Verpel
Viel-Saint-Rémy
Vieux-les-Asfeld
Ville-sur-Lumes
Ville-sur-Retourne
Villemontry
Villers-Cernay
Villers-devant-Mouzon
Villers-devant-le-Thour
Villers-le-Tilleul
Villers-le-Tourneur
Villers-sur-Bar
Villers-sur-le-Mont
Villy
Vireux-Wallerand
Vivier-au-Court
Voncq
Vrigne-aux-Bois
Vrizy
Wadelincourt
Wadimont
Wagnon
Warcq
Warnecourt
Wasigny
Wignicourt
Williers
Yoncq
Yvernaumont
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Ardennes is a department in the region of northeastern France named after the broader Ardennes. Its prefecture is the town Charleville-Mézières. The department has 270,582 inhabitants. The inhabitants of the department are known as or .[1]

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The department is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790 under the Act of 22 December 1789. It includes part of the former provinces of Champagne and Argonne, several principalities including those of Arches and Sedan, countships (such as Rethel), and different areas returned to France (from the former Spanish Netherlands) in the 18th century.

On 12 May 1793 the department expanded itself with the Bailiwick of Liège, Couvin, and the countships from the Holy Roman Empire of Fagnolle and on 26 October 1795 a part of the Duchy of Bouillon.

After the victory of the allies in the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, the second Treaty of Paris subtracted territory from Ardennes to attach to the Netherlands: Duchy of Bouillon, Couvin, Mariembourg, Fagnolle, and Philippeville. In addition, the department was occupied by Prussian troops from June 1815 to November 1818.

On 2 September 1870 Sedan was the place of surrender for Napoleon III at the Battle of Sedan against the troops of the Prussian states, a coalition commanded by Helmut von Moltke. The King of Prussia Wilhelm I, the future emperor of the Imperial Germany, and Bismarck viewed the battle from the hills overlooking Sedan. The defeat marked the end of the Second Empire, and at the same time the birth of the French Third Republic on 4 September 1870.


During the two world wars for strategic reasons the region each time became the passage for the invading armies because of the narrow width of the Meuse and its deep valley. The French military believed that the region was defended by its terrain and thick forests present in the northern of the department and so neglected the defence of the territory. During the First World War the Battle of the Ardennes was fought in the department and Charleville-Mézières became the headquarters of the German Crown Prince. It was at Vouziers and other places that the Czechoslovak legions fought, and it was also near the same city that the aeroplane of Roland Garros was shot down.

It was the only French department have been fully occupied during that conflict except for northern Lorraine (Moselle) and Alsace which had been under German administration since 1871.

During the Second World War the main effort of the German army was again focused on this area, especially on the right bank of the River Meuse, symbolized by the breakthrough at Sedan which would lead the French troops into the strategic trap the Yellow Plan designed by General von Manstein and approved by Hitler.

It is in this department that the Maginot Line ended: the last fort of the line (Fort Villy la Ferte) was located about five kilometres from Carignan. The French General staff did not want to continue the line of defence along the border with Belgium, a neutral and friendly country. Furthermore, they hoped that the unique geography and the forest would stop the German army.

After the armistice of 1940 Ardennes was declared a "forbidden zone" (actually a German settlement area) throughout the occupation by the Nazi army.

In 1944 the "Battle of the Bulge" was fought partly in this department.

Etymology

The name of the department is related to the toponym Ardenne which could derive from the Gallic ardu meaning "high". It would have been transformed into Arduenna by the Romans to designate the ancient Ardennes forest and the mountains mentioned by Julius Caesar in the work attributed to him: Commentaries on the Gallic War. Arduenna Sylva was used for the pine forest on the plateau of Bastogne. It was then transformed into Ardenna in the 6th century.

This toponym is absent from the names of communes in the department of Ardennes while those of Argonne (Beaumont-en-Argonne), Porcien (Château-Porcien, Novion-Porcien, Chaumont-Porcien, and even Champagne (Vaux-Champagne) are sometimes fused and all have a connotation of regional belonging. This is why the name of Ardenne is not specific to the department as it is found in many other parts of France – for example in western and central-western France, Belgium, and Luxembourg where it has its usual sense – from Celtic origin – of "high", "high woods" or "forest".

Heraldry

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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Ardennes (département). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.