History of Orleans

Orleans is known for its rich historical past by being a strategic passage on the Loire. It has a prestigious past that places it in parallel with other major cities such as Tours or the capital of France. The city of Orleans was a kingdom in the Merovingian period before becoming the capital of the Robertians and the first Kings of France Capetian. This city was previously known by "Cenabum" then "Genabum" or "Aurelianum". According to archaeologists, archaeological excavations have shown that the earliest sedentary human remains in Orleans date back to the Lower Paleolithic period, exactly 12,000 years ago. At the fall of the Roman Empire, the city undergoes barbarian invasions, then, at the death of Clovis, is formed around her the Kingdom of Orleans. In May 1429, Joan of Arc liberated Orleans from the hands of the English and it was at this same time that France was able to be reconquered by King Charles VII. Since then, this event is commemorated each year by the French. The said commemoration is done every May. During the period of the Ancien Régime, Orleans became the capital of the former province of Orleans and the generality of Orleans, and this lasted until the departments were created.     In the fourth century, a new rampart is built, masonry stone and brick. Its function is military but also political and symbolic, in connection with the assertion of local political powers, including that of a municipal power strengthened by the accession of the city to the status of capital of the city. In the Renaissance, the city of Orleans experienced a cultural revival under the direction of Charlemagne and his advisers Alcuin, an Anglo-Saxon deacon, and Theodulf, who was the bishop of Orleans in the years 780 and 790. This renewal cultural touches all aspects of literary, scriptural, academic, pastoral, liturgical, theological and artistic. Beginning in the 1100s, the city experienced a period of economic boom followed by significant social progress. Orleans is endowed with charters and institutions. At the same time, a bridge over the Loire, known as the "Pont des Tourelles", was built between 1120 and 1140. Vine growing is developing in the Loire Valley, reinforcing the already dominant commercial role of the Loire Valley. In the seventeenth century, the study of rhetoric, canon law and Roman law ensured the fame of the Orleans center. It is besides, in 1235, that Pope Gregory IX authorizes to the city the teaching of the right, prohibited since 1219 in Paris by Honorius III. It is also to emphasize that, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin or Molière, also came there to study the right to the French Revolution. However, since he took part in the carnival, however, forbidden by the non-secular rules of the University, he was sent back from the school.   During the World Wars, Orleans suffered a major devastation, but fortunately it was the first city rebuilt in 1945 thanks to the follow-up of Jean Kérisel and Jean Royer's reconstruction and development plan. Doing so many historical tours is possible in a city steeped in history like Orleans.