Fontainebleau’s history: its etymology, kings and reconstruction

A French commune located in Seine-et-Marne, Fontainebleau covers 17,000 hectares of forest land. The charter of succession of Louis VI is the first written document mentioning the name of this name. The Fontainebleu appellation would be taken from the Gallo-Roman Fontana which means fountain or stream, followed by a Germanic name, Blitwald. From the Latin Fons Bleaudi in the twelfth century, Fontem blahaud in 1137, Fontainebleau or otherwise Fountain beautiful water in 1630, according to popular etymology, the etymology of Fontainebleau continues to be the subject of discussions among scientists. This town houses the castle of Fontainebleau that the kings, from Francis I to Napoleon III chose as their main residence. The Capetians, the Valois, the Bourbons, the Bonaparte and the Orleans successively resided in the castle. Philippe le Bel was born here in 1268, and died here in 1314. On October 18th, 1685, Louis XIV signed the Edict of Fontainebleau, revocation of the Edict of Nantes, at the origin of the exile of many Protestants. Louis XV got married in 1725 in this castle. 34 French sovereigns stayed here. From Francis I to Louis XV, these kings undertook works, displaying the harmonized extravagance of the French kings. This former hamlet was particularly appreciated for its hunting aspect, notably by King Louis VII. Later, Louis IX came to set up a hospital here. Becoming a hamlet until 1528, Fontainebleau was rebuilt by Francis I, back from the year of captivity, with the assistance of Italian artists. Today, the city has nearly 7,000 inhabitants. In the 17th century, some thirty private mansions were erected by princes and great lords. During these centuries when the sovereigns paid particular attention to the municipality, the latter had hostels, restaurants and hotels at prices of gold. The centuries of reconstruction have truly forged the population and the economy of Fontainebleau. Artists and workers have succeeded each other. Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet painted their landscapes and scenes of life in the mid-1800s. During the French Revolution, the commune bears the names of Fontaine-la-Montagne and Fontaine-le-Vallon. The revolution did not have any notable effects on Fontainebleau, strong in the infallible support of royalty. On October 29th, 1807, a treaty authorizing the invasion of Portugal by the Spanish troops was signed at Fontainebleau. On June 20th, 1812, Pope Pius VII remained imprisoned in the castle, without leaving his apartment until 1814. Barracks were built to house the regiments of Hussars and the Imperial Guard. Napoleon I also created the Saint-Cyr military school before it was relocated. In 1946, the Franco-Vietnamese conference in Fontainebleau was held. Aiming to settle the Indochinese conflict, this meeting ended in failure.