Avesnes

Geography

History

Avesnes on Helpe was at the beginning of the Middle Ages a seigniory which competed with of many grounds those of the first counts de Hainaut. They were powerful lords and for the majority, of the adversaries of the counts de Hainaut. The confrontations followed by dismantlings of the castles of the family of Avesnes were multiple. There was in this family, of many " héros" , of which most known was Jacques d' Avesnes killed in crusade against Saladin in 1191. This man betrays the count de Hainaut while being combined with the count of Flanders, the bishop of Cologne and the duke of the Brabant to make a coalition which was to devastate the county. Unfortunately they did not manage to destroy it and in reprisals, Baudouin de Hainaut shaved to him more than 70 villages; it is to say the inheritance of Avesnes. It made amend and the count de Hainaut forgave. The first lord of known Avesnes is Wedric the Bearded one which died about 1075. His/her Thierry son did not have any descent and the seigniory passed to his/her Ide sister who married Fastré d' Oisy. the grounds of Avesnes thus passed in this family. The oldest son, Gossuin says the One-eyed one of Oisy, lord of Avesnes, of Cop-on-the Scheldt (for the part concerned with Hainaut. See the heading: feudal castle of Nicolas d' Avesnes), Leuze and Landrecies tested in favor of his/her brother Fastré d' Oisy, solicitor of Turned who inherited all the goods of the family. The successor Gauthier, oldest son of Fastré was killed by the men of the bishop of Liege in 1147, it had married Ide de Mortagne. The descendants which followed gave up the name of Oisy to grant that of Avesnes Thierry, wire of Gauthier did not reign a long time, it died young person. His/her Nicolas brother assured the descent by this famous Jacques d' Avesnes whom one found dead surrounded by 7 enemies to the battle of Azour. This Jacques was very prolific because it had at least 8 children. The household head was Gauthier, lord of Avesnes, Cop, Leuze, Own way, of Trélon, he became count de Blois and of Dunois by his Marguerite wife. Unfortunately it had three girls and a too young died boy. All the grounds of Avesnes passed by the marriage of Marie, her oldest daughter, in the family of Chatillon which became the lords of Avesnes. But the name of Avesnes did not remain about it there, because the 3rd wire of Jacques; Bouchard, Maria with the 2nd girl of the count de Flandre and Hainaut; it was called Marguerite, and when Baudouin IX was killed it became after her sister Jeanne, countess of Flanders and Hainaut. But one known rather quickly the truth about Bouchard d' Avesnes; it had received the orders and in spite of that had married. That will start what one called the business of Avesnes and Dampierre and which will end in the granting of the county of Hainaut to Avesnes and the county of Flanders to Dampierre. the family of Avesnes will reign during 5 generations on the county of Hainaut and then to pass it to Bavaria by the marriage of Marguerite d' Avesnes countess of Hainaut with Louis of Bavaria emperor of St Romain Germanique Worsens. the family of Avesnes will be then completely extinct. As from 1433, Avesnes, like all Hainaut, belonged to the duchy of Burgundy. Avesnes belonged successively to the counts of Hainaut, of Holland, Zealand. It was taken by Louis XI, then by the Spaniards in 1559.

Yielded to France in 1659, and strengthened by Vauban, it was taken by the Russians in 1814, and almost destroyed in 1815 by the explosion of an explosives magazine. It was rebuilt in less than one year.

It is there that Madam de Montespan became main of Louis XIV.

Partial source

Administration

Demography

Economy

Places and monuments

Personalities related to the commune

Eugene Auguste David de Mandeville

See too

Common of the Pas-de-Calais

External bonds

Avesnes on the site of the national geographical Institute
Avesnes on the site of INSEE
Avesnes on the site of Quid
Localization of Avesnes on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Avesnes on Mapquest

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