Quentovic

Quentovic has been a mythical city of, disappeared for 1300 years. It was one of the principal seaports of the Carolingiens. Like Dorestad, Quentovic is a personal possession of Charlemagne.

History

The quoted City the first time by Theodore de Tarse, into 670, with the mouth of Canche, between the Morinie and the Ponthieu.

The existence of a workshop of currencies attests its existence. The trade of English wool, of the amber of the Baltic and the tin of the island of Wight seems confirmed.

At the time, this part of the valley of Canche was completely immersed with high tide.

It received part of the Roman fleet, the Classis Sambrica, fine beginning 4th century.

Quentovic was thus a port city with the flourishing trade, famous under Dagobert II (652-679), and which had a hotel of currency and offices of toll.

It became the principal center of the commercial exchanges between British Isles and the Carolingien world. This port called Vicus by the Carolingians, belonged to the new commercial establishments which appeared by this time in the zone of the North Sea and the Baltic, with Ribe, Hedeby, Dorestad, Birka and Hamwith.

Its function seems to have been only commercial, administrative and financial. The functions soldier and nun seem to be located elsewhere: perhaps with Montreuil-sur-Mer for example which would contain the traces of a oppidum, to see of a Roman camp.

One knows that in Quentovic as in Dorestadt, the rights of toll were considerable and that the “tonlieu”, tax on the transport of the goods, amounted to 10% front valorem. Also, a very qualified senior official of “epraefectus” or “Dux” resided it in the port. The striking of the currencies represented, it also, a source of important benefit for the capacity. Such a prosperity explains the frequency of the invasions Normans which devastated the country.

There is also the proof of the presence with Quentovic in the very last years of IXe century and the first of the 10th century, kings Vikings, Danish origin of the East of England (Northumbria) Cnut and Siefred which occupied the large port well towards 898, time when the head office of Montreuil by the same above mentioned kings is located precisely.

A long time, the historians of Quentovic thought that its monetary workshop had definitively disappeared following a destruction supposed from the port by the Vikings. The discovery with Fécamp in 1963 of an important treasure whose 8.584 parts have Pu being recovered, crippled in an indisputable way this alleged disappearance and brings the irrefutable proof that Quentovic, with various fortunes continued to exist in the first two thirds of Xe century and that its monetary workshop functioned until a date close to 980, date of the fastening of Montreuil on sea to the field of Hugues Capet, then simple duke of France and who owed, in 987, being elected king and to found the dynasty capétienne.

The towns of Monteuil-on-sea and Quentovic however cohabited as the existence also with Montreuil of furnaces of pottery and a monetary workshop attests it.

Did this mushroom town, famous Vicus, disappear as quickly as at the time of its new prosperity, and probably succumbed to the many pirate incursions and Normans into 842, 840, (844?), 864,881,890, and 894.

Boulogne-sur-Mer then Montreuil-sur-Mer recovered this function of shopping mall then.

Localization

In 2004, for the first time, of the vestiges were localized with Calotterie, between Montreuil-sur-Mer and Touquet, with the Mount of Beck, Visemaretz. Before one located Quentovic is with Montreuil-sur-Mer or Etaples-on-Sea. The starting establishment would be thus very old from the very great proximity of a Gallo-Roman furnace. One thus puts forth the assumption of a port of the Morins in the beginning.

In the area several place names recalls this city: Quentovic places with Montreuil-sur-Mer and Touquet.

References

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