Bayonne

Bayonne (Basque: Baiona; Spanish: Bayona) is a city and commune of southwest France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, of which it is a sous-préfecture.

History

In the 3rd century AD, the area was the site of a Roman castrum, named Lapurdum.

Related Topics:
3rd century - Roman - Castrum

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By the 12th century, the city, now known as Bayonne, was an important port, with a mixed Basque and Gascon population. As part of Aquitaine, it was ruled by England between 1151 to 1452 and was a key commercial centre at the southern end of the English kingdom.

Related Topics:
12th century - Basque - Gascon - Aquitaine - England - 1151 - 1452

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Its importance waned somewhat when the French king, Charles VII, took the city at the end of the Hundred Years' War and the Adour changed course shortly afterwards, leaving Bayonne without its access to the sea. The French, however, realised Bayonne's strategic site near the Spanish border and in 1578 dug a canal to redirect the river through the city once again.

Related Topics:
Charles VII - Hundred Years' War - Spanish - 1578

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Bayonne endured numerous sieges from Plantagenet times until the end of the First French Empire in 1814. In the 17th century, Vauban built large fortifications and the Citadelle in and around the city. These proved crucial in 1813 and 1814, when Wellington's army besieged the city in the Napoleonic Wars, only taking it when they used a bridge of ships across the Adour to position artillery around the city.

Related Topics:
Siege - Plantagenet - First French Empire - 1814 - 17th century - Vauban - Citadel - 1813 - Wellington - Napoleonic Wars

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Bayonne's location close to the border, but also within the Basque Country straddling both France and Spain, gave it an often privileged position in commerce. Basque sailors travelled the world, bringing back products such as cinnamon and riches from piracy and the whaling and cod trades. An armanents industry developed, giving the world the "bayonet". Jewish refugees from the Spanish Inquisition from 1560 brought new trades, most notably chocolate-making, which is still important in Bayonne. Spanish Basques also sought refuge in Bayonne in the 20th century during Francisco Franco's repression, with Petit Bayonne still a centre of Basque nationalism.

Related Topics:
Cinnamon - Whaling - Cod - Bayonet - Jew - Spanish Inquisition - 1560 - 20th century - Francisco Franco - Basque nationalism

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By the mid-19th century, Bayonne had declined somewhat with the centralisation of power to Paris and to the new département capital, non-Basque Pau, after the 1789 French Revolution, and with Wellington's bombardment. However, rail links with Paris from 1854 and the growing touristic importance of nearby Biarritz brought industrialisation and development. Bayonne is now part of 'BAB' (Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz), a metropolitan area of almost 200,000 people.

Related Topics:
19th century - Paris - Département - Pau - 1789 - French Revolution - 1854

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