Tours

Tours is a city in France, the préfecture (capital city) of the Indre-et-Loire département, on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines and for the perfection of its local spoken French.

History

The name of the city comes from the ancient Gallic tribe called the Turones. In Roman times it was known as Turonensis. The modern name, Tours, coincidentally corresponds to the French word tours, "towers". In the mid-3rd century Gatianus (Saint Gatien) was sent from Rome to reorganize a small Christian community. Saint Martin of Tours was bishop of Tours at the end of the 4th century, and his tomb became a major pilgrimage site; the church of Saint-Martin was one of the great Romanesque pilgrimage churches, like Saint-Sernin in Toulouse and Santiago de Compostela, and the powerful bishops of Tours, such as Gregory of Tours, were personages to be reckoned with for the Merovingian kings.

Related Topics:
Gallic tribe - Turones - Roman times - Gatianus (Saint Gatien) - Saint Martin of Tours - Bishop of Tours - 4th century - Pilgrimage - Saint-Sernin - Toulouse - Santiago de Compostela - Bishops of Tours - Gregory of Tours

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The Battle of Tours was fought on October 25, 732 between forces under the Frankish leader Charles Martel and an Islamic force led by Emir Abdul Rahman al-Ghafiq. The Franks defeated the Islamic army and stopped the northward advance of Islam from Spain.

Related Topics:
Battle of Tours - October 25 - 732 - Frankish - Charles Martel - Islam - Abdul Rahman al-Ghafiq - Spain

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The Touraine was a county at the time of the Carolingian rulers (751 to 987 AD). The Vikings pillaged the town in 853 and 903. By 1044 it was held by the counts of Anjou. During the reign of Philip II, the Livre Tournois (Tours Pound) was adopted as the international currency of France.

Related Topics:
Carolingian - 751 - 987 - Vikings - 853 - 903 - 1044 - Counts of Anjou - Philip II - Livre Tournois

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In the 16th and 17th centuries, Tours had a significant Huguenot population, many of which had been responsible for the building of a huge silk industry. With the Edict of Nantes rescinded in 1685 and the resulting slaughter of thousands of Protestants, the Huguenots fled the country and the once flourishing silk industry of Tours, vanished forever. Some of the Huguenots settled in Ireland where their weaving skills saw them establish some of the great Irish linen factories.

Related Topics:
16th - 17th - Huguenot - Silk - Edict of Nantes - 1685 - Protestants - Ireland - Linen

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