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Angers History, France

Modern-day Angers city site has been seeing human existence since the pre-historic times. Man treaded on these lands first in the Paleolithic Age – a fact that has been corroborated by the discovery of a stone tool dating back to 400000 BC. Nevertheless, Angers, like its nearby cities Nantes, Paris and Rennes, was permanently settled for the first time only after the arrival of a Gallic tribe. In the case of Angers, the credit of founding the city goes to the Andecavis. The Andecavi tribe ruled till about 50 BC when they were subjugated by the Romans. The city was named Juliomagus by the Romans and is said to have progressed under them.

History Of Angers – 9th Century To 12th Century

The 9th century proved eventful in the Anger’s history. The city was attacked by the Normans for the first time in the 9th century; but that was not only it and a more important occurrence was the naming of Angers as the capital of the independent province of Anjou with a local feudal family assuming political powers of Anjou. This feudal family went on to give England its House of Plantagenet monarchs and when they ascended the English throne in the 12th century, Angers became a part of the Angevin Empire of the Plantagenets.

History Of Angers – 13th Century To 18th Century

King Philippe II of France conquered the city in 1204 and Angers ceased to be a part of the Angevin Empire, instead it was included in the French territory. This was the beginning of the extended period of prosperity in Anger’s history, which Angers experienced through the following centuries, especially the 14th and 15th centuries. (Angers’ first university was established by the 14th century).

Angers played a crucial role during the religious wars of the 16th century. Prominent cities like Paris were going through difficult times as members of the Protestant Reformed Church Of France, better known as Huguenots, were being massacred by Catholics in great numbers. Since, Angers was already a stronghold of the Huguenots by 1585, the French King, Henry IV, arrived in Angers in 1598 to sign the Edict of Nantes. (Although Catholicism was made the official region of the French state, Protestants were allowed political and religious freedom).

Angers, next got embroiled in the wars of Vendee, as the Vendean royalists tried to lay seize over the city; but by 1793, the table turned and the Vendean royalists were all driven away.

History Of Angers – 19th Century Onwards

The movement to urbanize Angers picked up pace in the 19th century and today Angers is one of France’s leading cities with a strong culture and sound economy.

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