Ham, Somme
Encyclopedia
Ham is a commune
in the Somme
department in Picardie
in northern France.
, in the far southeast of the department, near the border with the department of the Aisne
.
The nearby villages of Estouilly and Saint-Sulpice joined the commune of Ham in 1965 and 1966 respectively.
Erard, junior member of the Counts of Ponthieu. The town was later conquered by the Counts of Vermandois in the 12th century. In the 14th century it was owned by a family from Ham itself. From April 7 to June 3, 1917, Ham was home to the Lafayette Escadrille.
In the 15th century, the château was transformed into a formidable fortress by John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
In 1465, John's nephew, Louis of Luxembourg, built a huge donjon, 33m high, 33m in diameter with walls 11m thick
In 1917, German forces blew up much of the château. All that remains are the entrance tower and vestiges of the donjon and ramparts
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
department in Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
in northern France.
Geography
Ham is situated on the D930 and D937 crossroads, some 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Saint-QuentinSaint-Quentin, Aisne
Saint-Quentin is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity. It is named after Saint Quentin, who is said to have been martyred here in the 3rd century....
, in the far southeast of the department, near the border with the department of the Aisne
Aisne
Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
.
The nearby villages of Estouilly and Saint-Sulpice joined the commune of Ham in 1965 and 1966 respectively.
Population
History
Mentioned for the first time in 932 as a possession of the seigneurFiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
Erard, junior member of the Counts of Ponthieu. The town was later conquered by the Counts of Vermandois in the 12th century. In the 14th century it was owned by a family from Ham itself. From April 7 to June 3, 1917, Ham was home to the Lafayette Escadrille.
The Castle of Ham
The first stone ramparts were put up in the 13th century by the local nobleman, Odon IV.In the 15th century, the château was transformed into a formidable fortress by John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
John II of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny was a French nobleman and soldier, a younger son of John of Luxembourg, Lord of Beauvoir and Marguerite of Enghien....
In 1465, John's nephew, Louis of Luxembourg, built a huge donjon, 33m high, 33m in diameter with walls 11m thick
In 1917, German forces blew up much of the château. All that remains are the entrance tower and vestiges of the donjon and ramparts
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
.
Personalities
- Francis de Bourbon, Count of St. PolFrancis de Bourbon, Count of St. PolFrancis I de Bourbon-Saint-Pol, Count of St. Pol and of Chaumont , was a French nobleman, Count of Saint-Pol, Duke of Estouteville and important military commander during the Italian Wars.Francis was the second son of Francis, Count of Vendôme and Marie of Luxembourg, Countess of Vendôme.He was...
, Duke of Estouteville was born at Ham in 1491 - General Maximilien Sebastien FoyMaximilien Sebastien FoyMaximilien Sébastien Foy was a French military leader, statesman and writer.-Revolution:He was born in Ham, Somme, and educated in the military school of La Fere, and made sub-lieutenant of artillery in 1792. He was present at the battles of Valmy and Jemappes, and in 1793 obtained a company, as...
was born at Ham in 1775 - Jacques CassardJacques CassardJacques Cassard was a French naval officer and privateer.- Biography :Born on 30 September 1679 to a family of merchants of Nantes, Cassard began a career as a sailor at age 14 on the merchantmen owned by his family. In January 1697, he joined the French Navy on bombship Éclatante.In 1700,...
, intrepid sailor, was imprisoned at the château of Ham from 1726 to 1740. - Louis Napoleon BonaparteNapoleon III of FranceLouis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
, accused of plotting against the state, was imprisoned at the château of Ham from 1840 to 1846, when he escaped, disguised as a worker, carrying a plank on his shoulder. - Léon Accambray, French politician
- Jean-Charles Peltier, physicist and meteorologist
- Jean-Baptiste-Henri du Trousset de Valincourt (1643–1730), biographer of Louis XIV