Quierzy-sur-Oise
Encyclopedia
Quierzy is a commune
in the Aisne
department in Picardy
in northern France
, straddling the Oise River
between Noyon
and Chauny
.
or palatium in the Merovingian and Carolingian
eras, and the site of assemblies of the Frankish
nobles, of synods of bishops and abbots
and other important events. Here Charles Martel
died, 22 October 741.
The name of the place appears variously in documents: Cariciacum, Carisiacum, Charisagum, Karisiacum. Of the royal residence of the Merovingians and the house of Pepin, only traces of earthworks remain, in fields outside Quierzy, in the direction of Manicamp. The early medieval Château de Quierzy on the bank of the Oise, rebuilt in the fifteenth century as the fortress of the bishops of Noyon, survives as a single tower.
Quierzy was already a significant stronghold of Neustria
recorded in events in the Chronicle of Fredegar
at the opening of the seventh century, when Protadius
, the mayor of the palace of Burgundy was the noble lover of Brunhilda, the grandmother of and regent for King Theuderic II
. Brunhilda pressured her grandson to go to war against her other grandson, Theudebert II of Austrasia, but when Theuderic assembled the army at Quierzy in 606, the men did not want to fight their fellow Franks
: Protadius was promptly killed by the warriors, who forced the king to sign a treaty.
In January 754 Pepin the Short received Pope Stephen II
at Quierzy, and his decision was taken to adopt the Roman liturgy and Gregorian chant in his domains. The Donation of Pippin is alleged to have been made at Quierzy to Pope Stephen II
, granting him the Exarchate of Ravenna
. For his part the pope legitimized the Carolingians. Charlemagne confirmed this donation in 774, in Rome.
Pepin spent the winter of 762 at Quierzy. Charlemagne convoked an assembly of the nobles here in January 775, in preparation of his invasion of Saxony. In 804 Pope Leo III
met Charlemagne at Quierzy before proceeding to Aachen
. In December 842 Charles the Bald
married Ermentrude d'Orléans at Quierzy.
In the ninth century several councils of Quierzy
debated contentious issues. At the synod of 853, the famous four decrees or chapters (capitula) drawn up by Hincmar, archbishop of Reims
, on the questions of predestination
were published, and Gottschalk
condemned.
The Capitulary of Quierzy
was promulgated in June 877 by the emperor Charles the Bald
, comprising a series of measures for safeguarding the administration of his realm during his second Italian expedition, as well as directions for his son Louis the Stammerer
, who was entrusted with the government during his father's absence. A great concourse of lords was assembled to hear it read. In this document Charles took elaborate precautions against Louis the German
, whom he had every reason to distrust. He forbids him to sojourn in certain palaces and in certain forests, and compels him to swear not to despoil his stepmother Richilde of her allodial lands and benefices.
At the same time Charles refuses to allow Louis to nominate his candidates to the countships left vacant in the emperor's absence.
The capitulary thus served as a guarantee to the aristocracy
that the general usage would be followed in the existing circumstances, and also as a means of reassuring the counts who had accompanied the emperor into Italy as to the fate of their benefices.
In the following century, however, Viking
raids destroyed the palatium, and Hugh Capet gave his lands at Quierzy to the bishop of Noyon, who built a fortress to serve in confrontations with the powerful lords of Coucy
. In ensuing centuries, the lands of Quierzy passed successively to the Chérisy, the Montmorency, the Roye, the Halluin, the Brûlart and Bussy-Rabutin families, until the French Revolution
.
joins the Oise in the eastern part of the commune.
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 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...
department in Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, straddling the Oise River
Oise River
The River Oise is a right tributary of the River Seine, flowing for 302 km in Belgium and France. Its source is in the Belgian province Hainaut, south of the town Chimay. It crosses the border with France after about 20 km. It flows into the Seine in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris...
between Noyon
Noyon
Noyon is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.It lies on the Oise Canal, 100 km north of Paris.-History:...
and Chauny
Chauny
Chauny is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Geography:Built on the banks of the Oise and the Saint-Quentin canal, the town still retains its port to this day...
.
History
Today's peaceful village was the site of a major villaVilla
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
or palatium in the Merovingian and Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
eras, and the site of assemblies of the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
nobles, of synods of bishops and abbots
Councils of Quierzy
Several councils were held at Quierzy, a royal residence under the Carolingians, but now an insignificant village on the Oise in the French Department of Aisne in Picardy. The synod of September 838, ordered the monks of the abbey of Saint-Calais in the Diocese of Le Mans to return to their...
and other important events. Here Charles Martel
Charles Martel
Charles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
died, 22 October 741.
The name of the place appears variously in documents: Cariciacum, Carisiacum, Charisagum, Karisiacum. Of the royal residence of the Merovingians and the house of Pepin, only traces of earthworks remain, in fields outside Quierzy, in the direction of Manicamp. The early medieval Château de Quierzy on the bank of the Oise, rebuilt in the fifteenth century as the fortress of the bishops of Noyon, survives as a single tower.
Quierzy was already a significant stronghold of Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
recorded in events in the Chronicle of Fredegar
Chronicle of Fredegar
The Chronicle of Fredegar is a chronicle that is a primary source of events in Frankish Gaul from 584 to around 641. Later authors continued the history to the coronation of Charlemagne and his brother Carloman on 9 October 768....
at the opening of the seventh century, when Protadius
Protadius
Protadius was the mayor of the palace of Burgundy from 604, when he displaced his rival Berthoald, until his death two years later. He was originally the noble lover of Brunhilda, the grandmother of and regent for King Theuderic II...
, the mayor of the palace of Burgundy was the noble lover of Brunhilda, the grandmother of and regent for King Theuderic II
Theuderic II
Theuderic II , king of Burgundy and Austrasia , was the second son of Childebert II...
. Brunhilda pressured her grandson to go to war against her other grandson, Theudebert II of Austrasia, but when Theuderic assembled the army at Quierzy in 606, the men did not want to fight their fellow Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
: Protadius was promptly killed by the warriors, who forced the king to sign a treaty.
In January 754 Pepin the Short received Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II was Pope from 752 to 757, succeeding Pope Zachary following the death of Pope-elect Stephen. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzantine Papacy and the Frankish Papacy.-Allegiance to Constantinople:...
at Quierzy, and his decision was taken to adopt the Roman liturgy and Gregorian chant in his domains. The Donation of Pippin is alleged to have been made at Quierzy to Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II was Pope from 752 to 757, succeeding Pope Zachary following the death of Pope-elect Stephen. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzantine Papacy and the Frankish Papacy.-Allegiance to Constantinople:...
, granting him the Exarchate of Ravenna
Exarchate of Ravenna
The Exarchate of Ravenna or of Italy was a centre of Byzantine power in Italy, from the end of the 6th century to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the Lombards.-Introduction:...
. For his part the pope legitimized the Carolingians. Charlemagne confirmed this donation in 774, in Rome.
Pepin spent the winter of 762 at Quierzy. Charlemagne convoked an assembly of the nobles here in January 775, in preparation of his invasion of Saxony. In 804 Pope Leo III
Pope Leo III
Pope Saint Leo III was Pope from 795 to his death in 816. Protected by Charlemagne from his enemies in Rome, he subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position by crowning him as Roman Emperor....
met Charlemagne at Quierzy before proceeding to Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
. In December 842 Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
married Ermentrude d'Orléans at Quierzy.
In the ninth century several councils of Quierzy
Councils of Quierzy
Several councils were held at Quierzy, a royal residence under the Carolingians, but now an insignificant village on the Oise in the French Department of Aisne in Picardy. The synod of September 838, ordered the monks of the abbey of Saint-Calais in the Diocese of Le Mans to return to their...
debated contentious issues. At the synod of 853, the famous four decrees or chapters (capitula) drawn up by Hincmar, archbishop of Reims
Hincmar, Archbishop of Reims
Hincmar , archbishop of Reims, the friend, advisor and propagandist of Charles the Bald, was one of the most remarkable figures in the ecclesiastical history of the Carolingian period...
, on the questions of predestination
Predestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
were published, and Gottschalk
Gottschalk
Gottschalk is a male German name, literally translating to "servant of God."People called Gottschalk:*Godescalc of Benevento, 8th-century Lombard duke...
condemned.
The Capitulary of Quierzy
Capitulary of Quierzy
The Capitulary of Quierzy , was a capitulary of the emperor Charles II, comprising a series of measures for safeguarding the administration of his realm during his second Italian expedition, as well as directions for his son Louis the Stammerer, who was entrusted with the government during his...
was promulgated in June 877 by the emperor Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
, comprising a series of measures for safeguarding the administration of his realm during his second Italian expedition, as well as directions for his son Louis the Stammerer
Louis the Stammerer
Louis the Stammerer was the King of Aquitaine and later King of West Francia. He was the eldest son of Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans. He succeeded his younger brother in Aquitaine in 866 and his father in West Francia in 877, though he was never crowned Emperor...
, who was entrusted with the government during his father's absence. A great concourse of lords was assembled to hear it read. In this document Charles took elaborate precautions against Louis the German
Louis the German
Louis the German , also known as Louis II or Louis the Bavarian, was a grandson of Charlemagne and the third son of the succeeding Frankish Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye.He received the appellation 'Germanicus' shortly after his death in recognition of the fact...
, whom he had every reason to distrust. He forbids him to sojourn in certain palaces and in certain forests, and compels him to swear not to despoil his stepmother Richilde of her allodial lands and benefices.
At the same time Charles refuses to allow Louis to nominate his candidates to the countships left vacant in the emperor's absence.
The capitulary thus served as a guarantee to the aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
that the general usage would be followed in the existing circumstances, and also as a means of reassuring the counts who had accompanied the emperor into Italy as to the fate of their benefices.
In the following century, however, Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raids destroyed the palatium, and Hugh Capet gave his lands at Quierzy to the bishop of Noyon, who built a fortress to serve in confrontations with the powerful lords of Coucy
Coucy
Coucy is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Coucy-la-Ville, in the Aisne département, very close to* Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, in the Aisne département, location of:** Château de Coucy...
. In ensuing centuries, the lands of Quierzy passed successively to the Chérisy, the Montmorency, the Roye, the Halluin, the Brûlart and Bussy-Rabutin families, until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Geography
The town lies on the left bank of the river Oise, which flows westward through the commune. The river AiletteAilette (river)
The Ailette is a long river in the Aisne département, eastern France. Its source is at Sainte-Croix. It flows generally west-northwest. It is a left tributary of the Oise into which it flows between Manicamp and Quierzy, northeast of Compiègne....
joins the Oise in the eastern part of the commune.