Charly-sur-Marne (, literally ''Charly on Marne'') is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Charly was an old fortified city dating from 9th century Burgundy, it was renamed ''Charly-sur-Marne'' in 2006.Décret n°2006-808 du 7 juillet 2006 portant changement de nom de communes
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Geography

The old city lies to the north of the Marne. The river has moved south through accretion since the town was originally built. Across the river are the villages of Nogent-l'Artaud and Pavant. The town of Charly is halfway between

La Ferté-sous-Jouarre La Ferté-sous-Jouarre () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne département in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located at a crossing point over the river Marne between Meaux and Château-Thierry. History This area of Fr ...

and

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition at ...

, and halfway between

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and

Rheims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

Neighborhoods

* "The H"(also called the City of 40 crazy) * Le Petit Val Clos des Buttes * The Four Corners (downtown) * The industrial zone (includes Garnier stage, the college and the Skate Park and various factories and shops) * The Ruvet

History

There is archaeological evidence of a Roman town on the site. The name of the town is a shortened form of Charles, believed to have been so named because

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...

had one of his palaces here. In 858

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ...

, granted rights to establish the female abbey of Notre-Dame de Soissons, which included extensive

seigniory In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. ''Nulle terre ...

lands in Charly, which dedicated lands lasted until the

French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. Before 1789, Charly did not have a local government. It was managed by the provost, then baillif, of the abbess of Notre-Dame de Soissons. After the revolution, in 1792, the former vicar of Charly became mayor. In 1652, the troops of Cardinal Mazarini were defeated by the

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

outside the walls of Charly. Louis Emile Morlot (*1859, 1907), was the mayor of Charly, a French Deputy, and the leader in the legal battle to keep the name ''

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

'' restricted to the sparking wine produced from the vineyards located between Crouttes-sur-Marne and Trélou. This protection was ensured by the

Treaty of Madrid (1891) Treaty of Madrid may refer to: * Treaty of Madrid (1339), collaboration between Aragon and Castile *Treaty of Madrid (1526), in which France renounced claims in Italy, surrendered Burgundy to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and abandoned sovereignty ...

. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the German First Army under von Kluck had occupied Charly, when in the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) counter-attack crossed the Marne at Charly.

Population

Economy

Charly has extensive vineyards (950 ha.) of Chardonnay and in particular Pinot Meunier (or just Meunier) grapes used in the production of

(appellation controlled).

Sights