Château-Thierry (;

Picard Picard may refer to: Places * Picard, Quebec, Canada * Picard, California, United States * Picard (crater), a lunar impact crater in Mare Crisium People and fictional characters * Picard (name), a list of people and fictional characters with th ...

: ''Catieu-Thierry'') is a French commune situated in the department of the

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; ) is a French departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne (river), Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374. Geography The department borders No ...

, in the

administrative region Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...

, and in the historic

Province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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

. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition attributes it to

Theuderic IV Theuderic IV ( – 737, French, ''Thierry'') was the Merovingian king of the Franks from 721 until his death i737 He was the son of Dagobert III. During his reign, his realm was controlled by the mayor of the palace, Charles Martel. The kin ...

, the penultimate

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

king, who was imprisoned by

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

, without a reliable source. Château-Thierry is the birthplace of

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, ; ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French Fable, fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''La Fontaine's Fables, Fables'', which provided a model for subs ...

and was the location of the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

and Second Battle of the Marne. The arrondissement of Château-Thierry is called the country of Omois. Château-Thierry is one of 64 French towns to have received the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

History

In the late years of the western Roman empire, a small town called Otmus was settled on a site where the

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...

road crossed the Marne river. During the 8th century,

kept king

prisoner in the castle of Otmus. At this time, the town took the name of Castrum Theodorici, later transformed in Château-Thierry (''Castle of Thierry'', Thierry is the French or early Roman language translation of Theuderic). In 946, the castle of Château-Thierry was the home of Herbert le-Vieux, Count of Omois of the House of

Vermandois Vermandois was a French county that appeared in the Merovingian period. Its name derives from that of an ancient tribe, the Viromandui. In the 10th century, it was organised around two castellan domains: St Quentin (Aisne) and Péronne ( Som ...

and Soissons. Formerly the capital of the district of Brie Pouilleuse, Château-Thierry was captured by the English in 1421; by

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

, in 1544; and by the duke of Mayenne in 1591. Château-Thierry was the site of two important battles: the

Battle of Château-Thierry (1814) The Battle of Château-Thierry (12 February 1814) saw the Imperial French army commanded by Emperor Napoleon attempt to destroy a Prussian corps led by Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg and an Imperial Russian corps under Fabian Wilhelm von ...

in the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

between France and Prussia, and the

Battle of Château-Thierry (1918) The Battle of Château-Thierry was fought on July 1, 1918 and was one of the first actions of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) under General John J. Pershing. It was a battle in World War I as part of the Second Battle of the Marne ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

between the United States and Germany. In 1918, a mounting for the Paris Gun was found near the castle, though the cannon itself had apparently been moved prior to the emplacement's discovery.

Geography

Château-Thierry is situated on the river

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

, at from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Transport

Château-Thierry station is the terminus

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

of a regional

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

line starting from the

Gare de l'Est The Gare de l'Est (; English: "Station of the East" or "East station"), officially Paris Est, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. It is located in the 10th arrondissement, not far southeast from the Ga ...

in Paris. Furthermore, it has rail connections to Châlons-en-Champagne, Nancy and Strasbourg. It is also one of the exits of the

A4 autoroute The A4 Autoroute, also known as autoroute de l'Est (), is a French ''Controlled-access highway, autoroute'' that travels between the cities of Paris and Strasbourg. It forms parts of European routes European route E17, E17, European route E25, ...

that links Paris with the east part of France. Transval operates the local bus routes.

Personalities

Château-Thierry was the birthplace of: * Walter of Château-Thierry (died 1249) a French theologian and scholastic philosopher. *

Samuel ben Solomon of Falaise Samuel ben Solomon of Falaise was a French rabbi, a tosafist of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. His French name was Sir Morel, by which he is often designated in rabbinical literature. "Kadesh Urchatz", the now ubiquitous poem at the beginnin ...

13th-century rabbi (one of the proponents of the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

during the

Disputation of Paris The Disputation of Paris (; ), also known as the Trial of the Talmud (), took place in 1240 at the court of King Louis IX of France. It followed the work of Nicholas Donin, a Jewish convert to Christianity who translated the Talmud and pressed ...

). * Christophe Le Goût (1992-Présent), an important logisticien. *

(1621–1695), a fabulist and poet, known best for his ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...

''. *

Jean-Baptiste Dumangin Jean-Baptiste Eugénie Dumangin (or Du Mangin) (7 March 1744 – 28 March 1826) was a French physician known to have participated in the final treatment and autopsy of Louis XVII, the younger son of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. His t ...

(1744–1826), French physician who performed the autopsy of

Louis XVII Louis XVII (born Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy; 27 March 1785 – 8 June 1795) was the younger son of King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette. His older brother, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, died in June 1789, a little over ...

. * (1774–1818), army general of the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (), was founded on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. The First Republic lasted un ...

and the

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

. *

Chevalier de Saint-Georges Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George(s) (; ; 25 December 17459 June 1799) was a French violinist, conducting, conductor, composer and soldier. Moreover, he demonstrated excellence as a Fencing, fencer, an athlete and an accomplished dancer. ...

(1745–1799), a French Creole virtuoso violinist and composer * (1762-1829), army general of the

and the

, born in Lyon and died in Château-Thierry. * (1777-1825), cavalry colonel of the armies of the

and the

. *

Jean Macé Jean François Macé (22 August 1815 in Paris – 13 December 1894 in Monthiers) was a French educator, journalist, active freemason and politician. He was perhaps best known as the founder of Ligue de l'enseignement to promote free, unive ...

(1815–1894), an educator, journalist, active freemason and politician. *

Maurice Holleaux Maurice Holleaux (15 April 1861 – 21 September 1932) was a 19th–20th-century French historian, archaeologist and epigrapher, a specialist of Ancient Greece. Biography Années de formation Admitted in the École normale supérieure in ...

(1861–1932), 19th– to 20th-century French historian, archaeologist and epigrapher. * (1870-1965), parasitologist and medical historian, was born in the city. * (1874-1958), sculptor. * François Aman-Jean (1894–1986) physician, surgeon, writer and playwright *

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York politics, including serving as ...

's son

Quentin Quentin is a French masculine given name derived from the Latin first name ''Quintinus'', a diminutive form of ''Quintus'', which means "the fifth". Albert Dauzat, ''Noms et prénoms de France'', Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et comment� ...

(1897–1918) was shot down while flying a French Nieuport 28 C.1 plane during WWI. * (1881-1953), glassworker. *

Ba Jin Li Yaotang ( zh, s=李尧棠, t=李堯棠, p=Lǐ Yáotáng; 25 November 1904 – 17 October 2005), better known by his pen name Ba Jin ( zh, s=巴金, t=巴金, p=Bā Jīn) or his courtesy name Li Feigan ( zh, s=李芾甘, t=李芾甘, p=Lǐ F� ...

(1904–2005), a Chinese writer and intellectual, stayed here in 1927 and 1928. *

Auguste Jordan August "Auguste" Jordan (21 February 1909 – 17 May 1990) was a French footballer who played as a midfielder and became a coach after his playing career. Playing career Born in Austria as August Jordan, he moved to France in 1933 and became F ...

(1909-1990), Austrian professional footballer who played on the French national team. * Léon Hess, creator of the "Le Castel" gâteau du voyageur, who won a gold medal at the 1912 ''Exposition Culinaire Internationale'' in Paris. * Nadia Tagrine (1917-2003), pianist. *

Manu Dibango Emmanuel N'Djoké "Manu" Dibango (12 December 1933 – 24 March 2020) was a Cameroonian musician and songwriter who played saxophone and vibraphone. He developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian music. His father w ...

(1933–2020) a Cameroonian musician and songwriter *

Yves Bot Yves Bot (August 22, 1947 – June 9, 2019) was a French magistrate who served until his death as Advocate General at the European Court of Justice. Biography In 1995, Yves Bot was nominated by Jacques Toubon, then Minister of Justice, as pr ...

(1947–2019), magistrate. *

Pierre Bensusan Pierre Bensusan (born 30 October 1957) is a French-Algerian acoustic guitarist. As Sephardic Jews, his family came from Spain, Spanish Morocco, and French Algeria. His music has been characterized as Celtic, folk, world music, New-age, and cham ...

(born 1957) a French-Algerian acoustic guitarist. * The novel The Greengage Summer (1958) of

Rumer Godden Margaret Rumer Godden (10 December 1907 – 8 November 1998) was a British author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably ''Black Narcissus (novel), Black Narcissus'' in 194 ...

(1907–1998) is set in Château-Thierry. ; and * , actor and stuntman, died in Château-Thierry. * . * . * . * .

Population

Sights

* Castle walls * Saint-Crépin church (15th century) * Balhan tower * Marne River * World War I Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial (south of the village of Belleau) * Chateau-Thierry American Monument (overlooking the town) *

vineyards * Several churches

Twin towns – sister cities

Château-Thierry is twinned with: *

Cisnădie Cisnădie (; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: ''De Hielt''; ) is a town in Sibiu County, Transylvania, central Romania, approximately south of Sibiu (). It comprises the main town of Cisnădie and one village, Cisnădioara (; ). Located along t ...

, Romania (1997) * Grybów (rural gmina), Poland *

Mosbach Mosbach (; South Franconian: ''Mossbach'') is a town in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the seat of the Neckar-Odenwald district and has a population of approximately 25,000 distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, ...

, Germany (1974) * Pößneck, Germany (1989)

References

External links

*
Official site

American Battlefield Monument Commission

Local Bus Route

Photo of city during WWI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateauthierry Communes of Aisne Subprefectures in France Champagne (province) Aisne communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia

History

Geography

Transport

Personalities

Population

Sights

Twin towns – sister cities

See also

References

External links