The wall of Charles V, built from 1356 to 1383 is one of the city walls of Paris. It was built on the right bank of the river

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...

outside the

wall of Philippe Auguste The Wall of Philip Augustus is the oldest city wall of Paris (France) whose plan is accurately known. Partially integrated into buildings, more traces of it remain than of the later fortifications. History The wall was built during the struggle ...

. In the 1640s, the western part of the wall of Charles V was demolished and replaced by the larger Louis XIII wall, with the demolished material reused for the new wall. This new enclosure (''enceinte'') was completely destroyed in the 1670s and was replaced by the Grands Boulevards.

History

The wall of Philippe Auguste

The

was created at the beginning of the 13th century and enclosed 253 hectares with houses and vegetable and vine fields allowing people to protect from a possible military siege. But decades later, the fields had been replaced by homes and crops had been pushed outside the city walls. Several suburbs were growing rapidly, particularly in the west. The growing population could no longer be contained in the city. Furthermore, with the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagene ...

, it became necessary to build a new enclosure to protect the capital of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

A rampart of fortified earth

Étienne Marcel, provost of the merchants, began to build a moat from 1356, a few hundred yards beyond the wall of Philippe Auguste. Only the right side was affected by this expansion. King

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

, from 1358, ordered the fortification and the addition of a large and deep ditch that would be filled by the river Seine. The new fortification extended westward beyond the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

, which lost its function as a fortress. Charles V transformed the Louvre into a residence, but without changing its dimensions. He established a library there with 973 books. On the east, the new home of the King, the Hotel Saint-Pol, was poorly protected. Charles V decided to build the ''Chastel Saint-Antoine'', the Parisians called it ''the Bastide Saint-Antoine'', then la Bastille (Bastide or Bastille is an old French word for castle). In 1370, the provost

Hugues Aubriot Hugues Aubriot (born 13XX in Dijon; died c. 1391 in Dijon) was a French administrator and heretic. Aubriot was Provost of Paris under Charles V. He built the Bastille in 1370-1383. He was a capable administrator who built the first sewers in Pa ...

laid the cornerstone of the building which was completed in 1382. The city then spread over with more than 150,000 inhabitants. The wall, as well as its extension built by

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crow ...

on the west side was destroyed in 1670, on orders of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

after his victories in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

The route

The wall left the Seine at the tour du bois between the

Pont du Carrousel The Pont du Carrousel () is a bridge in Paris, which spans the River Seine between the Quai des Tuileries and the Quai Voltaire. History Begun in 1831 in the prolongation of the ''rue des Saints-Pères'' on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank, the origi ...

and the Pont Royal. Then the wall was north of the Rue Saint-Honoré and

Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal R ...

then to north-east along the

Place des Victoires The Place des Victoires is a circular ''place'' in Paris, located a short distance northeast from the Palais Royal and straddling the border between the 1st and the 2nd arrondissements. The Place des Victoires is at the confluence of six street ...

and the

Rue d'Aboukir ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of ''Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bluis ...

(opened on the location of the moat) up to the

Porte Saint-Denis The Porte Saint-Denis ( en, St. Denis Gate) is a Parisian monument located in the 10th arrondissement, at the site of one of the gates of the Wall of Charles V, one of Paris' former city walls. It is located at the crossing of the Rue Saint-De ...

. It then followed the Grands Boulevards ( Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle,

Boulevard Saint-Martin A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

Boulevard du Temple The Boulevard du Temple, formerly nicknamed the "Boulevard du Crime", is a thoroughfare in Paris that separates the 3rd arrondissement from the 11th. It runs from the Place de la République to the Place Pasdeloup, and its name refers to the ne ...

, Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, Boulevard Beaumarchais). The wall returned to the Seine on the east at the tour de Billy. The wall on the left bank of the river, built by Philippe-Auguste was kept, leaving the new

faubourg Saint-Germain ''Faubourg Saint-Germain'' () is a historic district of Paris, France. The ''Faubourg'' has long been known as the favourite home of the French high nobility and hosts many aristocratic '' hôtels particuliers''. It is currently part of the 7th ...

outside the walls.

The gates

The wall on the right bank included only six gates : * Porte Saint-Honoré (on the Rue Saint-Honoré, about 500 meters outside of the wall of Philippe Auguste) * Porte Montmartre (on

Rue Montmartre Boulevard Montmartre is one of the four grands boulevards of Paris. It was constructed in 1763. Contrary to what its name may suggest, the road is not situated on the hills of Montmartre. It is the easternmost of the grand boulevards. History I ...

, at the junction with the

rue d'Aboukir ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of ''Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bluis ...

) *

* Porte Saint-Martin * Porte du Temple (in the location of the current Place de la République) *

Porte Saint-Antoine The Porte Saint-Antoine was one of the gates of Paris. There were two gates named the Porte Saint-Antoine, both now demolished, of which the best known was that guarded by the Bastille, on the site now occupied by the start of Rue de la Bastille i ...

(the location of the current

Place de la Bastille The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris where the Bastille prison once stood, until the storming of the Bastille and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. No vestige of the ...

)

Bibliography

* Danielle Chadych et Dominique Leborgne : ''Atlas de Paris'', Parigramme, 2002, . *''This page is a translation of its French equivalent.''

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wall Of Charles V, Paris Fortifications of Paris Geography of Paris Urban planning in France Military history of France City walls in France Former buildings and structures in Paris Buildings and structures demolished in the 17th century