Martel, Lot
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Martel is a commune in the Lot department in southwestern
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is a small medieval town in a region well known for its
walnuts A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an invo ...
and
truffles A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber''. More than one hundred other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Peziza'', '' Choiromyces'', and ' ...
. It is a member of
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...
(The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association.


History

The town's name means "hammer", and three of these are to be seen on the town's coat of arms.
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 ...
, who earned the nickname "hammer" after his victory in the
Battle of Tours The Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers and the Battle of the Highway of the Martyrs (), was fought on 10 October 732, and was an important battle during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul. It resulted in victory for the Frankish an ...
in 732, is said to have founded the town. It is more likely to have been established as an urban centre by Rodulphe, first Viscount of Turenne, without a castle or abbey.
Henry the Young King Henry the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the eldest son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine to survive childhood. In 1170, he became titular King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine. Henry th ...
died here in 1183. He had sought refuge there after revolting against his father,
Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
of England, and ransacking local monasteries including Rocamadour. He died after confessing his sins, on a bed of hot ashes and a heavy crucifix on his chest. In 1219, the town received its charter and was a fiefdom of the Viscounts of Turenne. It was exempt from paying taxes to the king of France and issued its own coin. By 1250 it was run by
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...
's controlled by the Turrene's and in turn paid homage to the Kings of France. With the outbreak of the Hundred Year's War, and the region's status, as either French or English territory was not clearly established by the
Treaty of Paris (1259) The Treaty of Paris (1259) was a peace agreement between England and France that concluded decades of territorial conflict. It followed a long history of tensions dating back to the Norman Conquest and intensified by King John’s loss of Normand ...
and the Treaty of Amiens (1279), the town would have to protect itself during the former and was besieged and held out against the English in 1356. It came under English control via the Treaty of Brétigny of 1360 and returned to the French side on 27 August 1374 when it was retaken by
Bertrand du Guesclin Bertrand du Guesclin (; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' War. From 1370 to his ...
. During the
French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...
, the town remained Catholic despite the Viscount being protestant, but the town and church were sacked in 1562 by the protestants. On 8 May 1738, the Viscount of Turenne, needing money to pay off debts, sold the viscounty to
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
, and Martel and its inhabitants now had to pay their taxes to the king and lost all other privileges it had been given by the viscounty.


Geography

Martel is located about east of Souillac and north of the River Dordogne. To the north lies the commune of Cazillac, to the northeast Strenquels, to the east Saint-Denis-lès-Martel, to the southeast Floirac, to the south Montvalent, to the southwest Creysse, to the west Baladou and to the northwest Cuzance. The countryside is rural with rolling hills, pastureland and the cultivation of
walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...
s. North of the town lies the elevated limestone plateau of Causse de Martel, much of which is covered with oak and beech woodland.


The town

Martel is a medieval town, with the older houses built of pale stone that contrasts with their reddish-brown roofs. The ramparts that used to surround the town are gone but in their place is a wide boulevard and the narrow-streeted central part is a pedestrian area. The town has a distinctive sky-line with medieval towers projecting above the houses, and because of these, the town is sometimes called ''La ville aux sept tours''. The highest tower is that of the Church of Saint-Maur. There is an eighteenth-century market hall taking up most of the central cobbled square. Markets are held here on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and during late December or January there is an annual
truffle A truffle is the Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber (fungus), Tuber''. More than one hundred other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including ''Geopora'', ''P ...
market. In July, the ''Foire à la Laine'' (Wool Fair) is held underneath the market hall, with competitions for the best
fleeces Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal wool. ...
. There is a museum containing items from Puy d'Issolud, a local Gallic archaeological site which has been identified as Uxellodunum, besieged by
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
in 51 BC.


Notable buildings and places

* Fossé des Cordeliera and Boulevard du Capitani - location of the old ramparts from twelve and thirteen centuries; * Tournemire Tour - old prison; * Rue Droite - old houses including Hôtel Vergnes-de-Ferron; * Hôtel de Mirandol - 15th century house with a square tower; * Maison Fabri - has a tower, and the location, in a previous building, of where Henry the Young King died; * Place des Consuls - contains an 18th century covered market; * Hôtel de la Raymondie - built around 1280 for the Turennes, converted into a mansion in 14th century for the Valon family. Became the town hall after the revolution; * Hotel de la Minnaie on Rue Tournemire - 13th century mint; * Maison Grise on Rue Tournemire - 16th century bust and shield with three hammers; * Église St-Maur


Notable people

* Claudius Cayx-Dumas (1724–1792), French Jesuit. * Jean Pierre Serrier (1934–1989), French artist, opened the gallery La Licorne in 1967.


See also

*
Communes of the Lot department The following is a list of the 312 communes of the Lot department of France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Gu ...


References


External links

{{authority control Communes of Lot (department) Quercy Henry the Young King