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Picardy
Picardy (/ˈpɪkərdi/; Picard and French:
Picardie, French: [pikaʁdi] , Picard: IPA: Picardy
[piˈkaʀdi]) is a historical and cultural territory Picardie
and a former administrative region located in Region of France
northern France. The first mentions of this
province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained
its first official recognition in the 13th century
through the nation of Picardy at the University
of Paris and entered French administration in
the 14th century.[2] Unlike regions such as Flag
Coat of arms
Normandy, Brittany, or Champagne, Picardy
was never established as a duchy, county, or
principality, and its boundaries fluctuated over
the centuries due to the political instability in
the area it covered. Since 1 January 2016, it has
been part of the new region of Hauts-de-
France.[3]
Coordinates: 49°30′N 2°50′E
The first geographic description of Picardy
appeared in the late central Middle Ages, Country France
including the bishoprics of Amiens, Beauvais, Dissolved 1 January 2016
Arras, Tournai, and Thérouanne. In the late Prefecture Amiens
Middle Ages, it also encompassed Saint- Departments 3
Quentin, Douai, Abbeville, Béthune, Clermont, Aisne (02)
and other towns like Noyon, Valenciennes, Oise (60)
Boulogne-sur-Mer, Hesdin, and Laon. At that Somme (80)
time, Picardy was divided into Upper and Government
Lower Picardy: Upper Picardy was closer to Île- • President Claude Gewerc (PS)
de-France, while Lower Picardy, which
Area
Barthélemy the Englishman referred to as • Total 19,399 km2 (7,490 sq mi)
Hainaut, was closer to Flanders and Brabant.
Population (2016)
During the ancien régime, Picardy was • Total 1,932,422
generally defined by thirteen traditional • Density 100/km2 (260/sq mi)
regions, still divided into Upper and Lower Demonym Picards
Picardy: the former grouping inland areas and
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the latter, coastal areas. It was divided between Gross Regional Product[1]
the governments of Picardy and Île-de-France. • Total €51.729 billion
The government of Picardy covered the • Per capita €26,800
northern half of Upper Picardy, while the Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
government of Île-de-France held the southern • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
half, including towns such as Beauvais, Noyon, ISO 3166 code FR-S
and Laon. This description of Picardy, seen in NUTS Region FR2
19th and 20th-century records from the Society
Website cr-picardie.fr (http://www.cr-
of Antiquaries of Picardy and the Historical picardie.fr/)
Society of Upper Picardy, extended from Senlis
to Calais, from Soissons and Laon to Abbeville and Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Historians and geographers like Robert Fossier, Albert Demangeon, and Philippe Pinchemel
replaced the idea of the ancien régime Picardy with the notion of an ethnic Picardy, identified
particularly by the Picard language. This ethnic Picardy would include places like Senlis and
Soissons, which popular tradition historically associated with Picardy due to their dialect, with
the northern boundary marked by the linguistic border with Flemish, thus extending to Calais
and Tournai. In the 20th century, geographer Albert Demangeon demonstrated the existence of
a geographic Picardy through what he called the "Picard plain," a vast chalk plain stretching
from Beauvais to Arras, from Cambrai and Laon to Abbeville and the Boulogne region.

From 1972 to 2015, a region of the same name was created, bringing together the three
departments of Somme, Oise, and Aisne, thus encompassing most of Picardy as defined in the
Ancien Régime.

Today, Picardy, in its various definitions, is largely contained within the Hauts-de-France
region and spread across its five departments. Part of the linguistic Picardy is in the Wallonia
region of Belgium, in the Hainaut Province, and a small portion of the historic Beauvaisis is in
the northern part of the Val-d'Oise department, around Beaumont-sur-Oise and L'Isle-Adam.

History
The historical province of Picardy stretched from Senlis to Calais via the main parts of the Oise
and Aisne departments, the whole of the Somme department and the west of the Pas-de-Calais
department. The province of Artois (Arras area) separated Picardy from French Flanders.

Middle Ages
From the 5th century, the area formed part of the Frankish Empire and, in the feudal period, it
encompassed the six countships of Boulogne, Montreuil, Ponthieu, Amiénois, Vermandois and
Laonnois.[4] In accordance with the provisions of the 843 Treaty of Verdun, the region became
part of West Francia, the later Kingdom of France.

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The name "Picardy" derives from the Old French pic,

meaning "pike", the characteristic weapon used by people
from this region in ancient times.[5] The term "Picardy" was
first used in the early 13th century,[6] during which time the
name applied to all lands where the Picard language was
spoken including territories from Paris to the
Netherlands.[7] In the Latin Quarter of Paris, people
identified a "Picard Nation" (Nation Picarde) of students at
Sorbonne University, most of whom actually came from
Flanders.[8] During the Hundred Years' War, Picardy was
Map of the historical extent of
the centre of the Jacquerie peasant revolt in 1358.
Picardy
Beginning in 1419, the Picardy counties (Boulogne,
Ponthieu, Amiens, Vermandois) were gradually acquired by
the Burgundian duke Philip the Good, acquisitions confirmed by King Charles VII of France at
the 1435 Congress of Arras. In 1477, King Louis XI of France led an army and occupied key
towns in Picardy.[9] By the end of 1477, Louis would control all of Picardy and most of
Artois.[10]

Modern era
In the 15th century, the government (military region) of Picardy was created. This became a
new administrative region of France, separate from what was historically defined as Picardy.
The new Picardy included the Somme département, the northern half of the Aisne département
and a small fringe in the north of the Oise département.

In 1557, Picardy was invaded by Habsburg forces under the command of Emmanuel Philibert,
Duke of Savoy.[11] After a seventeen-day siege,[11] St. Quentin would be ransacked,[11] while
Noyon would be burned by the Habsburg army.[12]

In the early 18th century, an infectious disease similar to English sweat originated from the
region and spread across France. It was called Suette des picards or Picardy sweat.[13]

Sugar beet was introduced by Napoleon I during the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century in
order to counter the United Kingdom which had seized the sugar islands possessed by France in
the Caribbean. The sugar industry has continued to play a prominent role in the economy of the
region.[14]

One of the most significant historical events to occur in Picardy was the series of battles fought
along the Somme during World War I. From September 1914 to August 1918, four major battles,
including the Battle of the Somme, were fought by British, Commonwealth, French and German
forces in the fields of Northern Picardy.[15]

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Picardy today
In 2009, the Regional Committee for local government
reform proposed to reduce the number of French regions
and cancel additions of new regions in the near future.
Picardy would have disappeared and each department
would have joined a nearby region. The Oise would have
been incorporated in the Île-de-France, the Somme would
have been incorporated in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Aisne This painting by Pierre Puvis de
would have been incorporated in the Champagne-Ardenne. Chavannes recalls the "Golden Age"
The vast majority of Picards were opposed to this proposal in the history of the province of
and it was scrapped in 2010 (see newspaper: "Courrier Picardy.[16] The Walters Art Museum.
Picard").

Today, the modern region of Picardy no longer includes the coastline from Berck to Calais, via
Boulogne (Boulonais), that is now in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region but does incorporate the
pays of Beauvaisis, Valois, Noyonnais, Laonnois, Soissonnais, Omois among other departments
of France. The older definition of Picardy survives in the name of the Picard language which
applies not only to the dialects of Picardy proper but also to the Romance dialects spoken in the
Nord-Pas de Calais region, north of Picardy proper, and parts of the Belgian province of
Hainaut.

Geography
Between the 1990 and 1999 censuses, the
population of Oise increased 0.61% per year,
almost twice as fast as France as a whole.
Meanwhile the Aisne department lost
inhabitants, and the Somme barely grew with a
0.16% growth per year. Today, 41.3% of the
population of Picardy live inside the Oise
department.

Picardy stretches from the long sand beaches of

the Somme estuary in the west to the vast forests
Landscape in Picardy
and pastures of the Thiérache in the east to
Chantilly and Pierrefonds near the Paris Area
and vineyards of the border with Champagne to the south.

Administration

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The president of the regional council prior to its abolition in 2015 was Claude Gewerc, a
Socialist who had been in office since 2004. That year he defeated longtime UDF incumbent
Gilles de Robien.

Since 2008, the mayor of the city of Amiens, the regional capital, has been Socialist Gilles
Demailly. He defeated longtime mayor Gilles de Robien of the New Centre party.

Language and culture

Historically, the region of Picardy has a strong and proud
cultural identity. The Picard (local inhabitants and
traditionally speakers of the Picard language) cultural
heritage includes some of the most extraordinary Gothic
churches (Amiens and Beauvais cathedrals or Saint-Quentin
basilica), distinctive local cuisine (including ficelle picarde,
flamiche aux poireaux, tarte au maroilles), beer (including
from Péronne's de Clercq brewery) and traditional games
and sports, such as the longue paume (ancestor of tennis),
as well as danses picardes and its own bagpipes, called the
pipasso.

The villages of Picardy have a distinct character, with their

houses made of red bricks, often accented with a "lace" of
white bricks. A minority of people still speak the Picard
language, one of the languages of France, which is also Distinctive brick building style
demonstrated on a monument in the
spoken in Artois (Nord-Pas de Calais région). "P'tit
Somme, Picardy
quinquin", a Picard song, is a symbol of the local culture
(and of that of Artois).

Picardy is arguably the birthplace of Gothic architecture, housing six of the world's greatest
examples of Gothic cathedrals, which span the history of Gothic architecture in its entirety.
Amiens Cathedral, standing as the largest cathedral in Europe, which according to John Ruskin
is the "Pantheon of Gothic architecture", could house Notre-Dame de Paris twice over. It was
built in as little as 50 years. Picardy also holds the tallest transept in the history of the Gothic
period; this transept is located in Saint-Pierre cathedral in Beauvais, Oise.

The Museum of Picardy in Amiens, built between 1855 and 1867, houses a vast array of great
works, spanning the centuries and ranging from archaeology from ancient Greece and Egypt to
modern works of Pablo Picasso. The museum was closed until the end of 2019 for building
work.

Although Picardy is one of the least-known regions in France, its influence from art and most
certainly architecture is vivid throughout the world.[17]

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Major cities
Abbeville
Amiens
Beauvais
Compiègne
Péronne
Creil
Laon
Saint-Quentin
Soissons Amiens
Senlis

In popular culture
The song "Roses of Picardy" is a ballad written in 1916 during World War I. In 1927, the
song title was used as the title of the silent British film of the same name.
Picardy is one of the minor characters in the Japanese manga series Hetalia: Axis Powers.
The French army song "Reveillez-vous picards" ( "picards awaken") was originally a rally
song used by Charles the Bold's picard mercenaries.

See also
War memorials in the Aisne region of Picardy
War memorials in the Oise region of Picardy
War memorials in the Eastern Somme
War memorials in the Western Somme

References
1. "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat" (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/de
fault/table?lang=en). Retrieved 18 September 2023.
2. Sartre, Josiane (2012). Châteaux "brique et pierre" en Picardie: Quatre siècles
d'architecture (https://books.google.com/books?id=B__CiIHdgA4C&dq=Picardie+administra
tion+fran%C3%A7aise+xive+siecle&pg=PA62) (in French). Nouvelles Editions Latines.
p. 62. ISBN 978-2-7233-9574-8.
3. Loi n° 2015-29 du 16 janvier 2015 relative à la délimitation des régions, aux élections
régionales et départementales et modifiant le calendrier électoral (http://www.legifrance.gou
v.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=9FECBA9D9314D1D2C093CF793C886ED5.tpdila21v_1?idSe
ctionTA=JORFSCTA000030109623&cidTexte=JORFTEXT000030109622&dateTexte=2999
0101) (in French)
4. Dunbabin.France in the Making. Ch.4. The Principalities 888–987
5. "picardy | Origin and meaning of picardy by Online Etymology Dictionary" (https://web.archiv
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picardy Page 6 of 8
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5. "picardy | Origin and meaning of picardy by Online Etymology Dictionary" (https://web.archiv

e.org/web/20190501172930/https://www.etymonline.com/word/Picardy).
www.etymonline.com. Archived from the original (https://www.etymonline.com/word/picardy)
on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
6. Maciamo. "Eupedia" (https://www.eupedia.com/france/picardy.shtml). Eupedia. Retrieved
18 March 2020.
7. Xavier De Planhol; Paul Claval (17 March 1994). An Historical Geography of France (https://
books.google.com/books?id=C19glZh7zfoC&pg=PA172). Cambridge University Press.
p. 172. ISBN 978-0-521-32208-9. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
8. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. History of Picardy.
9. Potter 1993, p. 37.
10. Potter 1993, p. 39.
11. A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East, Vol. II,
ed. Spencer C. Tucker, (ABC-CLIO, 2010), 518
12. George A. Rothrock, The Huguenots: A Biography of a Minority, (Nelson-Hall, Inc., 1979),
48.
13. T. F. C. Hecher (1844). The epidemics of the Middle ages (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=vMfGlF2oOdQC&pg=PA315). G. Woodfall and Von. pp. 315–318. Retrieved 25 March
2012.
14. "Picardie" (http://www.french.co.uk/france/regions/picardy/). French.co.uk.
15. William Philpott (5 October 2010). Three Armies on the Somme: The First Battle of the
Twentieth Century (https://books.google.com/books?id=8MXGNxVINkAC). Random House
Digital, Inc. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-0-307-26585-2. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
16. "Ludus Pro Patria" (http://art.thewalters.org/detail/20168). The Walters Art Museum.
17. "Gothic Art in Picardy" (http://www.picardietourisme.com/en/mots_clefs_de_picardie/en/goth
ic_art_in_picardy.aspx). 80011 AMIENS Cedex 1: Picardy Tourist Office. Retrieved 14 April
2014.

Bibliography
Potter, David (1993). War and Government in the French Provinces: Picardy 1470-1560.
Cambridge University Press.

External links
Picardy: the other north of France (https://web.archive.org/web/20130303185858/http://www
.france.fr/en/regions-and-cities/picardy-other-north-france) – Official French website
(in French) Official regional council website (https://web.archive.org/web/20110223122150/h
ttp://cr-picardie.fr/)
Picardy, brief guide to the region and attractions (http://about-france.com/regions/picardy.ht
m)
photos from Southern Picardy (http://www.offrench.net/photos/gallery-10.php)

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