Champagne-Ardenne

Reims Cathedral in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. A synthesis of Gothic styles, and particularly admired for its flying buttresses, the cathedral was rebuilt after a fire in 1210. The social and economic strain of building the cathedral led to an uprising of the townspeople in 1223.

Region of northeast France; area 25,606 sq km/9,887 sq mi; population (1999 est) 1,342,400. Its largest town is Reims, but its administrative centre is Châlons-sur-Marne. It comprises the départements of Ardennes, Aube, Marne, and Haute-Marne. The land is fertile in the west and supports sheep and dairy farming; its vineyards in the Reims-Épernay area produce the famous champagne sparkling wines. The region also includes part of the Ardennes forest.

Champagne-Ardenne forms the plains east of the Paris basin. Its other chief towns are Épernay, Saint-Dizier, Chaumont, and Troyes, the latter being the capital of the ancient province of Champagne. The region was the scene of bitter fighting between the French and German armies during World War I, in particular the two Battles of Champagne fought December 1914-March 1915 and September-October 1915 (see Champagne, Battles of).

History An important region in Roman times, the settlement of Ducrocortorum (modern-day Reims) was established by Julius Caesar in 57 BC as the capital of Gaul. It was a duchy under Merovingian rulers during the early Middle Ages, and part of the county of Champagne, an hereditary estate, in the 10th century. Champagne became a province within the royal domain of France in 1314, when the Count of Champagne succeeded to the French throne as King Louis X. Reims became the traditional site for the coronation of French kings from 496, when Clovis I was crowned there.