Ancient history

City of Tricasses

22 – 21 BC: construction of the Agrippan Way joining Milan and Boulougne-sur-Mer and determining the future development of the city
Troyes becomes Augustobona Tricassium (mentioned by Pline the Ancient and Ptolemy).
Middle Ages

451: Attila is stopped at the gates of Troyes by Bishop Saint Loup and pillage is avoided.

892: The Normans burn the city.

IX-X c.: The County of Troyes is constructed with the House of Vermandois. It goes into the hands of the House of Blois in the XI c.

1040: birth of RACHI, great Jewish scholar, commentator of the Bible and the Talmud. He dies in Troyes in 1105(?).
  XII-XIII c.: beginning of the line of the Counts of Champagne, (Henri Ist the Liberal, Thibaut IV etc.) and the great era of the Champagne Fairs. Owing to the number of rivers and stream, draperies, mills, tanneries, weaving mills, paper mills and dyers develop. The paper of Troyes is famous in Europe as early as the XIV c. Marie de France, wife of Henri Ist, creates in Troyes her “court of love”, the art of letters flourishes with Chrestien de Troyes, Thibaut IV “the chansonnier”, Geoffroy de Villhardouin, Jean de Joinville, Saint-Louis’ historian.

1118: Hugues de Payns creates the Order of Templars. In 1128 Bernard de Clairvaux has the rule officialised by the Council of Troyes who deliberates in the Cathedral.

1264: the Pope from Troyes, Urbain IV institutes the Saint Sacrament Festival (Fete-Dieu).

1284: Troyes, Champagne and Navarre are joined in the Crown of France by the marriage of Jeanne de Navarre, last Countess of Champagne, to the future king Philippe le Bel (Philip the Fair).

May 21st 1420: Treaty of Troyes. King Charles VI promises the kingdom, together with the hand of his daughter Catherine of France, to his future son-in-law Henry V of England: this is the Treaty of Troyes. The marriage takes place on June 2nd in the church of St-Jean-au-Marché.

July 9th 1429: Joan of Arc leads Charles VII to Reims and delivers the city from the English.

Renaissance

XV-XVI centuries
Prosperous era in the domain of the arts with the famous Troyes schools of Sculpture and Painting.

The Master-Glaziers, famous in the XIII c. are to create marvels and make Troyes a “Sacred City of stained glass”.

1524: The great Fire destroys a large part of the upper quarters of the city (the “body” of the cork), built mainly in wood. The reconstruction gives the city its look that we recognise today.

Towards 1560: the city is in the hands of the Leaguers, under the command of the Duke de Guise, Governor of Champagne.

XVII-XVIII centuries
The city loses its powers with the advent of the centralised State (from 27,000 inhabitants under Louis XIV, there are 13,000 under Louis XV).

1745: Appearance of the first hosiery looms, the activity that will give Troyes its title of hosiery capital.

XIX-XX centuries

1814: Napoleon’s French campaign. He had studied at the Military School of Brienne-le-Chateau in the Aube. Troyes and the northern area of the Aube are seriously affected.

1870: Occupation by the Prussian Army.

1939/1945: 4 years of German occupation. The city centre escapes the bombardments.

Following the liberation of Parison 26 August 1944, the US General Patton delivers Troyes.

1963: Charles de Gaulle, President of the Republic, is welcomed to Troyes.