History
editLiverdun undoubtedly has old origins as evidenced by the Celtic form of its name and the discovery of Roman coins. The name includes the Gallic suffix dunum (dun later in French) which indicates a fortress located on a height. Archaeological excavations have found traces of the Bronze Age, Gallo-Roman ruins and 7th and 8th century Frankish grave goods such as jewels, weapons, which are now preserved at the Musée Lorrain, Nancy.
The limestone spur at Liverdun, which guards the Moselle Valley was transformed into a fortified position by the prehistoric and Gallic tribes then by the Romans.
Germanic tribes invade in 275 devastating the Gallo-Roman settlements of the area leaving little traces of the previous centuries. The Roman Emperor Julian restores order in 357 and under his reign that Liverdun is first mentioned in recorded history. The charter of Dagobert mentions that the Vandals besiege Liverdun in 406 but were not successful. The same story is reiterated in a charter of King Arnuf. 730 an officer of Charles Martel, tries without success to take Liverdun. The fortified town remains with the hands of the bishops of Toul. 927 Prince Vilfard of Toul signs a charter by which Count Oldéric of Saint Gauzelin is appointed as magistrate of the borough of Liverdun. The Berthold agreement of 996 appoints Duke Thierry of Upper Lorraine as the magistrate of Liverdun.
A conflict breaks out between the bishop of Toul, Pierre de Brixey, the duke of Lorraine and the bishop of Verdun in 1165. To guard against an attack Pierre de Brixey undertakes to refurbish the citadel and to rebuild the ramparts. 1182 Pierre of BRIXEY finishes the restoration of his castle; he grants on his subjects the following year a charter of stamping, which gives them the hunting rights and of fishing (the rifles & nets represented in the armorial bearings of LIVERDUN testify to these privileges). It does not fail to point out its work in these terms: “I, Pierre by the grace of God, bishop of Leuques (2) inform all… An antique and noble castle which since old times is called Liverdun, having been destroyed during long years and having been reduced to a small village. We, with the assistance of divine Providence after having found the moment favorable rebuilt we it and made rather splendid and worthy of admiration: of a small village we made a fort and noble castle, has impregnable door of all évêché of Toul “
362 Martyrized Saint-Euchaire with Pompey returns, says the legend, until Liverdun, where it returns his heart to God.
406 A charter of Dagobert teaches us that the vandals besieged Liverdun but could not seize some.
This same fact is recalled in a charter of king Arnuf.
622 According to another diploma (somewhat suspect) Dagobert would have given to the cathedral of Toul the castles of Vicherey and Liverdun of the time of the Teutfried bishop
730 Certain Arnould, officer of Charles Martel, tries without success to encroach on the field of Liverdun.
The fortified town remains with the hands of the bishops of Toul.
927 The prince de Toul, Vilfard, sign a charter by which Saint Gauzelin appoints the count Oldéric as solicitor (1) of the borough of Liverdun.
996 Berthold agreement the vouery (1) of Liverdun with Thierry, duke of High Lorraine.
1165 A conflict has just emerged between the bishop of Toul, Pierre of BRIXEY, the duke of Lorraine and the bishop of Verdun.
To counter a knack, Pierre of BRIXEY undertakes to give in state the citadel and to rebuild the ramparts.
1182 Pierre of BRIXEY finishes the restoration of his castle; he grants on his subjects the following year a charter of stamping, which gives them the hunting rights and of fishing (the rifles & nets represented in the armorial bearings of LIVERDUN testify to these privileges).
It does not fail to point out its work in these terms:
“I, Pierre by the grace of God, bishop of Leuques (2) inform all… An antique and noble castle which since old times is called Liverdun, having been destroyed during long years and having been reduced to a small village.
We, with the assistance of divine Providence after having found the moment favorable rebuilt we it and made rather splendid and worthy of admiration: of a small village we made a fort and noble castle, has impregnable door of all évêché of Toul “
But Pierre of BRIXEY had obtained from the Barberousse emperor the authorization to strike currency with Liverdun.
Parts going back to 1191 carry to back a fish out of stake (3) and inscription LIVERDUN and to the reverse a strong castle with designation PETRUS. (see - to click here)
1184 In the middle of the Pierre citadel of BRIXEY makes raise collegial Saint-Euchaire where it places a provost, a senior, and four canons, and where the relics of Euchaire Saint are preserved.
At that time, there exists a bridge on the Moselle whose bishop is the absolute master. It seems that he was rebuilt at the same time as the castle.
1189 Pierre of BRIXEY leaves the area to leave in crusade following the Barberousse emperor and dies in 1192 in Jerusalem where it is buried.
1224 The Gilles bishop of SORCY establishes a market. However, the businesses between middle-class man and bishop of Toul do not go for best.
1279
Episcopate of Conrad, the middle-class men revolt.
Attacked in its castle, Conrad manages to flee and is cut off in its fortress from Liverdun.
Then peace is done in 1284 and Conrad leaves Liverdun to return in its castle of Toul.
1330 The bishop Thomas de Bourlémont yields by secret treaty his fortified town to Edouard, count de Bar.
By this skew Liverdun escapes Lorraine.
1365 Bertrand of the Tower of Auvergne, succeeding Thomas de Bourlémont, concludes, to fight against the adventurers who infest the country, an alliance with the governor of Lorraine and makes place ducal troops in Maizières and Liverdun.
1396 Under pretext of protect the fortresses, the Lorraine ones seize the goods évêché.
Good prince, the duke Charles II takes under his protection the inhabitants of the fortress, realising all the same a royalty of 12 Toul-native pennies.
However, the bishop Jean de Heu manages to obtain the evacuation of this castle.
1402 The Lorraine ones, attacked by the baillif of Chaumont left Orleans, beat a retreat until Liverdun where they are taken in a ambush of the garrison.
1436 Little by little the citadel is strengthened and increased.
It was reinforced considerably when one carries there the skin of the prelate Henri de Ville.
1458 Guillaume Filiâtre, 69ème bishop in dissension with the middle-class men of Toul withdraws himself in Liverdun where it transports officiality as well as the files.
1460 Jean de Cheurot succeeds to him, then Antoine de Neufchâtel.
Antoine de Neufchâtel, bishop of Toul named at 12 years, is Burgundian party.
His/her father, Thibaut, who underwent an affront with Épinal, swears to be avenged for the Duke of Lorraine.
He occupies the castles of his son of which that of Liverdun then plunders and burns Lorraine villages.
Jean de Fénétrange, marshal of Lorraine, are then charged to stop it.
1467 Besieged Liverdun is taken on September 16 by the Marshal of Fénétrange which orders the destruction of its castle and its walls.
The strong city of 400 men obtains the favour of a honourable capitulation.
The ramparts are demolished, the Lorraine soldiers plunder, ransack, fire is declared with the castle burning most of the files of the city. The marshal will transport the remainder to collegial the Saint-Georges to NANCY.
It was an irrevocable loss. These days rang the knell of the fortress which was not to find its power of antan any more.
1477 Victoire of the Duke of Lorraine Rene II on Charles of Burgundy says the Bold one. With this occasion the Duke Rene II liberally grants his forgiveness to the town of Liverdun.
“For reverence of God, his very worthy mother and the glorious Saint-Euchaire martyr. forgave and given all their mesfaits and mesdits. ”
In spite of its weakening, the fortress still counts in the Lorraine policy.
1524 To oppose the aimings which the King of France had on the three évêchés, the Duke ANTOINE makes furnish his fortresses and obtains from the Hector bishop of AILLY to make occupy Liverdun.
1542 Toul-native militia are installed in the place following an agreement made with François de Guise, Duc of Lorraine. It is a question of protecting Liverdun, because following a conflict between the King of France FRANÇOIS 1st and the emperor Charles QUINT the mercenaries of the King and those of the emperor plunder and set fire to the country.
1552 Toul is virtually under French supervision but the bishop keeps his sovereignty on Liverdun.
1563 The All Saints' day bishop comes in Liverdun.
The place knows now quiet hours.
But at the XVIIè century Louis XIII, King de France, orders that one restores his fortifications (what leaves suppose that the restoration of 1542 had been carried out in a precarious way).
1587 Like Lorraine, Liverdun knows one period favorable at the end of the 15th century, to 16th and the beginning of 17th. This 150 years prosperity is disturbed in 1587 by the passage of a band of reîtres coming from Palatinat. The mounting which contained the relics of Euchaire Saint is burned.
Following these events, the church Saint Martin is abandoned. There remains only Collegial St Euchaire where the parish had its seat. This church became, with successive transformations, with the wire of time, the current parish church Saint Pierre which one celebrated the centenary in September 1988.
It is this prosperous period which left the most memories: the High Door, the monumental entry of the presbytery, the house of the governor, old houses, the arcades of the place of the Fountain.
1632 At the 17th century, LIVERDUN suffered from the Thirty Year old war, of the occupation of Lorraine by the French.
On June 26, king Louis goes itself to Liverdun there to meet the envoy of the Duke Charles IV of Lorraine and to sign a treaty leaving the fortified towns on the Meuse and Clermontois in France.
This new Lorraine capitulation opens with French the doors of the duchy.
It seems in fact that the desire of the king to rebuild the fortified town was hardly respected and that nothing was done to give it in state.
Consequently, the fortifications do not have any more any role to play in the strategy if is not to put at the shelter the inhabitants armed bands which will foam Lorraine during the Thirty Year old war.
Little by little, it was the decline, for the city. The Bishops ceased residing at it. The chapter was deleted in 1703. The revolution, in its turn, removed the prévôté episcopal one, replaced it, to some extent, by a place chief of canton, which was fixed at Domèvre in the Hague.
During 1st half of the 19th century, LIVERDUN was nothing any more but the goal of walks of the inhabitants of NANCY. One came to admire the rocky outcrop with his hung village, the Moselle with the green banks.
The digging of the channel of the Marne in the Rhine (1838 to 1842), the creation of the railway line (in 1852) left LIVERDUN its insulation.
The construction of works of art (tunnel, bridges) caused the arrival of a great number of workmen. (915 inhabitants in 1837,2000 in 1851).
The installation of the Forging mills in 1863 marked the beginning of industrialization.
At present, LIVERDUN is nothing any more but one large village, nested around its citadel.
Its extension was done in 3 directions:
- towards Pompey, on the road which skirts the Moselle on 3 km with individual constructions
and of the allotments,
- towards Frouard, with individual constructions, HLM, allotments with the locality
the Round Oak,
- on the plate of Champagne, in the direction of Saizerais (high LIVERDUN) with many constructions which followed the establishment of the American allotment of Toulaire.
The creation of a zone of activities allowed the installation of several companies, which supplements the existing economic activity.
LIVERDUN became a town of 6500 inhabitants which knows a continuous growth. The City has many assets. It is a residential area in rural semi matter which allures by its calm, while being close to NANCY, TOUL and PONT-À-MOUSSON, which offer many advantages from the points of view economic, university, cultural, artistic.