LAON  , a See also:

• TOWN

town of See also:

• NORTHERN

northern See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France, See also:

• CAPITAL (i.e. capital stock or fund)
• CAPITAL (Lat. caput, head)

capital of the See also:

• DEPARTMENT (Fr. departement, from departir, to separate into parts)

department of See also:

• AISNE

Aisne, 87 m . N.E. of See also:

• PARIS
• PARIS (also called ALEXANDROS)
• PARIS, ALEXIS PAULIN (1800-x881)
• PARIS, BRUNO PAULIN GASTON (1839-1903)
• PARIS, FRANCOIS DE (169o-1727)
• PARIS, LOUIS PHILIPPE ALBERT
• PARIS, TREATIES OF (1814-1815)

Paris on the Northern railway . Pop . (1906), town, 9787, See also:

• COMMUNE (Med. Lat. communia, Lat. communis, common)
• COMMUNE, MEDIEVAL

commune (including troops) 15,288 . It is situated on an isolated See also:

• RIDGE (a word. common to many Teutonic languages, meaning " back," whether of a man or an animal, cf. German Rucke)
• RIDGE, WILLIAM PETT (1864- )

ridge, forming two sides of a triangle, which rises some 33o ft. above the surrounding See also:

• PLAIN (O. Fr. plain, from Lat. plenum)

plain and the little See also:

• RIVER

river of Ardon . The suburbs of St See also:

• MARCEL, ETIENNE (d: 1358)

Marcel and See also:

• VAUX, CALVERT (1824-1895)

Vaux extend along the See also:

• FOOT

foot of the ridge to the See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

north . From the railway station, situated in the plain to the north, a straight See also:

• STAIRCASE

staircase of several See also:

• HUNDRED

hundred steps leads to the See also:

• GATE

gate of the town, and all the roads connecting Laon with the surrounding See also:

• DISTRICT

district are cut in zigzags on the steep slopes, which are crowned by promenades on the site of the old ramparts . The 13th-See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century See also:

• GATES, HORATIO (1728-1806)

gates of Ardon, Chenizelles and See also:

• SOISSONS

Soissons, the latter in a See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state of ruin, have been preserved . At the eastern extremity of the ridge rises the citadel; at its See also:

• APEX

apex is the See also:

• PARADE (Fr. parade, an adaptation from Ital. parada; cf. Span. parada, from Lat. parade, to prepare, equip, furnish)

parade-ground of St See also:

• MARTIN (Martinus)
• MARTIN, BON LOUIS HENRI (1810-1883)
• MARTIN, CLAUD (1735-1800)
• MARTIN, FRANCOIS XAVIER (1762-1846)
• MARTIN, HOMER DODGE (1836-1897)
• MARTIN, JOHN (1789-1854)
• MARTIN, LUTHER (1748-1826)
• MARTIN, SIR THEODORE (1816-1909)
• MARTIN, SIR WILLIAM FANSHAWE (1801–1895)
• MARTIN, ST (c. 316-400)
• MARTIN, WILLIAM (1767-1810)

Martin, and at the See also:

• SOUTHERN

southern end stands the See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient See also:

• ABBEY (Lat. abbatia; from Syr. abba, father)
• ABBEY, EDWIN AUSTIN (1852– )

abbey of St See also:

• VINCENT (or VINCENTIUS), ST
• VINCENT, GEORGE (1796-1831?)
• VINCENT, MARY ANN (1818-1887)

Vincent . The deep depression between the arms of the ridge, known as the Cuve St Vincent, has its slopes covered with trees, See also:

• VEGETABLE

vegetable gardens and vineyards . From the See also:

• PROMENADE

promenade along the See also:

• LINE

line of the ramparts there is an extensive view northward beyond St Quentin, westward to the See also:

• FOREST

forest of St Gobain, and southward over the wooded hills of the Laonnais and Soissonnais . The See also:

• CATHEDRAL

cathedral of Laon (see See also:

• ARCHITECTURE (Lat. architectura, from the Gr. ap)(LTEKrwv, a master-builder)

ARCHITECTURE, Romanesque and See also:

• GOTHIC

Gothic Architecture in France) is one of the most important creations of the See also:

• ART

art of the 12th and 13th centuries .

It took the See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place of the old cathedral, burned at the beginning of the communal struggles mentioned below . The See also:

• BUILDING

building is cruciform, and the See also:

• CHOIR (0. Fr. cuer from Lat. chorus; pronounced quire, and until the end of the 17th century so spelt, the spelling being altered to agree with the Fr. chceur)

choir terminates in a straight See also:

• WALL (O. Eng. weal, weall, Mid. Eng. wal, wane, adapted from Lat. vallum, rampart; the original O. Eng. word for a wall was wag or tenth)
• WALL, RICHARD (1694-1778)

wall instead of in an See also:

• APSE
• APSE (Gr. alkir, a fastening, especially the felloe of a wheel; Lat. absis)

apse . Of the six towers flanking the facades, only four are See also:

• COMPLETE

complete to the height of the See also:

• BASE

base of the See also:

• SPIRES (Ger. Speyer or Speier)

spires, two at the See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

west front with See also:

• HUGH
• HUGH, ST

hugh figures of oxen beneath the arcades of their upper portion, and one at each end of the See also:

• TRANSEPT (from Lat. trans, across, and septum, enclosure; synonymous terms in other languages are Fr. croisee, nef transversee; Ital. crociata; Ger. Querbau, Quersch&)

transept . A square central See also:

• TOWER (Lat. turris; Fr. tour, clocker; Ital. torre; Ger. Thurm)

tower forms a See also:

• LANTERN (an adaptation of the Fr. lanterne from Lat. lanterna or laterna, supposed to be from Gr. Aa urritp, a torch or lamp, Aaµaew, to shine, cf. " lamp "; the 16th- and 17th-century form " lanthorn " is due to a mistaken derivation from " horn," as a m

lantern within the See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

church . The west front, with three porches, the centre one surmounted by a See also:

• FINE

fine See also:

• ROSE
• ROSE (Rosa)
• ROSE, GEORGE (1744-1818)
• ROSE, HUGH JAMES (1795—1838)
• ROSE, WILLIAM STEWART (1775-1843)

rose window, ranks next to that of Notre-See also:

• DAME
• DAME (through the Fr. from Lat. domina, mistress, lady, the feminine of dominus, master, lord)

Dame at Paris in purity . The cathedral has stained See also:

• GLASS
• GLASS (O.E. glees, cf. Ger. Glas, perhaps derived from an old Teutonic root gla-, a variant of glo-, having the general sense of shining, cf. " glare," " glow ")
• GLASS, STAINED

glass of the 13th century and a choir See also:

• GRILLE

grille of the 18th century . The See also:

• CHAPTER (a shortened form of chapiter, a word still used in architecture for a capital; derived from O. Fr. chapitre, Lat. capitellum, diminutive of caput, head)

chapter-See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house and the See also:

• CLOISTER (Lat. claustrum; Fr. cloitre; Ital. chiostro; Span. claustro; Ger. Kloster)

cloister contain beautiful specimens of the architecture of the beginning of the 13th century . The old episcopal See also:

• PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace, contiguous to the cathedral, is now used as a See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

court-house . The front, flanked by turrets, is pierced by See also:

• GREAT

great pointed windows . There is also a Gothic cloister and an old See also:

• CHAPEL

chapel of two storeys, of a date anterior to the cathedral . The church of St Martin See also:

• DATES

dates from the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle of the 12th century . The old abbey buildings of the same See also:

• FOUNDATION (Lat. fundatio, from fundare, to found)

foundation are now used as the See also:

• HOSPITAL (Lat. haspitalis, the adjective of hospes, host or guest)

hospital .

The museum of Laon had collections of See also:

• SCULPTURE
• SCULPTURE (Lat. sculptura, from sculpere, to carve, cognate with Gr. yXb4ew)

sculpture and See also:

• PAINTING

painting . In its See also:

• GARDEN (from O. Fr. garden, mod. Fr. jardin; this, like our words " garth," a paddock attached to a building, and " yard," comes from a Teutonic word for an enclosure which appears in Gothic as gards and O. H. Ger. gart, cf. Dutch gaarde and Ger. .garten)

garden there is a chapel of the See also:

• TEMPLARS

Templars belonging to the 12th century . The church of the suburb of Vaux near the railway station dates from the 11th and 12th centuries . Numerous cellars of two or three storeys have taken the place of the old quarries in the See also:

• HILL
• HILL (0. Eng. hyll; cf. Low Ger. hull, Mid. Dutch hul, allied to Lat. celsus, high, collis, hill, &c.)
• HILL, A
• HILL, AARON (1685-175o)
• HILL, AMBROSE POWELL
• HILL, DANIEL HARVEY (1821-1889)
• HILL, DAVID BENNETT (1843–1910)
• HILL, GEORGE BIRKBECK NORMAN (1835-1903)
• HILL, JAMES J
• HILL, JOHN (c. 1716-1775)
• HILL, MATTHEW DAVENPORT (1792-1872)
• HILL, OCTAVIA (1838– )
• HILL, ROWLAND (1744–1833)
• HILL, SIR ROWLAND (1795-1879)

hill-See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side . Laon forms with La Fere and See also:

• REIMS
• REIMS (RHEIMS)

Reims a triangle of important fortresses . Its fortifications consist of an inner line of See also:

• WORKS

works on the See also:

• EMINENCE (Lat. eminentia)

eminence of Laon itself, and two See also:

• GROUPS
• GROUPS, THEORY

groups of detached forts, one some 2a m . S.E. about the See also:

• VILLAGE

village of Bruyeres, the other about 3 m . W.S.W., near Laniscourt . To the S.S.W. forts Malmaison and See also:

• CONDE
• CONDE, LOUIS DE BOURBON, PRINCE
• CONDE, LOUIS II
• CONDE, PRINCES OF

Conde connect Laon with the Aisne and with Reims . Laon is the seat of a See also:

• PREFECT (prefet)

prefect and a court of assizes, and possesses a tribunal of first instance, a lycee for boys, a See also:

• COLLEGE (Collegium)

college for girls, a school of See also:

• AGRICULTURE
• AGRICULTURE (from Lat. ages, field, and colere, to cultivate)
• AGRICULTURE, BOARD OF

agriculture and training colleges . See also:

• SUGAR

Sugar-making and See also:

• METAL
• METAL (through Fr. from Lat. metallum, mine, quarry, adapted from Gr. µATaXAov, in the same sense, probably connected with ,ueraAAdv, to search after, explore, µeTa, after, aAAos, other)

metal-See also:

• FOUNDING (from Lat. fundere, to pour)

founding are carried on, but neither See also:

• INDUSTRY (Lat. industria, from indu-, a form of the pre, position in, and either stare, to stand, or struere, to pile up)

industry nor See also:

• TRADE (O. Eng. trod, footstep, from tredan, to tread; in M. Eng. the forms teed, trod and trade appear, the last in the sense of a beaten track)
• TRADE, BOARD OF

trade, which is in See also:

• GRAIN (derived through the French from Lat. granum, seed, from an Aryan root meaning " to wear down," which also appears in the common Teutonic word " corn ")

grain and See also:

• WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine, are of much importance . The hilly district of Laon (Laudunum) has always had some strategic importance .

In the See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time of See also:

• CAESAR, GAIUS JULIUS (102—44 B.c.)
• CAESAR, SIR JULIUS (1557-1558-1636)

Caesar there was a Gallic village where the Remi (inhabitants of the See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country See also:

• ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round Reims) had to meet the onset of the confederated See also:

• BELGAE

Belgae . Whatever may have been the precise locality of that battlefield, Laon was fortified by the See also:

• ROMANS
• ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE

Romans, and successively checked the invasions of the See also:

• FRANKS
• FRANKS, SIR AUGUSTUS WOLLASTON (1826-1897)

Franks, Burgundians, See also:

• VANDALS (Lat. Vandili or Vandilii)

Vandals, See also:

• ALANI (Gr. 'AXavoi, 'AAavvoi ; Chinese 'O-lan-na; since the 9th century A.U. they have been called As, Russ. Jasy, Georgian Ossi)

Alani and See also:

• HUNS

Huns . St See also:

• REMIGIUS, ST (c. 437-533)

Remigius, the See also:

• ARCH
• ARCH, JOSEPH (1826– )

arch-See also:

• BISHOP (A.S. bisceop, from Lat. episcopus, Gr. irio-Korros, " overlooker " or " overseer ")
• BISHOP, ISABELLA (1832-1904)
• BISHOP, SIR HENRY ROWLEY (1786-1855)

bishop of Reims who baptized See also:

• CLOVIS [Chlodovech] (c. 466-511)

Clovis, was See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born in the Laonnais, and it was he who, at the end of the 5th century, instituted the bishopric of the town . Thenceforward Laon was one of the See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal towns of the See also:

• KINGDOM

kingdom of the Franks, and the See also:

• POSSESSION
• POSSESSION (Lat. possessio, possidere, to possess)

possession of it was often disputed . See also:

• CHARLES
• CHARLES (1270-1325)
• CHARLES (1421-1461)
• CHARLES (1525-1574)
• CHARLES (c. 1319-1364)
• CHARLES (Fr. Charles; Span. Carlos; Ital. Carlo; Ger. Karl; derived from O.H.G. Charal,latinized as Carolus, meaning originally " man ": cf. Mod.Ger., Kerl," fellow," A.S. ceorl, Mod. Eng. " churl ")
• CHARLES (KARL EITEL ZEPHYRIN LUDWIG; in Rum. CAROL)
• CHARLES [KARL ALEXANDER] (1712-1780)
• CHARLES, ELIZABETH (1828-1896)
• CHARLES, JACQUES ALEXANDRE CESAR (1746-1823)
• CHARLES, THOMAS (1755-1814)

Charles the Bald had enriched its church with the See also:

• GIFT (a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. die Gift, gift, das Gift, poison, formed from the Teut. stem gab-, to give, cf. Dutch geven, Ger. geben; in O. Eng. the word appears with initial y, the guttural of later English is due to Scandinavian influence)

gift of very numerous domains . After the fall of the See also:

• CAROLINGIANS

Carolingians Laon took the See also:

• PART

part of Charles of See also:

• LORRAINE

Lorraine, their See also:

• HEIR (Lat. heres, from a root meaning to grasp, seen in heres or erus, master of a house, Gr. xeip, hand, Sans. hat ana, hand)

heir, and Hugh See also:

• CAPET

Capet only succeeded in making himself See also:

• MASTER (Lat. magister, related to tnagis, more, as the corresponding minister is to minus, less; the English form is due partly to the O. Eng. maegister, and partly to O. Fr. maistre, mod. maitre; cf. Du. meester, Ger. Meister, Ital. maestro)

master of the town by the connivance of the bishop,who, in return for this service, was made second ecclesiastical peer of the kingdom . See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

Early in the 12th century the communes of France set about emancipating themselves, and the See also:

• HISTORY

history of the commune of Laon is one of the richest and most varied . The citizens had profited by a temporary See also:

• ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of Bishop See also:

• GAUDRY, JEAN ALBERT (1827-1908)

Gaudry to secure from his representatives a communal See also:

• CHARTER (Lat. charta, carta, from Gr. Xap-rns, originally for papyrus, material for writing, thence transferred to paper and from this material to the document, in O. Eng. boc, book)

charter, but he, on his return, See also:

• PURCHASED

purchased from the See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

king of France the revocation of this document, and re-commenced his oppressions . The consequence was a revolt, in which the episcopal palace was burnt and the bishop and several of his partisans were put to See also:

• DEATH

death . The See also:

• FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire spread to the cathedral, and reduced it to ashes . Uneasy at the result of their victory, the rioters went into hiding outside the town, which was anew pillaged by the See also:

• PEOPLE

people of the neighbourhood, eager to avenge the death of their bishop . The king alternately interfered in favour of the bishop and of the inhabitants till 1239 .

After that date the liberties of Laon were no more contested till 1331, when the commune was abolished . During the Hundred Years' See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

War it was attacked and taken by the Burgundians, who gave it up to the See also:

• ENGLISH

English, to be retaken by the See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French after the See also:

• CONSECRATION (Lat. consecrallo, from con and sacrare, " to make sacred ")

consecration of Charles VII . Under the See also:

• LEAGUE

League Laon took the part of the Leaguers, and was taken by See also:

• HENRY
• HENRY (1129-1195)
• HENRY (c. 1108-1139)
• HENRY (c. 1174–1216)
• HENRY (Fr. Henri; Span. Enrique; Ger. Heinrich; Mid. H. Ger. Heinrich and Heimrich; O.H.G. Haimi- or Heimirih, i.e. " prince, or chief of the house," from O.H.G. heim, the Eng. home, and rih, Goth. reiks; compare Lat. rex " king "—" rich," therefore " mig
• HENRY, EDWARD LAMSON (1841– )
• HENRY, JAMES (1798-1876)
• HENRY, JOSEPH (1797-1878)
• HENRY, MATTHEW (1662-1714)
• HENRY, PATRICK (1736–1799)
• HENRY, PRINCE OF BATTENBERG (1858-1896)
• HENRY, ROBERT (1718-1790)
• HENRY, VICTOR (1850– )
• HENRY, WILLIAM (1795-1836)

Henry IV . During the See also:

• CAMPAIGN

campaign of 1814 See also:

• NAPOLEON

Napoleon tried in vain to dislodge See also:

• BLUCHER, GEBHARD LEBERECHT VON (1742—1819)

Blucher from it . In 187o an engineer blew up the See also:

• POWDER (through O. Fr. puldre, modern poudre, from Lat. pulvis, pulveris, dust)

powder See also:

• MAGAZINE

magazine of the citadel at the moment when the See also:

• GERMAN
• GERMAN, DUTCH AND SCANDINAVIAN

German troops were entering the town . Many lives were lost; and the cathedral and the old episcopal palace were damaged . At the Revolution Laon permanently lost its See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank as a bishopric .