Origins Founded as a Gallo-Roman settlement in the 1st century BC under the name Augustodurum, Bayeux is the capital of the former territory of the
Baiocasses people of Gaul, whose name appears in
Pliny's Natural History (iv.107). Evidence of earlier human occupation of the territory comes from fortified Celtic camps, but there is no evidence of any major pre-existing Celtic town before the organization of Gaul in Roman
civitates. Any settlement was more likely confined to scattered Druid huts along the banks of the Aure and Drome rivers or on Mount Phaunus where they worshipped. Cemeteries have been found on the nearby Mount Phaunus indicating the area as a Druid centre. Titus Sabinus, a lieutenant of
Julius Caesar, subjected the Bessin region to Roman domination. The 5th-century
Notitia provinciarum et civitatum Galliae mentions
Suevi that had been officially settled here (
laeti). The town is mentioned by
Ptolemy, writing in the reign of Antoninus Pius, under the name
Noemagus Biducassium (for
*Noviomagus Badiocassium 'New market of the Badiocassi') and remained so until the time of the Roman Empire. The main street was already the heart of the city. Two baths, under the Church of St. Lawrence and the post office in rue Laitière, and a sculpted head of the goddess Minerva have been found, attesting to the adoption of Roman culture. In 1990 a closer examination of huge blocks discovered in the cathedral in the 19th century indicated the presence of an old Roman building. Bayeux was built on a crossroads between
Lisieux and
Valognes, developing first on the west bank of the river. By the end of the 3rd century a walled enclosure surrounded the city and remained until it was removed in the 18th century. Its layout is still visible and can be followed today. The citadel of the city was located in the southwest corner, and the cathedral in the southeast. An important city in Normandy, Bayeux was part of the coastal defence of the Roman Empire against the pirates of the region, and a Roman legion was stationed there.
Middle Ages of the
Bayeux Tapestry, which is housed in the town The city was largely destroyed during the
Viking raids of the late 9th century but was rebuilt in the early 10th century under the reign of Bothon. In the middle of the 10th century Bayeux was controlled by
Hagrold, a pagan Viking who defended the city against the Franks. The 12th-century poet
Benoît de Saint-Maure, in his verse history of the dukes of Normandy, remarked on the "Danish" commonly spoken at Bayeux in the 10th century. The 11th century saw the creation of five villages beyond the walls to the northeast, evidence of its growth during
Ducal Normandy.
William the Conqueror's half brother
Odo of Bayeux completed the cathedral in the city and it was dedicated in 1077. However the city began to lose prominence when William placed his capital at
Caen. When King
Henry I of England defeated his brother
Robert Curthose for the rule of Normandy, the city was burned to set an example to the rest of the duchy. Under
Richard the Lionheart, Bayeux was wealthy enough to purchase a
municipal charter. From the end of Richard's reign to the end of the
Hundred Years' War, Bayeux was repeatedly pillaged until
Henry V of England captured the city in 1417. After the
Battle of Formigny,
Charles VII of France recaptured the city and granted a general amnesty to its populace in 1450. The capture of Bayeux heralded a return to prosperity as new families replaced those decimated by war, and they built some 60 mansions scattered throughout the city, with stone supplanting wood.
Post-medieval The area around Bayeux is called the Bessin, which was the
bailiwick of the province Normandy until the
French Revolution. is in the background. During the
Second World War, Bayeux was the first city of the
Battle of Normandy to be liberated on 7 June by British troops of
50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division with only light resistance. On 16 June 1944 General
Charles de Gaulle made
the first of two major speeches in Bayeux in which he made clear that France sided with the Allies. The buildings in Bayeux were virtually untouched during the Battle of Normandy, the German forces being fully involved in defending
Caen from the Allies. Bayeux nevertheless became an important hub for the allies - military vehicles found difficulty moving through the narrow medieval streets. In late June the
Royal Engineers and
Pioneer Corps built a road around the town, the 'Bayeux Bypass' – to facilitate the flow of traffic. The
Bayeux War Cemetery with its memorial includes the largest British cemetery dating from the Second World War in France. There are 4,648 graves, including 3,935 British and 466 Germans. Most of those buried there were killed in the invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Royal British Legion National, every 5 June at 1530 hrs, attends the 3rd Division Cean Memorial Service and beating retreat ceremony. On 6 June, it holds a remembrance service in
Bayeux Cathedral starting at 1015 hrs, and later at 1200 hrs, the Royal British Legion National holds a service of remembrance at the Bayeux Cemetery. All services are open to the public, all Standards
RBL, NVA,
RN,
ARMY, and
RAF service and Regimental Associations are welcome to attend and parade. Details can be found at www.rblsomme.org. Bayeux is also the home of a memorial to all
journalists who have lost their lives while reporting. The memorial was designed by Samuel Craquelin, who is a French architect. The memorial lists the names of 1,889 journalists killed between 1944 and 2007. The memorial was established in conjunction with the organisation
Reporters Without Borders and is located in Bayeux because of its historic liberation on 7 June 1944. It was inaugurated on 2 May 2007. ==Population==