16 Facts About Verdun

Verdun is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France.

Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is Bar-le-Duc, which is slightly smaller than Verdun.

Verdun is situated on both banks of the river Meuse, in the northern part of the Meuse department.

In 486, following the decisive Frankish victory at the Battle of Soissons, the city refused to yield to the Franks and was thus besieged by King Clovis I The 843 Treaty of Verdun divided Charlemagne's empire between his three surviving sons.

Around this time, a city called Verdun was the centre of the thriving European trade in young boys who were sold to the Islamic emirates of Iberia, where they were enslaved as eunuchs.

Related searches

The identity of the "Verdun" mentioned in sources is disputed, because there are many cities called Verdun in Europe .

From 1200 onward, Verdun has been famous for its Dragees or sugared almonds; they were distributed at the baptism of French princes.

Verdun was part of the middle kingdom of Lotharingia, and in 1374 it became a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Bishopric of Verdun formed together with Tull and Metz the Three Bishoprics, which were annexed by France in 1552 .

In 1670, Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban visited Verdun and drew up an ambitious scheme to fortify the whole city.

Verdun was the site of a major battle, the longest-lasting of the First World War.

One of the costliest battles in military history, Verdun exemplified the policy of a "war of attrition" pursued by both sides, which led to an enormous loss of life and very large casualty lists.

Verdun was the strongest point in pre-war France, ringed by a string of powerful forts, including Douaumont and Fort Vaux.

The historic city of Verdun had been an oppidum of the Gauls before Roman times and later a key asset in wars against Prussia, and Falkenhayn suspected that the French would throw as many men as necessary into its defence.

Consequently, Verdun was utterly unprepared for the initial bombardment on the morning of 21 February 1916.

Verdun ensured that the sole supply road from Bar-le-Duc into Verdun remained open.