Treaty of Paris (1229)

The Treaty of Paris, also known as Treaty of Meaux, was signed on April 12, 1229 between Raymond VII of Toulouse and Louis IX of France in Meaux near Paris. Louis was still a minor and it was his mother Blanche of Castile who had been responsible for the treaty. The agreement officially ended the Albigensian Crusade in which Raymond conceded defeat to Louis IX. Based on the terms of the treaty, Raymond's daughter Joan was to be married to Louis' brother Alfonso. Since Joan was Raymond's heir, this meant she and Alfonso would become the rulers of Toulouse on his death. Moreover, Raymond ceded the eastern provinces of his lands to Louis and the Marquisat de Provence to the Pope.

Results

The treaty marks an end to Occitan political autonomy: Raymond ceded more than half his land to the King directly, and retained the remainder only during his life, as it would fall into royal hands after his death and the death of his son-in-law Alfonso. Raymond regained his feudal rights, but had to swear allegiance to Louis IX. Fortifications, such as those of Toulouse, were dismantled. Henceforth, Cathars had no political protection, as Raymond and his subordinates as vassals of the King were ordered to hunt them down.

Meaux

Meaux (French pronunciation: ​[mo]) is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located 41.1 km (25.5 mi) east-northeast from the center of Paris.

Meaux is a subprefecture (sous-préfecture) of the Seine-et-Marne department. In France, a subprefecture is the chef-lieu (the seat or administrative capital) of an arrondissement: Meaux is the subprefecture of the arrondissement of Meaux. It is also the chef-lieu of two other smaller administrative land divisions: the cantons of Meaux-Nord and Meaux-Sud. Finally, since its creation in 2003, Meaux has been the center and the main town of an agglomeration community, the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Meaux.

Demographics

With a population of 51,398 inhabitants (2012 census), Meaux is the second most populated city in the Seine-et-Marne department after Chelles (53,090 inhabitants in 2012).

History and Culture

Inhabitants of Meaux are called Meldois. Both names Meaux and Meldois originated with the Meldi, the Latin name of the original Gaulish tribe who occupied this area of the valley of the Marne river. Although during the Roman period the city was called Iantinum by the Romans, the name of the Meldi persisted and was finally kept for naming both the city and its inhabitants.

Meaux (disambiguation)

Meaux may refer to:

People

Gare de Meaux

Meaux is a railway station serving Meaux, Seine-et-Marne department, northern France. It is situated on the Paris–Strasbourg railway, and offers connections to Paris-Est, Château-Thierry and La Ferté-Milon.

The rail line connecting Paris to Meaux was established in 1849. The nowadays SNCF train station, still in use, was built in 1890.

Train services

Train services go:
Towards Paris Gare de l'Est: 2 to 4 trains per hour
Towards Château-Thierry 1 or 2 trains per hour
Towards La Ferté-Milon 1 or 2 trains per hour

Bus services

Alongside the Meaux train station there is also the main bus station in the city, with more than 30 bus lines serving the whole eastern metropolitan area of the Paris agglomeration.

Future

In the future, Meaux will be the terminus for RER E, which now is Chelles. This gives Meaux a direct connection towards downtown Paris, via the Magenta and the Haussmann – Saint-Lazare stations. Services are projected to begin in 2018.

References

Coordinates: 48°57′29″N 2°52′25″E / 48.95806°N 2.87361°E / 48.95806; 2.87361