Domfront, Orne
Domfront | |
---|---|
The city hall | |
Coordinates: 48°31′10″N 0°45′23″W / 48.5194°N 0.7564°W | |
Country | France |
Region | Normandy |
Department | Orne |
Arrondissement | Alençon |
Canton | Domfront (chef-lieu) |
Intercommunality | Communauté de communes du Domfrontais |
Government | |
• Mayor (2014–-) | Bernard Soul |
Area 1 | 35.54 km2 (13.72 sq mi) |
Population (2006) | 3,976 |
• Density | 110/km2 (290/sq mi) |
Demonym | Domfrontais |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 61145 /61700 |
Elevation | 117–256 m (384–840 ft) (avg. 135 m or 443 ft) |
Website | www.ville-domfront.fr |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Domfront is a former commune in the Orne department in north-western France.[1] On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Domfront-en-Poiraie.[2]
Geography
Domfront is situated on a bluff overlooking the Varenne river[3] and is said to have been established in the 6th century round the oratory of the hermit St. Front, and played an important part in the wars against the English and the French Wars of Religion.[3] Beginning from the strategically sited castle of Domfront, the dispossessed count Henry, youngest son of William the Conqueror, rallied support among local lords and eventually ruled the Anglo-Norman dominions as Henry I of England.[4]
In 1574 it was occupied by the Protestant leader Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, who after a stubborn siege was forced to yield it to Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon.[3]
Notable people
- Claude Du Vall -notorious highwayman in England in the 17th century.
See also
References
- ^ INSEE
- ^ Arrêté préfectoral 21 December 2015 Template:Fr
- ^ a b c public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Domfront". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 399–400. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ C. Warren Hollister, Henry I (Yale English Monarch) 2001:85ff, 90ff.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)