History History

There are probably traces of human presence that have not yet been discovered. Today, we are certain that the lands that make up the Channel today were inhabited by man very early on. One of the explanations is quite simple: the sea - just like today - favours its presence. Thus, in the Val-de-Saire (in the north-east of the department), several tools on flakes have been discovered. A little further on, flints have been found and dated: 10,000 years before our era!

Populated by Gauls, the Cotentin region was conquered by a lieutenant of Caesar, Titurius Sabinus, around 56 BC. Then, in the first century, several cities were created: "Constances" (Coutances), "Briovera" (Saint-Lô) and "Alauna" (Valognes). In the latter city, the remains of a temple, a theater and other buildings have been discovered.

The arrival of Christianity, and the beginning of the construction, over a very long period, of chapels and other religious monuments, followed in 708 by the collegiate church of Mont-Saint-Michel by Saint-Aubert. The ^19th century saw the beginning of the invasion that was to leave the greatest mark on this period: that of the Vikings. The Vikings took full advantage of the collapse of Charlemagne's empire after his death. They made short work of the territories they coveted, including the Cotentin, which was given to Brittany.

The historical figure of the next era was William the Conqueror: Duke of Normandy since 1035, he seized most of England in 1066, becoming, in addition to his initial attribution, King of England. At his death in 1087, his reputation is tarnished: the English rebellions redoubled in virulence and, on the continent, William has much to do with his enemies.

In 1204, Normandy was integrated into the Kingdom of France under Philippe Auguste, but kept its special jurisdiction. The feudal period begins: at this time, Christianity continues to build many majestic places: the cathedral of Coutances begins its construction, the Mont-Saint-Michel continues its own. Nevertheless, epidemics ravaged the land, and Normandy was on its knees, which attracted covetousness. The territorial disputes between the Franks and the English were among the triggers of a terrible war: it will be remembered as the "Hundred Years War".

From the end of the ^17th century, despite occasional battles with the English - that of La Hougue, in 1692, and even the occasional occupation of Cherbourg, in 1759 - La Manche began to stabilize. The peasantry was active, the population among the best educated in the kingdom, and the ports of what was not yet a département were successfully engaged in trade. Work began on the huge artificial harbor at Cherbourg, visited by Louis XVI in 1786. On the eve of the French Revolution, La Manche appeared as a - relative - pole of stability.

Since 1790, La Manche is one of the new French departments. The Cotentin and the Avranchin were grouped together, giving birth to the area that we still know today. In the 19th century, the department's potential was fully exploited and it was transformed under the impetus of Napoleon I: the draining of the Carentan marshes, the construction of the new Cherbourg arsenal, and then, under the Restoration and the Second Empire, the development of market gardening, the appearance of the first industries, and the arrival of the railroad with the opening of the Paris-Cherbourg line in 1858 and the Paris-Granville line in 1870. La Manche has more than 600,000 inhabitants.

The industrial revolution marked the beginning of the 20th century in France, much less in the Manche. Devoid of heavy industries, largely devoted to cultivation and breeding, the department had to undergo, like a good part of Normandy, a severe rural exodus. Although the First World War had no direct impact here, it accentuated the demographic decline. More than 20,000 Manchois were killed in the fighting and, at that time, the department had lost nearly 30% of its population since 1850: 175,000 fewer inhabitants in 70 years! Between the two world wars, Manche remained on the sidelines of the modernization of the country.

It was the Second World War that plunged the department into history. During the German occupation, the department saw its shores bristling with multiple defenses, in prevention of an Allied invasion which became, as time went by, more and more certain: blockhouses - some of which are still visible - turrets and forts, piles bristling in the sand, mines. However, in the mind of the occupying forces, the landing was to take place in the Pas-de-Calais. During the winter of 1943-1944, the Allied preparations on the other side of the Channel were intense. It was finally in the early morning of June 6, 1944, that hundreds of thousands of soldiers landed on the eastern coast of the Cotentin peninsula, on the beach of La Madeleine in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont (which was to be called Utah-Beach, and was the only beach in the department to receive the Allied armada), as well as on other beaches of Calvados. This formidable armada, the largest ever seen, had to face a strong German defense, which, caught off guard, had to wait for heavy reinforcements to retaliate: the surprise effect had been fully used. In the Channel, the idea was simple: to establish a solid base inland and then, as quickly as possible, to take the port of Cherbourg, the only deep-water port in the department. The price of liberation was high: the destruction was immense, Saint-Lô no longer existed, many small towns were completely destroyed, thousands of men and women died. At the end of the 1940's, reconstruction began: it lasted for a good decade.

From the 1960's onwards, the Manche has healed its wounds, and the 30 glorious years have passed through here: the agri-food industries are developing, the communication routes are more numerous, but the rural fundamentals of the department mean that it remains a little out of touch with the tremendous changes in France. The division of Normandy into two regions, at the end of the 1960's, made the department become part of Basse-Normandie.

In the 1980s, La Manche appeared to be ambivalent: touristy, rural but not very attractive economically speaking, despite the establishment of nuclear industries in the north of the department.

It is only since the beginning of the year 2000 that the Manche region has experienced a new boom: its heritage and its quality of life are recognized, and Granville, Coutances or Saint-Lô are successfully promoting their assets. At the same time, transport infrastructures are catching up: freeways and expressways are appearing. La Manche became one of the most economically active departments: the fabric of small and medium-sized businesses was dense, and certain areas, although sparsely populated, were short of manpower, and the department almost reached full employment. After a long period of stagnation, the city of Cherbourg is also regaining its colors: its maritime potential favors the establishment of many companies, the shipyards are in full operation, and the city has begun a long urban transformation that allows it to be ranked among the best cities to live in.

Reunification of Normandy: the Channel, which is the western facade of the reunified region, accounts for nearly 20% of its area and 14% of its population.