History History

The earliest traces of human settlement observed to date date back to the Palaeolithic period. In Chelles, archaeological digs have unearthed flint weapons and tools from this period, probably used for hunting and gathering. The Pincevent site in the commune of Grande Paroisse, on the left bank of the Seine between the confluences of the Yonne and Loing rivers, has yielded remains from the Magdalenian period, the last phase of the Upper Paleolithic, over 14,000 years ago. The site was home to an encampment of reindeer-hunting Homo sapiens.

In the Fontainebleau forest, more than 2,000 shelters have yielded a collection of rock engravings, most of which date back to the Mesolithic period (between 9600 and 6000 BC). This astonishing collection is made up of geometric motifs (grooves multiplied ad infinitum, crosses, stars, chevrons, etc.) carved into the stone and sometimes depicting plants, characters, animals and even marvellous creatures.

The département has yielded a number of remains from the Neolithic period, a time of sedentarization and subsistence based on agriculture and animal husbandry, characterized by the use of pottery, polished axes, carved axes, arrowheads and so on. Rock engravings scattered throughout the Fontainebleau forest also date back to this period.

Until the Roman conquest, several Gallic peoples divided the Seine-et-Marne into cities (territories): the Meldes to the northwest, the Parisii to the west, the Suessions to the northwest. All rallied to Vercingetorix in his fight against Caesar between 58 and 51 B.C. In 52 B.C., the Roman legions defeated the Gauls around Melun. The capital of the city of Meldes, Melun had been home to a religious complex since the end of the ^4th century B.C. It was redeveloped in Gallo-Roman times (geminate temples, theater, etc.).

The entire region was Romanized. Meaux and Melun experienced unprecedented development thanks to their location along waterways and watercourses. The Châteaubleau site is a testimony to this past. This was the site of a vast agglomeration located on a road linking Meaux and Sens. Occupied between the ^1st and^5th centuries, it included residential quarters, temples and a theater. The site was abandoned at the end of Antiquity, following the dismantling of the Roman Empire. Selected for the Loto du Patrimoine, the site is well on the way to becoming a must-see tourist attraction.

New towns sprang up: Lagny, Château-Landon and Provins. Seigniorial castles and fortified farms appeared in the countryside. As Gallo-Roman civilization gradually faded, the Franks extended their power and established themselves for the long term with the advent of Clovis around 481. He elevated Melun to the rank of duchy and had it fortified.

In the middle of the ^9th century, Viking raids - the invasion of Scandinavian conquerors - multiplied and ravaged the towns of Melun and Meaux in particular. While the early Capetians often resided in Melun, Montereau was given a fortified castle in 1026. In 1064, the Gâtinais region became part of Philip ^I's royal domain.

In 1138, Abélard taught rhetoric and scholasticism in Melun after being expelled from Paris. In 1150, the Tour César was built in Provins. Symbolizing the power of the Counts of Champagne, it served as a lookout post and prison. On August 21, 1165, Philippe Auguste was born in Jard, near Melun. In 1169, Louis VII set up a hunting lodge and chapel in the hamlet of Fontainebleau. Under the reign of Saint Louis, a pavilion and a hospital were added. Philippe le Bel was born and died here. In 1239, Count of Champagne Thibaud IV (1201-1253), returning from a crusade, brought back the Damascus or "Provins" rose, before founding the Dames Cordelières monastery opposite his palace in 1248.

During the Hundred Years' War (1380-1453), the Seine-et-Marne region suffered many troubles. In 1419, John ^I of Burgundy, better known as John the Fearless, an ally of the English, was assassinated on the bridge at Montereau. In 1513, Amyot, humanist and translator of many ancient texts, was born in Melun. Little by little, a new era was born..

From the Renaissance onwards, the region enjoyed a new lease of life, becoming a land of lords and courtiers, as witnessed by the châteaux of Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte. In 1530, François ^I commissioned Italian artists to decorate the Château de Fontainebleau, which became the embodiment of French classicism. On August 24, 1572, the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre spread to the Brie region and Meaux.

In the ^18th century, Seine-et-Marne was home to many famous figures, including Voltaire and La Fayette, as well as Sanson, executioner to Louis XVI, whose family home is in Brie-Comte-Robert. On March 4, 1790, the department of Seine-et-Marne was created, and then underwent the Terror.

In 1796, five men attacked a "Paris-Lyon" mail trunk near Vert-Saint-Denis, stealing a colossal sum destined for the armies of Italy. Two postilions were murdered. This was the Lyon mail affair. The ensuing investigation and trial led to a miscarriage of justice, and then to the creation of a decree concerning the benefit of the doubt and the rehabilitation of the innocent after their death.

On February 18, 1814, Napoleon ^I won the Battle of Montereau against the Austrians and Wurtemburgers. Victory could not prevent the inevitable. In April 1814, the Emperor abdicated and bid farewell to the Imperial Guard at the Château de Fontainebleau. In 1815, the département paid a heavy price when it was finally invaded. It was also hard hit during the 1870 war.

In the ^mid-19th century, the département gradually entered a new era marked by the Industrial Revolution. In 1914, the Battle of the Marne took place here. The "cabs of the Marne" helped repel the advancing German armies. On September 5, 1914, Charles Péguy lost his life at Villeroy, during the Battle of the Ourcq. During the Second World War, the département was the scene of numerous clashes, summary executions and massacres. In the early 1970s, the first new towns, Marne-la-Vallée and Sénart, sprang up in the département.