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Flag of the County of Artois

Artois (Dutch: Artesië) is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: Atrecht), Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.

Artois occupies the interior of the Pas-de-Calais département, the western part of which constitutes the former Boulonnais. It occupies the western end of the coalfield which stretches eastward through the neighbouring Nord département and across central Belgium.

Originally a feudal county itself, Artois was annexed by the county of Flanders. It came to France in 1180 as a dowry of a Flemish princess and was again made a separate county in 1237 for a grandson of that princess. Through inheritance, Artois came under the rule of the dukes of Burgundy in 1384. At the death of the fourth duke, Charles the Bold, Artois became a possession of the Habsburgs, and was made part of the inheritance of the Habsburgs of Spain. After the religious revolts of 1566 in the Netherlands, Artois briefly entered the Dutch Revolt in 1576, participating in the Pacification of Ghent until it formed the Union of Atrecht in 1579. After the Union of Atrecht, Artois and Hainaut (Dutch: Henegouwen) reached a separate agreement with Philip II. Artois remained with the Spanish Netherlands until it was conquered by the French during the Thirty Years War. The annexation was acknowledged during the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, and it became a French province. Though Artois had already been largely French-speaking, it was considered part of the Netherlands until the French annexation.

Artois experienced rapid industrial development during the second half of the 19th century, fueled by its rich coal resources. During World War I the front line between the opposing German and Allied armies in France ran through the province, resulting in enormous physical damage. Since the latter half of the 20th century Artois has suffered along with similar areas because of the decline of the coal industry.

• Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, (c.1657-c.1705), born in Artois, noted explorer and trader. ^[1]
• Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), French revolutionary leader, born in Arras

• 1. ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Artois

• Communauté d'agglomération de l'Artois
• Battle of Artois
• County of Artois
• Weald-Artois Anticline, a ridge that connected continental Europe and Britain until 225,000 years ago