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Origin and history

The walls of Quesnoy form a set of fortifications built between the Middle Ages and the 20th century to protect the city, located in the Northern Department. Their modernization began in the 16th century, in a context of rivalry between the Kingdom of France and the Burgundian Netherlands, then Habsburg. The appearance of artillery then renders obsolete the ancient medieval defences, pushing to the construction of suitable bastions, such as those of Croÿ (1533-1534), of the Queen (1534-1535), and Imperial (1535-1538). These early works, inspired by models from the Netherlands, reinforce weak points of the enclosure without forming a coherent system.

Between 1538 and 1553, three new bastions were added: Green, Caesar, and half a moon (half moon of the Swiss), integrating innovations such as low places and broken sides. Half moons also protect the city's gates, while flood systems are provided. This work reflects the progress of the reborn Poliorcetics, marked by an increased search for flanking and resistance to artillery fire. Flamengrie's gate was moved in 1543 by order of Charles Quint, illustrating the strategic stakes of the region.

In 1654 Le Quesnoy came under French control after the siege during the Franco-Spanish war, formalized by the Treaty of the Pyrenees. The fortifications, damaged by the Spaniards, are repaired, and the Saint-Martin gate is moured. Vauban, commissioned by Louis XIV in 1676, modernized the enclosure according to his first system: he regulated the courtines, added the Royal bastion (supported by an aqueduct for the flow of water), and transformed the sides of several bastions into mumps. It also removes Croÿ's bastion, replaces the half moons with counterguards, and integrates pedriae. His subsequent projects (1698, 1701), including horned works, will not be carried out.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the ramparts underwent minor adjustments: the addition of glasses, shelter ties, and countermines, especially after the siege of 1712. The Dutch, occupying the city in 1713, built an uncoated horned structure to protect Fauroeilx. In the 19th century, under the impulse of Séré de Rivières (1878), the square was reclassified as a fort of stop: the Royal bastion received a modern barracks, and shelter ties were added on several bastions. Despite these developments, the enclosure was permanently declassified in 1901, facing the obsolescence of bastioned fortifications.

Ranked a historic monument in 1944, the walls of Quesnoy bear witness to almost five centuries of European military history. Their integral preservation allows us to study the transitions between medieval, renaissant, classical (Vauban) and modern fortifications (River Séré). The protected elements include escarps, counterscarps, half moons, and detached works, offering a rare example of defensive stratigraphy in France.

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