Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The enclosure of Philippe Auguste, built between 1190 and 1215, is the second medieval wall of Paris and the oldest whose route is precisely known. Commanded by King Philippe Auguste before his departure for the third crusade, it was designed to protect the capital from the attacks of the Plantagenets, whose territories then spread from Normandy to the Pyrenees. Unlike later fortifications (such as Charles V's), it did not have external ditches, with the Parisian roads located in the immediate vicinity.

Construction began on the right bank (1190–1209), more exposed to threats, before extending to the left bank (1200–1215), less urbanized. With a total length of 5,385 metres (2,850 m on the right bank, 2,535 m on the left bank), the enclosure covered 253 hectares and housed about 50,000 inhabitants at the end of Philippe Auguste's reign. Its financing, estimated at more than 15,000 pounds, was partly provided by the Royal Treasury and the Parisian bourgeois, the latter covering up to half of the costs for the right bank.

The forum played a key role in the urban development of Paris. It incorporated peripheral towns such as Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois or Sainte-Geneviève, promoting the expansion of central districts. The right bank, protected as a matter of priority, saw its old network organized in bias (e.g., rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau), while the left bank kept traces of its route via streets such as the Fossés-Saint-Bernard or Monsieur-le-Prince. The ditches, initially absent, were dug in the 14th century to adapt the wall to siege techniques, with flood control from the Seine.

Architecturally, the enclosure consisted of 73 semi-cylindrical towers (39 on the right bank, 34 on the left bank) spaced 40 to 110 metres apart, connected by a creneled wall 6 to 9 metres high. Four 25-metre-high river towers (Tower of the Corner, Tower of Nesle, Tower Barbeau, Tournelle Saint-Bernard) made it possible to block navigation via chains. The 14 main gates, quadrangular on the right bank and semicircular on the left bank, were supplemented by poternes in the 13th century to respond to population growth.

From the 16th century, the enclosure lost its defensive role. Francis I authorized the demolition of the doors in 1533, and the land was sold to private individuals, accelerating its dismantling. The ditches, transformed into open sewers, were covered in the 17th century. Today, some 20 classified remains remain, often integrated with private properties (e.g. 62 rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau, 17-21 rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul), testifying to this founding fortification of medieval Paris.

External links