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116-597: Eugène François Vidocq was born in Arras , northern France , during the night of 23/24 July 1775, in the Rue du Miroir-de-Venise, now the Rue Eugène-François Vidocq. He was the third child of Henriette Françoise Vidocq (maiden name Dion, 1744–1824) and her husband, baker Nicolas Joseph François Vidocq (1744–1799). Little is known about his childhood; most of it is based on his ghost-written autobiography and

232-553: A forum , theatre , or basilica have been identified. One discovery has been "one of the rare sanctuaries devoted to the oriental god Attis in France". In the 4th century, Nemetacum was renowned for its arts and crafts as well as textiles trade throughout the whole empire. Between 406 and 407, the city was taken and destroyed by Germanic invaders. In 428, the Salian Franks led by Clodion le Chevelu took control of

348-406: A Caribbean cannibal who eats raw meat. He ended up living with puppeteers to get away from them. However, he was banished from them because he flirted with the young wife of his employer. He then worked some time as an assistant of a peddler , but as soon as he neared Arras, he returned to his parents seeking forgiveness. He was welcomed by his mother with open arms. On 10 March 1791, he enlisted in

464-496: A candidate in the 2nd Arrondissement but received only one vote. The clear winner, and thus president of the Second Republic, was Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who did not respond to Vidocq's offer to work for him. In 1849, Vidocq briefly went to prison one last time, on a charge of fraud. In the end, however, the case was dropped. He withdrew more and more into private life and accepted only small cases every now and then. In

580-466: A fair amount of sunshine. Some years have even witnessed some unusual long periods of harsh summer weather, such as the heat wave of 2003 where temperatures exceeded 30 °C (86 °F) for weeks, reaching 38 °C (100 °F) on some days and rarely even cooling down at night. Spring and Fall have rather warm days and fresh nights, but remain quite unstable. Winter days are cold but generally above freezing, at around 2 °C (36 °F); sunshine

696-435: A few days later, he was apprehended due to a lack of papers, but the police did not recognize him as an escaped convict. He claimed to be Auguste Duval, and while officials checked this claim, he was put into a prison hospital. There he stole a nun's habit and escaped in disguise. In Cholet , he found a job as a cattle drover and, in this capacity, passed through Paris, Arras, Brussels, Ancer and finally Rotterdam , where he

812-468: A few documents in French archives. His father was well educated and, for the time, very wealthy since he was also a corn dealer. Vidocq had six siblings: two older brothers (one of whom had died before he was born), two younger brothers, and two younger sisters. Vidocq's teenage years were turbulent. He is described as being fearless, rowdy and cunning, very talented, but also very lazy. He spent much time in

928-541: A few useful tips that helped to solve a burglary in Fontainebleau and led to the arrest of eight people, the new police prefect, Henri Gisquet , again appointed him chief of the Sûreté. Criticism of Vidocq and his organization grew. The July Monarchy caused insecurities in society, and there was a cholera outbreak in 1832. One of its victims was General Jean Maximilien Lamarque . During his funeral on 5 June 1832,

1044-590: A group of Bohemian gypsies , which he later left for a woman he had fallen in love with, Francine Longuet. When Francine left him for a real soldier, he beat both of them. The soldier sued him, and in September 1795, Vidocq was sentenced to three months in the prison Tour Saint-Pierre in Lille. Vidocq was twenty and quickly adapted to life in prison. He befriended a group of men, among them Sebastien Boitel, who had been sentenced to six years for stealing. Then Boitel

1160-468: A legitimate merchant, but his former wife found him in Paris and blackmailed him for money, and a couple of former fellow convicts forced him to fence stolen goods for them. On 1 July 1809, only a few days before his 34th birthday, Vidocq was arrested again. He decided to stop living on the fringes of society and offered his services as an informant to the police. His offer was accepted, and on 20 July, he

1276-542: A lesson. After a total of fourteen days, he was released from prison, but even this did not tame him. By age fourteen, he had stolen a large amount of money from the cash box of his parents' bakery and left for Ostend , where he tried to embark to the Americas; but he was defrauded one night and found himself suddenly penniless. To survive, he worked for a group of traveling entertainers. Despite regular beatings, he worked hard enough to get promoted from stable boy to playing

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1392-632: A revolt erupted and the throne of "Citizen King" Louis-Philippe I was in danger. Allegedly Vidocq's group cracked down on the rioters with great severity. Not all of the police approved of his methods, and rivalries developed. A rumour arose that Vidocq had initiated the theft that led to his reinstatement himself to show his indispensability. One of his agents had to go to prison for two years because of that affair, but Vidocq's involvement could not be proved. More and more defenders claimed that Vidocq and his agents were not credible as eyewitnesses, since most of them had criminal pasts themselves. Vidocq's position

1508-689: A short time, he had had enough. On 20 June 1827, the 52-year-old handed in his resignation: Depuis dix-huit ans, je sers la police avec distinction. Je n'ai jamais reçu un seul reproche de vos prédécesseurs. Je dois donc penser n'en avoir pas mérité. Depuis votre nomination à la deuxième division, voilà la deuxième fois que vous me faites l'honneur de m'en adresser en vous plaignant des agents. Suis-je le maître de les contenir hors du bureau? Non. Pour vous éviter, monsieur, la peine de m'en adresser de semblables à l'avenir, et à moi le désagrément de les recevoir, j'ai l'honneur de vous prier de vouloir bien recevoir ma démission. [Translation:] For eighteen years I served

1624-469: A year before he was recognized and had to flee again. He assumed the identity of an Austrian and spent some time in a relationship with a widow, with whom he moved to Rouen in 1802. Vidocq built up a reputation as a businessman and finally felt secure enough to let his mother come live with him and the widow; but finally, his past caught up with him. He was arrested and brought to Louvres . There, he learned that he had been sentenced to death in absentia. With

1740-560: Is 11.63 km (4.5 sq mi). The lowest point in the city is at 52 metres (171 feet) above sea level and the highest is at 99 metres (325 feet). The soil of Arras is primarily composed of chalk , a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock that formed what is called the European stratigraphic unit. That Chalk Group deposited during the Late Cretaceous period 90 million years ago. It used to be extracted to construct

1856-694: Is 15-29 of age. The most recent male to female ratio is 100:109, and the female to male ratio is 100:92 (2019). There are 19,947 males (48%) for 21,747 females (52%). The Arras functional area has a population of 158,499. Arras's Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-Vaast is the cathedral , a minor basilica , episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras . Arras is part of the académie de Lille (Lille's School District). There are 11 écoles maternelles (nursery schools), 11 écoles primaires (elementary schools), 8 collèges ( junior high schools ), and 7 lycées (high schools) within

1972-522: Is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court . It has now become the customary French title of respect and term of address for a French-speaking man, corresponding to such English titles as Mr. or sir . Under the Ancien Régime , the court title of Monsieur referred to the next brother in the line of succession of

2088-578: Is frequent rain in all seasons, and temperatures throughout the year are mild, as it is near the sea. Temperature variations tend to be moderate; but there are some brief cold spells as it is subject to both oceanic and continental influences. So the climate can also be referred as semi-oceanic (known as a Climat océanique dégradé in French). Summer days are usually moderately warm and agreeable, with temperatures between 13 and 23 °C (55 and 73 °F), occasionally rising above 30 °C (86 °F), with

2204-641: Is in the south-east part of the Pas-de-Calais department and forms the Arras district ( arrondissement d'Arras ) in the Artois , a former province of northern France. By car, it is 182 kilometres (113 miles) north of Paris, 110 kilometres (68 miles) east of the English Channel , 152 kilometres (94 miles) south of Brussels , and 335 kilometres (208 miles) south of Amsterdam . The city's total area

2320-552: Is low, as it is in the whole Pas-de-Calais department. Two rivers flow through Arras: the Scarpe and the Crinchon ; both are left tributaries of the 350 kilometres (220 miles) long Scheldt river ( L'Escaut in French). The Crinchon is a rather small river of 19 kilometres (12 miles) flowing through Arras underground, while the Scarpe is 102 kilometres (63 miles) long, of which two-thirds has been turned into canals. The source of

2436-479: Is registered to Vidocq's last wife, Fleuride-Albertine Maniez. In the end, his assets consisted of 2,907.50 francs from the sale of his goods and a pension of 867.50 francs. A total of eleven women came forward as owners of his testament, a document which they had received for their favours instead of presents. His remaining assets went to Anne-Heloïse Lefèvre, at whose house he had lived at the end of his life. Although Vidocq had no known children, Emile-Adolphe Vidocq,

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2552-588: Is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France ; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais . The historic centre of the Artois region, with a Baroque town square, Arras is in northern France at the confluence of the rivers Scarpe and Crinchon. The Arras plain is on a large chalk plateau bordered on the north by

2668-592: Is the historic centre of the former Artois province. Its local speech is characterized as a patois . The city of Arras is well known for its architecture, culture, and history. It was once part of the Spanish Netherlands , a portion of the Low Countries controlled by Spain from 1556 to 1714. Louis XIII reconquered Arras in 1640; the town officially became part of France in 1659. Arras attracts thousands of visitors every year, who commonly explore

2784-467: Is usually scarce. Light night frosts are common as the temperature often falls below 0 °C (32 °F). Snowfall has been rare in the past decade but happens in some winters, such as 2009–10 , with unusually cold weather: much of Europe had heavy snowfall and record-low temperatures. The most recent warmest winters recorded were in 1989–90, 1994–95, 2006–07 and 2013–14. The Arras region (and most of Northern Europe) had remarkably warm and sunny weather in

2900-645: The Abbey of Saint Vaast , which developed during the Carolingian period into an immensely wealthy Benedictine abbey. The modern town of Arras initially spread around the abbey as a grain market. During the 9th century, both town and abbey suffered from the attacks of the Vikings , who later settled to the west in Normandy . The abbey revived its strength in the 11th century and played an important role in

3016-650: The Atrebates , who named it Nemetocenna in reference to a nemeton that probably existed there. In the Scarpe valley, archaeologists' excavations and data recovery revealed Late Iron Age settlements. These buildings, believed to be farms, were found near the municipalities of Arras, Hamblain-les-Prés and Saint-Pol . The town was later renamed Nemetacum / Atrebatum by the Romans , under whom it became an important garrison town. No traces of any amenities such as

3132-507: The Bourbon Regiment , where his reputation as an expert fencer was confirmed. According to Vidocq, within six months, he challenged fifteen people to a duel and killed two. Despite not being a model soldier and causing difficulties, he spent only a total of fourteen days in jail. During those two weeks, Vidocq helped a fellow inmate successfully escape. When France declared war against Austria on 20 April 1792, Vidocq participated in

3248-605: The Edict of Beaulieu and effectively ending the Fifth Religious War of France. The resulting peace became popularly known as the Peace of Monsieur . The title was later assumed by Gaston, Duke of Orléans , brother of Louis XIII , and then Philippe I, Duke of Orléans , brother of Louis XIV . From 1643 to 1660, while both princes were alive, Philippe was commonly known as le Petit Monsieur , while Gaston, his uncle,

3364-501: The Hôtel de Guînes , a private 18th-century townhouse that attracts artists, designers and producers of intimist shows. Many of Arras's most remarkable structures, including the Musée des beaux-arts d'Arras and several government buildings, occupy the site of the old Abbey of St. Vaast . The abbey's church was demolished and rebuilt in fashionable classical style in 1833, and now serves as

3480-467: The King of France . It was always used for referring to the prince, not as a style . The Kings' brothers were addressed as Monseigneur or Royal Highness . Hercule François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon (1555–1584), was the first notable member of the royalty to assume the title without the use of an adjoining proper name. In 1576, Monsieur pressured his brother King Henry III of France into signing

3596-635: The Marqueffles fault , on the southwest by the Artois and Ternois hills, and on the south by the slopes of Beaufort-Blavincourt . On the east it is connected to the Scarpe valley. Established during the Iron Age by the Gauls , the town of Arras was first known as Nemetocenna , which is believed to have originated from the Celtic word nemeton , meaning 'sacred space'. Saint Vedast (or St. Vaast)

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3712-593: The Second Battle of the Somme component of 1918's Hundred Days Offensive . On 31 August 1914, German light cavalry ( Uhlans ) arrived in Tilloy-lès-Mofflaines , and an army patrol made a foray into Arras. On 6 September 1914, 3,000 soldiers led by General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim barracked within the city and in the citadel. Shortly after, Louis Ernest de Maud'huy's soldiers partly repelled

3828-634: The prefecture of Pas-de-Calais. From September 1793 to July 1794, during the Reign of Terror , the city was under the supervision of Joseph Lebon who implemented food restrictions, ordered 400 executions and destroyed several religious monuments including the Arras Cathedral and the Abbey of St. Vaast . Arras' demography and economic activity remained the same throughout the French Revolution while Lille's grew exponentially. In 1898, under

3944-456: The 11th Chasseurs , concealing his history. On 6 November 1792, he fought under General Dumouriez in the Battle of Jemappes . In April 1793, Vidocq was identified as a deserter. He followed a general, who was fleeing after a failed martial coup, into the enemy camp. After a few weeks, Vidocq returned to the French camp. A chasseur- captain friend interceded for him, so he was allowed to rejoin

4060-546: The 14th century Arras still was renowned and drew considerable wealth from the cloth and wool industry, and was particularly well known for its production of fine tapestries —so much so that in English and Italian the word Arras ( Arazzi in Italian) was adopted to refer to tapestries in general. The patronage of wealthy cloth merchants ensured that the town became an important cultural centre, with major figures such as

4176-408: The 3rd century Romans had lauded the quality of wool from Tournai and Arras. By the 11th century Arras was the leading city and trading hub of the wool industry. This prominence would eventually shift towards areas north of Arras, and cities such as Lille , Douai and Saint-Omer , followed by Ypres and eventually Bruges would become the centres of the wool industry and trade. However, by

4292-430: The Arras area. The cyclone's central pressure was 981 mb, and wind speeds reached a maximum of 121 km/h (75 mph). The city of Arras did not experience any major damage. As of 2019 , the population of Arras is 41,694 for a density of 3,585 people per square kilometre. The residents go by the name of Arrageois (male) and Arrageoise (female). The population is rather young as the highest number of residents

4408-490: The Celtic word Ar , meaning 'running water', as the Scarpe river flows through Arras or simply the name of Abraham's wife Sarra spelled backwards. Arras is Pas-de-Calais ' third most populous town after Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer . The town counted 43,693 residents in 2012, with the Arras metropolitan area having a population of 124,200. Arras is located 182 kilometres (113 miles) north of Paris and can be reached in 2 hours by car and in 50 minutes by TGV . It

4524-686: The Estates-General in 1789. Robespierre also helped draft the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen . During the French Revolution, the city of Arras was first presided over by French reformer Dubois de Fosseux, erudite squire, secretary of the Arras district ( arrondissement in French) and future president of the Pas-de-Calais department. Around the same time, competing against Aire-sur-la-Lys, Calais, and Saint-Omer, Arras won

4640-664: The First World War battles in the area. In the early stages of the second World War , during the invasion of France in May 1940, the city was the focus of a major British counterattack . Arras saw an Allied counterattack against the flank of the German army. The German forces were pushing north towards the channel coast, in order to entrap the Allied Forces that were advancing east into Belgium. The counterattack at Arras

4756-497: The French. This prompted Louis XI to besiege Arras in person and, after taking it by assault, he had the town's walls razed and its inhabitants expelled, to be replaced by more loyal subjects from other parts of France. In a bid to erase the town's identity completely, Louis renamed it temporarily to Franchise . In 1482, the Peace of Arras was signed in the town to end a war between Louis XI and Maximilian I of Austria ; ten years later,

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4872-596: The German army troops, and trenches were dug in the Faubourgs d'Arras . On 7 October 1914 the city hall burned. On 21 October 1914 the belfry was destroyed, and so was Arras Cathedral on 6 July 1915. In 1917, a series of medieval tunnels beneath the city, linked and greatly expanded by the New Zealand Tunnelling Company , became a decisive factor in the British forces holding

4988-539: The Scarpe is at Berles-Monchel near Aubigny-en-Artois . It flows through the cities of Arras, Douai and Saint-Amand-les-Eaux . The river ends at Mortagne-du-Nord where it flows into the Scheldt. Arras mainly has a Western European oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfb) affected by the North Atlantic Current as it is close to the English Channel ( La Manche in French). There

5104-429: The Sûreté tried to contain the situation in Paris. He also arrested those who tried to exploit the post-revolutionary situation by claiming to have been aristocrats . During 1817, he was involved in 811 arrests, including those of 15 assassins and 38 fences. By 1820, his activities had reduced crime in Paris substantially. His annual income was 5,000 francs, but he also worked as a private investigator for fees. Rumors at

5220-652: The Vauban Citadel, and the Nemetacum site (the ancient town founded by the Romans 2000 years ago). The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is just outside the town. Archaeologists found evidence of prehistoric human settlements in the Scarpe basin. The archaeological sites of Mont-Saint-Vaast in Arras and Biache-Saint-Vaast were Stone Age settlements of the Mousterian culture. They were evidenced by

5336-533: The adjacent river Scarpe . For the next four years, he was a man on the run once again. He spent some time in Paris, where he witnessed the execution of César Herbaux, the man with whom his life had started a downward spiral. This event triggered a process of re-evaluation in Vidocq. With his mother and a woman he called Annette in his memoirs, he moved several times in the following years; but again and again, people from his past recognized him. He again tried to become

5452-485: The armories (fighting halls) of Arras and acquired a reputation as a formidable fencer and the nickname le Vautrin ("wild boar"). By stealing, he provided himself with some level of comfort. When Vidocq was thirteen years old, he stole his parents' silver plates and spent the proceeds from them within a day. Three days after the theft, he was arrested and brought to the local jail, Baudets . Only ten days later, he learned that his father had arranged his arrest to teach him

5568-488: The attorney general, Franck-Carré, he quickly got a new trial, this time with the chief judge of the court royale . The hearing on 22 July 1843 took a matter of minutes, and after eleven months in the Conciergerie, Vidocq was free once again. The harm was done, however. The lawsuit had been very expensive, and his reputation was damaged. Business at the agency suffered. Moreover, Delessert tried to get him expelled from

5684-675: The battlefields. Vidocq began as a lieutenant of chasseurs but soon promoted himself to a hussar captain. In this role, he met a rich widow in Brussels who became fond of him. A co-conspirator of Vidocq's convinced her that Vidocq was a young nobleman on the run because of the French Revolution . Shortly before their wedding, Vidocq confessed to her. Then he left the city, but not without a generous cash gift from her. In March 1795, Vidocq moved to Paris, where he squandered all his money entertaining women. He went back north and joined

5800-463: The battles of the First Coalition , including the Battle of Valmy in September 1792. On 1 November 1792, he was promoted to corporal of grenadiers , but during his promotion ceremony, he challenged a fellow non-commissioned officer to a duel. This sergeant major refused the duel. So Vidocq hit him. Striking a superior officer could have led to a death sentence. So he deserted and enlisted in

5916-542: The brigade a state security police force. From this day on, it was called the Sûreté Nationale . The Sûreté initially had eight, then twelve, and, in 1823, twenty employees. A year later, it expanded again, to 28 secret agents. In addition, there were eight people who worked secretly for the Sûreté, but instead of a salary, they received licences for gambling halls. A major portion of Vidocq's subordinates were ex-criminals like himself. He even hired them fresh from

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6032-533: The case seemed to be clear. In an investigation of defalcation , he had made an illegal arrest and had demanded a bill of exchange for the embezzled money from the arrested fraudster. For the next few months, 67-year-old Vidocq was remanded into custody in the Conciergerie . On 3 May 1843, the first hearings finally took place before judge Michel Barbou, a close friend of Delessert. During the trial, Vidocq had to give testimony about many other cases, among them,

6148-490: The chasseurs. Finally, he resigned from the army because he was no longer welcome. He was eighteen years old when he returned to Arras. He soon gained a reputation as a womanizer. Since his seductions often ended in duels, he was imprisoned in Baudets from 9 January 1794 to 21 January 1795. On 8 August 1794, when he was barely nineteen, Vidocq married Anne Marie Louise Chevalier after a pregnancy scare. No child resulted, and

6264-496: The city - particularly during that year's Battle of Arras. By the end of World War I (1918), the city was so heavily damaged that three-quarters had to be rebuilt. The reconstruction was extremely costly, yet it proved to be a success and allowed the city to expand. The town is located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) south of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial built in 1936 on Hill 145,

6380-421: The city for being a former criminal. Although the attempt failed, Vidocq increasingly considered selling his agency, but he could not find a qualified and reputable buyer. In the following years, Vidocq published several small books in which he depicted his life to directly refute the rumours that were being circulated about him. In 1844, he presented an essay on prisons, penitentiaries, and the death penalty . On

6496-772: The city's architecture and historic buildings. Some attractions include the Town Hall and its Belfry (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 15 July 2005), the "Boves" (a maze 10 metres (33 feet) beneath the city), the Squares ( La Place des Héros and La Grand'Place ), the Art District (the Theatre of Arras and the Hôtel de Guînes ), the Abbey District (The Saint-Vaast Abbey and the Cathedral of Arras),

6612-569: The city. The city centre is marked by two large squares, La Grand' Place and La Place des Héros , also called La Petite Place . The two squares are surrounded by a unique architectural ensemble of 155 Flemish-Baroque-style townhouses. These were built in the 17th and 18th century and were initially made of wood. In 1918, after the end of World War I, most of the townhouses were so severely damaged that they had to be restored to their pre-war conditions. They are now made of bricks. The Hôtel de Ville in Arras and its belfry were constructed in

6728-570: The conversion of Clovis I to Catholicism , a diocese ( évêché in French) was created in Arras, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras , and given to Saint Vaast (also known as Saint Vedast in English ), who remains the diocesan patron saint . Saint Vaast then established an episcopal see and a monastic community. It was suppressed in 580 to found the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cambrai , from which it would reemerge 5 centuries later. In 667 Saint Aubert, bishop of Cambrai , decided to found

6844-650: The declaration of the Union of Utrecht later the same month. During the War of the Spanish Succession , in 1712, Arras was bombarded by an Anglo-Dutch Army under Arnold van Keppel, the Earl of Albemarle . Maximilien de Robespierre , a French lawyer and politician from Arras and one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution , was elected fifth deputy of the third estate of Artois to

6960-739: The development of medieval painting, successfully synthesizing the artistic styles of Carolingian, Ottonian and English art. In 1025, a Catholic council was held at Arras against certain Manichaean (dualistic) heretics who rejected the sacraments of the Church. In 1093, the bishopric of Arras was refounded on territory split from the Diocese of Cambrai . In 1097 two councils, presided over by Lambert of Arras , dealt with questions concerning monasteries and persons consecrated to God. In this time, Arras became an important cultural centre, especially for

7076-654: The early 16th century and had to be rebuilt in a slightly less grandiose style after World War I. The belfry is 75 metres (246 feet) high and used to serve as a watchtower. Nowadays tourists can enjoy ascending the belfry. In 2005, the belfry was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site because of its architecture and historical importance in maintaining municipal power in Europe. The original cathedral

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7192-401: The end of 1811, Vidocq informally organized a plainclothes unit, the Brigade de Sûreté ("Security Brigade"). The police department recognized the value of these civil agents, and in October 1812, the experiment was officially converted to a security police unit under the Prefecture of Police . Vidocq was appointed its leader. On 17 December 1813, Emperor Napoleon I signed a decree that made

7308-414: The finds of stone tools . These tools show signs of the Levallois technique , a name given by archaeologists to a distinctive type of stone knapping , developed by forerunners to modern humans during the Paleolithic period 170,000 years ago. Very little was found to document the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age in the Arras area. Arras was founded on the hill of Baudimont by the Belgic tribe of

7424-531: The future, and me the inconvenience of receiving them, I have the honor to solicit you for accepting my resignation. He then wrote his memoirs with the help of a ghostwriter . Vidocq, who was a rich man after his resignation, became an entrepreneur. In Saint-Mandé , a small town east of Paris where he married his cousin Fleuride Maniez on 28 January 1830, he founded a paper factory. He mainly employed released convicts – both men and women. This caused an outrageous scandal in society and led to disputes. In addition,

7540-404: The group of poets who came to be known as trouvères . One particular society of such poets was later called the Puy d'Arras . The town was granted a commercial charter by the French crown in 1180 and became an internationally important location for banking and trade. The wool industry of Arras, established in the 4th century, became of great importance during the Middle Ages. Already in

7656-431: The haunts of thieves and pickpockets. Vidocq personally trained his agents, for example, in selecting the correct disguise based on the kind of job. He himself still went out hunting for criminals too. His memoirs are full of stories about how he outsmarted crooks by pretending to be a beggar or an old cuckold . At one point, he even faked his own death. During 1814, at the beginning of the French Restoration , Vidocq and

7772-399: The help of the local procurator-general, Ransom, he filed an appeal and spent the following five months in prison waiting for a retrial. During this time, Louise Chevalier contacted him to inform him of their divorce. When it seemed that there would be no decision concerning his sentence, he decided to flee again. On 28 November 1805, while unattended for a moment, he jumped out of a window into

7888-479: The highest point of the Vimy Ridge escarpment . It is dedicated to the Battle of Vimy Ridge assault (part of the 1917 Battle of Arras) and the missing First World War Canadian soldiers with no known grave; it is also the site of two WWI Canadian cemeteries. On 9 April 2017, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Arras Mayor Frédéric Leturque thanked Canadians, as well as Australians and British, New Zealanders and South Africans, for their role in

8004-460: The honor to inform you that the ill health of my wife is forcing me to stay in Saint-Mandé to monitor my establishment. This urgent circumstance will preclude my ability to steer the future operations of the security brigade. Please accept my resignation and my sincere thanks for all the marks of kindness with which you deigned to grace me. While, under any circumstances, I was happy to serve you, you can count on my loyalty and devotion by any means. On

8120-445: The household at 111 Rue de l'Hirondelle, where Vidocq's mother and a niece of hers, the 27-year-old Fleuride Albertine Maniez (born March 22, 1793), also lived. In 1822, Vidocq befriended the author Honoré de Balzac , who began to use him as a model for several figures in his books. Vidocq's wife, who was ailing throughout their marriage, died in June 1824 in a hospital. Six weeks later, on 30 July 1824, Vidocq's mother died at age 80. She

8236-426: The influence of Mayor Émile Legrelle, some of Arras' ramparts were demolished to build vast boulevards, establish a new sewage system and replace the old railway station from 1846. During most of the First World War , Arras was about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) away from the front line, and a series of battles took place around the city and nearby, including the Battle of Arras (1914) , the Battle of Arras (1917) , and

8352-422: The judicial authorities; to procure information, to undertake searches, and to obtain particulars of every description; to make nightly rounds, so perpetual and arduous during the winter season; to assist the commissaries of police in their searches, or in the execution of search warrants; to explore the various rendezvous in every part; to go to the theatres, the boulevards, the barriers, and all other public places,

8468-413: The kidnappings of several women whom he had allegedly delivered to monasteries against their will at the behest of their families. Also, his activities as a money lender and the possible benefits from it were examined. Finally, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment and a fine of 3,000 francs . Vidocq immediately appealed, and through the intervention of political friends like Count Gabriel de Berny and

8584-412: The king's court and had boasted about his access to Louis-Philippe, he offered his services to the new government. His task was the surveillance of political opponents such as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte , the nephew of Napoleon I . Meanwhile, the new government sank into chaos and violence. In the presidential election of 10 December 1848, Lamartine received less than 8,000 votes. Vidocq presented himself as

8700-464: The last years of his life, he suffered great pain in his right arm, which had been broken and had never healed properly. Unwise investments had also cost him a large portion of his assets, requiring him to curb his living standard and live in rented accommodations. In August 1854, despite a pessimistic prognosis by his doctor, he survived a bout of cholera. Only in April 1857 did his condition deteriorate to

8816-496: The machines cost money, the semi-skilled workers needed food and clothing, and the customers refused to pay market prices with the argument that he had a seemingly cheaper workforce. The company did not last long; Vidocq went bankrupt in 1831. In the short time while he was away from Paris, both Delavau and Duplessis had to resign their posts, and the July Revolution of 1830 forced Charles X to abdicate. When Vidocq delivered

8932-484: The marriage was not happy from the start. When Vidocq learned that his wife had cheated on him with the adjutant, Pierre Laurent Vallain, he left again for the army. He did not see his wife again until their divorce in 1805. Vidocq did not stay long in the army. In autumn 1794, he spent most of his time in Brussels , which was then a hideout for crooks of all kinds. There, he supported himself by small frauds. One day, he

9048-490: The morning of 22 September 1847, his third wife, Fleuride, died after 17 years of marriage. Vidocq did not marry again, but until his death, he had several intimate partners. In 1848, the February revolution caused the abdication of "Citizen King" Louis-Philippe. The Second Republic was proclaimed, with Alphonse de Lamartine as the head of a transitional government. Although Vidocq had always been proud of his reception at

9164-471: The most prestigious buildings and houses of Arras. As a result, residents once nicknamed the city La ville blanche (the White Town). The Arras area soil is also composed of clay , which was used to produce bricks, build less noble buildings, and embellish façades. Clay is mostly found in the lieu-dit of La Terre Potier in the western part of the city. The level of earthquake hazard in the Arras area

9280-488: The next and last king to rule France, had lost both his brothers, Louis Charles and Antoine Philippe , many years before he succeeded to the throne. A fuller list of those who have been known by this title includes: In modern French, monsieur (plural messieurs ) is used as a courtesy title of respect, an equivalent of English " mister " or "sir". It can be abbreviated in M. (plural MM. ), Mssr. (plural Mssrs. ), and rarely M (plural M ), but never Mr. , which

9396-507: The official police because of his activities and his questionable relations with various government agencies such as the War Department. On 28 November 1837, the police executed a search and seizure and confiscated over 3,500 files and documents. A few days later, Vidocq was arrested and spent Christmas and New Year in jail. He was charged with three crimes, namely the acquisition of money by deception, corruption of civil servants, and

9512-508: The oldest surviving brother of the reigning Louis XVI , who assumed the title of Louis XVIII in pretence in 1795. After his coronation in 1814, the title passed to Charles Philippe, Count of Artois , his younger brother. Charles Philippe, who led the ultras during the Bourbon Restoration and became King Charles X in 1824, was the last royal sibling to officially hold the title of Monsieur. His successor, Louis-Philippe I ,

9628-695: The other inmates, the release (which took place on 25 March 1811) was arranged to look like an escape. Still, Vidocq was not really free, because now he was obliged to Henry. Therefore, he continued to work as a secret agent for the Paris police. He used his contacts and his reputation in the criminal underworld to gain trust. He disguised himself as an escaped convict and immersed himself in the criminal scene to learn about planned and committed crimes. He even took part in felonies in order to suddenly turn on his partners and arrest them. When criminals eventually began to suspect him, he used disguises and assumed other identities to continue his work and throw off suspicion. At

9744-712: The poet Jean Bodel and the trouvère Adam de la Halle making their homes in Arras. The ownership of the town was repeatedly disputed along with the rest of Artois. During the Middle Ages, possession of Arras passed to a variety of feudal rulers and fiefs, including the County of Flanders , the Duchy of Burgundy , the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg and the French crown. In 1430, Joan of Arc ( Jeanne d'Arc in French),

9860-457: The point he could no longer stand. On 11 May 1857, Vidocq died at the age of 81 in his home in Paris in the presence of his doctor, his lawyer and a priest. Je l'aimais, je l'estimais ... Je ne l'oublierai jamais, et je dirai hautement que c'était un honnête homme! [Translation: 'I liked him, I appreciated him  I will never forget him, and I can just say he was an honest man!' His body

9976-471: The police with distinction. I've never received any criticism from your predecessors. I must think therefore that I never earned any. Since your appointment to the Second Division, this is the second time you did me the honor to address me by complaining about my agents. Am I their master in the time they spend out of office? No. To save you, sir, the trouble of sending me further similar complaints in

10092-572: The pretension of public functions. In February 1838, after numerous witnesses had testified, the judge dismissed all three charges. Vidocq was free again. Vidocq increasingly became the subject of literature and public discussions. Balzac wrote several novels and plays that contained characters modeled after Vidocq. The agency flourished, but Vidocq continued to make enemies, some of them powerful. On 17 August 1842, on behalf of Police Prefect Gabriel Delessert , 75 police officers stormed his office building and arrested him and one of his agents. This time,

10208-488: The prison director of Douai, which they ignored. Finally, the Comte Jules Anglès , prefect of the Paris police, responded to a petition from Vidocq and requested an official pardon, which he received on 26 March 1817 from King Louis XVIII . In November 1820, Vidocq married again, this time the destitute Jeanne-Victoire Guérin, whose origin is unknown, which at that time led to speculation. She came to live in

10324-536: The prison of Douai, tormented by a watchfulness redoubled after my sentence, I took care not to make an appeal, which would keep me there some months. What confirmed my resolution was the information that the prisoners were to be sent forthwith to the Bicêtre, and there, making one chain, to be sent on to the Bagne at Brest. It is unnecessary to say that I was relying on escaping en route. In the prison of Bicêtre , Vidocq

10440-408: The prisons; for example, Coco Lacour, who would later become Vidocq's successor at the Sûreté. Vidocq described his work from this period: It was with a troop so small as this that I had to watch over more than twelve hundred pardoned convicts, freed, some from public prisons, others from solitary confinement: to put in execution, annually, from four to five hundred warrants, as well from the préfet as

10556-431: The public authority and myself. Even the porters and keepers were in ignorance of my mission with which I was entrusted. Adored by the thieves, esteemed by the most determined bandits (for even these hardened wretches have a sentiment which they call esteem), I could always rely on their devotion to me. After 21 months of spying, Vidocq was released from jail on the recommendation of Henry. So as not to raise suspicions among

10672-451: The region including the current Somme department. Roman General Aetius then chose to negotiate for peace and concluded a treaty ( fœdus ) with Clodion that gave the Franks the status of « foederati » fighting for Rome. The town's people were converted to Christianity in the late 4th century by Saint Innocent, who was killed in 410 during a barbarian attack on the town. In 499, after

10788-738: The same day, the Sûreté was dissolved, then re-established without agents with criminal records, no matter how minor their offenses. Vidocq's successor was Pierre Allard. In 1833, Vidocq founded Le bureau des renseignements ("Office of Information"), a company that was a mixture of a detective agency and a private police force. It is considered to be the first known detective agency. Once again, he predominantly hired ex- convicts . His squad, which initially consisted of eleven detectives, two clerks and one secretary, pitted itself on behalf of businesspeople and private citizens against Faiseurs (crooks, fraudsters, and bankruptcy artists), occasionally using illegal means. From 1837, Vidocq quarreled constantly with

10904-441: The son of his first wife, tried to get recognized as his son (even changing his last name for this purpose), but failed. Vidocq had left evidence which ruled out his paternity: he had been in prison at the time of Emile-Adolphe Vidocq's conception. Arras Arras ( / ˈ ær ə s / ARR -əs , French: [aʁɑs] ; Picard : Aros ; historical Dutch : Atrecht [ˈaːtrɛxt] )

11020-476: The time claimed that Vidocq set criminals up, organizing break-ins and robberies and having his agents wait to collect the offenders. Even though some of Vidocq's techniques might have been questionable, there seems to be no truth to this. Despite his position as chief of a police authority, Vidocq remained a wanted criminal. His forgery conviction had never been fully dismissed. So alongside complaints and denunciations, his superiors repeatedly received requests from

11136-657: The town was ceded to Maximilian. It was eventually bequeathed to the Spanish Habsburgs as part of the Spanish Netherlands . Arras remained under Habsburg rule from 1493 until 1640 when it was captured by the French. The Spanish ceded it by the peace treaty in 1659 and it has since remained French. The Union of Arras was signed here in January 1579 by the Catholic principalities of the Low Countries that remained loyal to King Philip II of Habsburg ; it provoked

11252-684: The town's cathedral. The design was chosen by the one-time Abbot of St Vaast, the Cardinal de Rohan , and is stark in its simplicity, employing a vast number of perpendicular angles. There is a fine collection of statuary within the church and it houses a number of religious relics. Monsieur Monsieur ( / m ə ˈ s j ɜːr / mə- SYUR ; French: [məsjø] ; pl. Messieurs / ˈ m ɛ s ər z , m eɪ ˈ s j ɜːr ( z )/ MESS -ərz, may- SYUR(Z) ; French: [mesjø] ; 1512, from Middle French mon sieur , literally "my lord" )

11368-521: The winter of 2013–14. Rain falls throughout the year. Average annual precipitation is 742.5 millimetres (29.23 in) with light rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year. The highest recorded temperature was 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), and the lowest was −19.5 °C (−3.1 °F). On 28 October 2013, Cyclone Christian (also known as the St. Jude storm ), one of the strongest extra-tropical cyclones ever recorded, hit Northern Europe including

11484-442: The wounds were self-inflicted and the charge was dropped. Vidocq's contact with Francine stopped when she was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison for aiding the escapes. After a long delay, his trial for document forgery began. On 27 December 1796, Vidocq and a second accused, César Herbaux, were found guilty and sentenced to eight years of hard labour. Worn out by the bad treatment of every species which I experienced in

11600-533: Was shanghaied by the Dutch. After a short career as a privateer , he was arrested again and taken to Douai , where he was identified as Vidocq. He was transferred to the Bagne in Toulon , arriving on 29 August 1799. After a failed escape attempt, he escaped again on 6 March 1800 with the help of a prostitute. Vidocq returned to Arras in 1800. His father had died in 1799. So he hid in his mother's house for almost half

11716-507: Was an Allied attempt to cut through the German spearhead and frustrate the German advance. Although the Allies initially made gains, they were repulsed by German forces and forced to withdraw to avoid encirclement. Arras was then occupied by the Germans and over the years 1941-44 218 French Resistance members were executed in ditches around the Arras citadel. On 3 September 1944, the city

11832-480: Was apprehended by the police, and as a deserter, he had no valid papers. When asked for his identity, he described himself as Monsieur Rousseau from Lille and escaped while the police tried to confirm his statement. In 1795, still under the alias of Rousseau, he joined the armée roulante ("flying army"). This army consisted of "officers" who in reality had neither commissions nor regiments. They were raiders, forging routes, ranks and uniforms but staying away from

11948-490: Was brought to the church of Saint-Denys du Saint-Sacrement , where the funeral service was held. It is not known where Vidocq is buried, though there are some rumours as to the location. One of them, mentioned in the biography of Philip John Stead , claims that his grave is at the cemetery in Saint Mandé. There is a gravestone with the inscription "Vidocq 18". According to information from city officials, however, this grave

12064-840: Was buried with honours, and her requiem was performed in Notre Dame Cathedral . Events of the 1820s affected the police apparatus. After the assassination of the Duc de Berry in February 1820, Police Prefect Anglès had to resign and was replaced by the Jesuit Guy Delavau , who set a high value on religiousness among his subordinates. In 1824, Louis XVIII died. His successor was the ultra-reactionary Charles X , during whose oppressive reign police agents were regularly withdrawn from their original activities. Finally, Vidocq's immediate superior, police chief Henry, retired and

12180-405: Was constructed between 1030 and 1396. This Gothic structure was destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 19th century. The present Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-Vaast is a minor basilica . The Boves, a well-preserved underground network of tunnels, 10 metres (33 feet) beneath the city, was built in the 10th century and can now be visited by tourists. The idea

12296-582: Was entered and liberated by the British Guards Armoured Division . In September 1993, Ipswich , England and Arras became twin towns , and a square in the new Ipswich Buttermarket development was named Arras Square to mark the relationship. Arras is located in northern France in the Hauts-de-France region. Hauts-de-France is divided into five departments : Nord , Pas-de-Calais , Somme , Oise , and Aisne . Arras

12412-636: Was imprisoned in the region of Arras. The town was the site of the Congress of Arras in 1435, an unsuccessful attempt to end the Hundred Years' War that resulted in the Burgundians breaking their alliance with the English. After the death of Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy in 1477, King Louis XI of France took control of Arras but the town's inhabitants, still loyal to the Burgundians, expelled

12528-475: Was jailed in Bicêtre, where he started his work as a spy. On 28 October, he continued his work in La Force Prison . He sounded out his inmates and forwarded his information about forged identities and unsolved crimes through Annette to the police chief of Paris, Jean Henry. I believe I might have become a perpetual spy, so far was every one from supposing that any connivance existed between the agents of

12644-413: Was known as le Grand Monsieur . For over seventy years, from 1701 to 1774, the title had no living representatives in the French court, as Philippe I of Orléans died in 1701; Louis XV was the youngest of the sons of Louis of France, Duke of Burgundy and at the time of his accession to the throne in 1715 had no brothers. The title was restored in 1775 for Louis Stanislas Xavier, Count of Provence,

12760-470: Was not released after the three months. In the following weeks, Vidocq escaped several times with the help of Francine, but was always captured soon again. After one of his escapes, Francine caught him with another woman. He disappeared for a few days, and when he was finally picked up again by police, he was told that Francine had been found with multiple knife wounds. Now, he was not only accused of forgery but also attempted murder. Francine later claimed that

12876-457: Was succeeded by Parisot, who was soon superseded by the ambitious but also very formal Marc Duplessis. The antipathy between Vidocq and Duplessis was great. Time and time again, Duplessis complained about trivial matters, for example, that Vidocq's agents spent time in brothels and bars of ill repute. Vidocq's explanation that they had to do this to establish contacts and gather information was ignored. When Vidocq received two official warnings within

12992-428: Was suddenly released, but the next day, the local inspector noticed that the pardon was forged. Vidocq claimed two fellow inmates, Grouard and Herbaux, had asked to use his cell (as a soldier, Vidocq had a cell all to himself) to write something of an unknown nature because the common room was too noisy. Both inmates claimed, however, that he helped in the fabrication and that the whole thing had been his idea. Thus, Vidocq

13108-694: Was the first Catholic bishop in the year 499 and tried to eliminate paganism among the Franks. By 843, Arras was seat of the County of Artois which became part of the Royal domain in 1191. The first mention of the name Arras appeared in the 12th century. Some hypothesize it is a contraction of Atrebates , a Belgic tribe of Gaul and Britain that used to inhabit the area. The name Atrebates could have successively evolved to become Atrades , Atradis , Aras , and finally Arras . Others believe it comes from

13224-477: Was to set up a vast underground network to make all inhabitants' cellars interconnect by means of tunnels. Excavation material (chalk) was not wasted but rather used to construct houses. During World War I and World War II, the Boves was utilized as an underground bunker to hide and protect residents and valued objects from falling bombs. The Art District is renowned for its Italian-style theatre hall built in 1785 and

13340-503: Was to wait several months for the transfer to the Bagne in Brest to toil in the galleys . A fellow inmate taught him the martial art of savate , which was later to prove useful to him. An escape attempt on 3 October 1797 failed and precipitated his placement in a dungeon for eight days. Finally, on 21 November, he was sent to Brest. On 28 February 1798, he escaped dressed as a sailor. Only

13456-698: Was untenable, and on 15 November 1832, he once again resigned, using the pretext of his wife being ill. J'ai l'honneur de vous informer que l'état maladif de mon épouse m'oblige de rester à Saint-Mandé pour surveiller moi-même mon établissement. Cette circonstance impérieuse m'empêchera de pouvoir à l'avenir diriger les opérations de la brigade de sûreté. Je viens vous prier de vouloir bien récepter ma démission, et recevoir mes sincères remerciements pour toutes les marques de bonté dont vous avez daigné me combler. Si, dans une circonstance quelconque, j'étais assez heureux pour vous servir, vous pouvez compter sur ma fidélité et mon dévouement à toute épreuve. [Translation:] I have

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