Add to bookmark. The region was populated by nomads during the lower Palaeolithic period, around , BC, and was settled around 5, BC. The first traces of permanent settlements date from the end of the 6th century AD.
It is estimated that in the first centuries AD, the city of Augustobona Tricassium Troyes had around 6, soulsand a surface area of around 80 hectares, bordered on the north and south by marshes. It appears that it developed from east to west, along the Roman ways, but owing to pillaging and Germanic invasions, the inhabitants had to withdraw behind the ramparts starting in the second half of the 3rd century.
When the stone buildings were destroyed, they built the first wall on the remains of the Gallo-Roman castrum a square measuring more or less m on each side. At the start of the 4th century, Troyes was among the 25 larges dioceses of Roman Gaul. In , the city escaped invasion by the hordes of Attila the Hun thanks to the intercession of its Bishop Saint Loup. Incorporated into the Frank kingdom in the 5th century, Troyes then joined the kingdom of Burgundy from to and then was ruled by the Count of Champagne.
On 7 September , an exceptional event took place. Between and , the Normans saked the city, whose ramparts were no longer strong enough to protect it. In the 12th and 13th centuries, prosperity reigned, in particular thanks to the impetus of Henry 1st the Liberal and Thibaut IV, who developed the crafts sector, such as textiles, leather, parchment and building trades.
Troyes was also the centre of the famous foires de Champagne. It tripled in size, had , inhabitants and became one of the largest and richest cities in France. The prosperity of the Counts of Champagne enabled them to find the best matches for their children.
