Nord-Pas-de-Calais (; ; West Flemish: Nôord-Nauw van Kales) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais bordered the English Channel (west), the North Sea (northwest), Belgium (north and east), and Picardy (south). Until the 17th century, the history of the North was largely shared with the history of Belgium (the Celtic Belgians during Antiquity were a multitude of Celtic peoples from the north of Gaul), that of a land that "for almost a thousand years served as a battlefield for all of Europe."
The majority of the region was once part of the historical Southern Netherlands, but gradually became part of France between 1477 and 1678, particularly during the reign of King Louis XIV. The historical French provinces that preceded Nord-Pas-de-Calais are Artois, French Flanders, French Hainaut, and (partially) Picardy (part of Hainaut and Flanders is in the Kingdom of Belgium). These provincial designations are still frequently used by the inhabitants. The former administrative region was created in 1956 under the name "Nord" and maintained that name until 1972, when "Pas-de-Calais" was added. This remained unchanged until its dissolution in 2016.
With a population density of 330.8 people per km2 on just over 12,414 km2, it was a densely populated region inhabited by 4.1 million people, 7% of France's total population, making it the fourth most populous region in the country; 83% of the population lived in urban communities. Its administrative centre and largest city was Lille. The second largest city is Calais, which served as a major continental economic/transportation hub with Dover of Great Britain away; this made Nord-Pas-de-Calais the closest continental European connection to the island of Great Britain. Other major towns included Valenciennes, Lens, Douai, Béthune, Dunkirk, Maubeuge, Boulogne, Arras, Cambrai, and Saint-Omer. The region is featured in numerous films, including Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis.
Name
Nord-Pas-de-Calais combines the names of the constituent departments of Nord (literally 'North', the northernmost department of France) and Pas-de-Calais ('Strait of Calais', the French name of the Strait of Dover). The regional council, however, spells the name Nord-Pas-de-Calais.Région Nord-Pas de Calais: Qu'est ce que la Région? Retrieved 4 January 2011
The northern part of the region was historically a part of the County of Flanders, with Lille as its capital. Those who wish to highlight the historical links the region has with Belgium and the Netherlands prefer to call this region the French Low Countries, which also means French Netherlands in French (French: Pays-Bas français; Dutch: Franse Nederlanden or Franse Lage Landen). Other alternative names are Région Flandre(s)-Artois, Hauts-de-France, ('Upper France') and Picardie-du-Nord ('Northern Picardy').
History
Inhabited since prehistoric times, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region has always been a strategic (and hence a highly fought-over) region in Europe. French President Charles de Gaulle, who was born in Lille, called the region a "fatal avenue" through which invading armies repeatedly passed. Over the centuries, it was conquered in turn by the Celtic Belgae, the Romans, the Germanic Franks, England, the Spanish and Austrian Netherlands, and the Dutch Republic. After the final French annexation in the early 18th century, much of the region was again occupied by Germany during the First and Second World Wars.
During the 4th and 5th centuries, the Roman practice of co-opting Germanic tribes to provide military and defense services along the route from Boulogne to Cologne created a Germanic–Romance linguistic border in the region that persisted until the 8th century. By the 9th century, most inhabitants north of Lille spoke a dialect of Middle Dutch, while the inhabitants to the south spoke a variety of Romance dialects. This linguistic border is still evident today in the place names of the region. Beginning in the 9th century, the linguistic border began a steady move to the north and the east. By the end of the 13th century, the linguistic border had shifted to the river Lys in the south and Cap Gris-Nez in the west.
During the Middle Ages, the Pas-de-Calais department comprised the County of Boulogne and the County of Artois, while the Nord department was mostly made up of the southern portions of the County of Flanders and the County of Hainaut. Boulogne, Artois, and Flanders were fiefs of the French crown, while Hainaut and (after 1493) Flanders were within the Holy Roman Empire. Calais was an English possession from 1347 to 1558, when it was recovered by the French throne. In the 15th century, all of the territories, except Calais, were united under the rule of the Dukes of Burgundy, along with other territories in northern France and areas in what is now Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. With the death of the Burgundian duke Charles the Bold in 1477, the Boulonnais and Artois were seized by the French crown, while Flanders and Hainaut were inherited by Charles's daughter Marie. Shortly thereafter, in 1492, Artois was ceded back to Marie's son Philip the Handsome, as part of an attempt to keep Philip's father, Emperor Maximilian I, neutral in French King Charles VIII's prospective invasion of Italy.
Thus, most of the territories of what is now Nord-Pas-de-Calais were reunited with the Burgundian inheritance, which had passed through Marie's marriage to the House of Habsburg. These territories formed an integral part of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands as they were defined during the reign of Philip's son, Emperor Charles V, and passed to Charles's son, Philip II of Spain. During the Italian Wars, much of the conflict between France and Spain occurred in the region. When the Netherlands revolted against Spanish rule, beginning in 1566, the territories in what is now Nord-Pas-de-Calais were those most loyal to the throne and proved the base from which the Duke of Parma was able to bring the whole southern part of the Netherlands back under Spanish control. It was also a base for Spanish support of French Catholics in the French Wars of Religion.
During the wars between France and Spain in the 17th century (1635–1659, 1667–1668, 1672–1678, 1688–1697), these territories became the principal seat of conflict between the two states, and French control over the area was gradually established. Beginning with the annexation of Artois in 1659, most of the current Nord department territory had been acquired by the time of the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678. The current borders were mostly established by the time of the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697.
The area, previously divided among the French provinces of Flanders, Artois, and Picardy, was divided into its two present departments following the French Revolution of 1789. Under Napoleon, the French boundary was extended to include all of Flanders and present-day Belgium until the Congress of Vienna in 1815 restored the original French boundary.
During the 19th century, the region underwent major industrialisation and became one of the leading industrial regions of France, second only to Alsace-Lorraine. Nord-Pas-de-Calais was barely touched by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870; the war actually helped it to cement its leading role in French industry due to the loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. However, it suffered catastrophic damage in the two World Wars of the 20th century.
Prehistory
The earliest evidence of man's presence in the region dates from the Pleistocene to the Middle Ages. Evidence of early human presence includes bifaces dating back to around 700,000 BC found in Wimereux and 500,000 BC in Quiévy. During the Pleistocene, human activity was intermittent due to the harsh climate caused by expanding Nordic glaciers. Occupation sites are noted from around 60,000 BC in Marcoing and 50,000–40,000 BC in Busigny and Hamel, with the first Homo sapiens identified in Rouvroy.
After the last Ice age, the region, now covered in forests, saw the emergence of hunter-gatherer societies using microliths for hunting. The Neolithic period marked the beginning of agriculture and animal husbandry, influenced by the Cerny and Michelsberg cultures. Evidence of trade and tool use from outside the region highlights interactions with other areas. Additionally, the Neolithic era left behind megalithic structures, such as dolmens and menhirs, which were likely used for religious purposes, though their exact functions remain unclear.
Gallia Belgica and the Roman Empire
The Gallic War
During the Gallic War in 56 BC, Julius Caesar expanded his conquests toward the North Sea after defeating the Atrebates and Nervians at the Battle of Sabis. The Belgians, a collective of various tribes such as the Menapiens, Morins, Atrébates, and Nervians, had settled in the region between the 5th and 1st centuries BC. These tribes, described by Caesar, were not homogeneous and occupied different parts of the land. Settlements were mainly hamlets around farms, with few fortified camps like Etrun. The Roman invasion began in 57 BC, leading to significant battles, including a decisive one on the banks of the Sabis. Despite initial resistance, by 50 BC, Gaul-Belgium was conquered and remained under military occupation until 27 BC.
Pax Romana
Following their victory, the Romans implemented policies of pacification and Romanization, transforming the region administratively and economically. They established numerous cities, incorporating ancient Celtic tribes into the prosperous Roman province of Belgium. Key cities included Bagacum Nerviorum (Bavay), Namur (Aduatuca), Castellum Menapiorum (Cassel), Nemetocenna (Arras), and Tervanna (Thérouanne). The region flourished through agriculture, particularly sheep breeding and wheat cultivation, and the development of a sophisticated road network known as the "Brunehaut causeways". This network facilitated trade within the empire, allowing for the import and export of various goods, including ceramics, pottery, wine, olive oil, linen cloth, and ham. Vici (hamlets) emerged along these routes, and many modern communes in the Scarpe and Escaut valleys trace their origins to Gallo-Roman settlements.
Decline and barbarian invasions By the end of the 1st century, Germanic tribes began encroaching on the region, leading to periods of pillaging and instability. The Franks crossed the Rhine in 253–254 and again between 259 and 263, followed by the Alamanni in 275. During brief periods of peace, new capitals like Tournai and Cambrai emerged, replacing older ones such as Cassel and Bavay. The region also saw the initial stages of Christianization, although it remained limited until the 3rd and 5th centuries. In 406, a frozen Rhine allowed a flood of barbarian groups, including the Franks and Germans driven by the Huns, to invade, ultimately leading to the collapse of the remaining Roman authority in the region.
The Frankish kingdoms
Christianization in the Merovingian period
During the Merovingian period, the Salian Franks initially maintained their pagan beliefs, unlike other Germanic tribes who converted to Arianism. Clovis's conversion to Nicene Christianity was significant as it aligned with the remaining Roman Empire's religion, providing sacred legitimacy. This period saw a renewal of urbanization and the establishment of ecclesiastical authorities. Vaast became bishop of Arras and Cambrai early in the century. By 511, however, the region was not sufficiently Christianized to be represented at the Council of Orleans.
Between Neustria and Austrasia