In the 8th century, Soissons witnessed the fall of the Merovingian dynasty. In 752, _Pépin-le-Bref_ was proclaimed King by an assembly of nobles in the monastery of Saint-Médard (_p. _61). In the same abbey, in 833, the emperor _Louis-le-Débonnaire_, was deposed and imprisoned by his rebel sons, after they had forced him to make a public confession in the church of the monastery. In 923, under the walls of Soissons, _Charles-le-Simple_ fought a battle with his rival _Robert_, Duke of the Franks. In this battle, Charles was taken prisoner and lost his throne, which passed to the powerful House of France, whence sprang the Capetian dynasty. Throughout the Middle-Ages, religious life was intensely active at Soissons. At that time, the City comprised six large monasteries, in addition to the Cathedral and several churches or collegiates. It was none the less a lay fief with the rank of county, which in 1131 obtained a communal charter under _Louis-le-Gros_, and on the accession of _Francis I_, became definitely part of the crown lands. Situated on the main roads of invasion, Soissons has always been one of the advance posts which protect Paris. For this reason, it has suffered numerous sieges, most of them disastrous, owing to the unfavourable situation of the city, which lies in a plain surrounded by hills. It was taken and pillaged in 1414 by the troops of _Charles VI_, in 1544 by _Charles-Quint_, and in 1567 by the Protestants. In 1814, during the French campaign, it was conquered by the Russians and Prussians, whilst in 1815, after Waterloo, it had to re-open its gates to the Allies. In 1870, a German Army of 20,000 men laid siege to Soissons on September 11. The garrison of 5,000 soldiers which held the town refused to surrender, and attempted several unsuccessful sorties. Posted on the surrounding heights, the German artillery violently bombarded the town, setting fire to some of the suburbs, the hospital, and part of the military commissariat established in the old Abbey of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes. A breach was finally made in the fortifications, and on October 16, after a siege of thirty-seven days, the city was forced to surrender. During the late war, Soissons was twice occupied by the Germans: in 1914, from September 2 to 13, and in 1918, from May 29 to August 2, after the surprise attack at the Chemin-des-Dames (_See pp. _4 _&_ 7). DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY Soissons, sub-prefecture of the Aisne, was formerly fortified, but was dismantled after the Franco-German war of 1870. Before the late War, its population numbered 14 458. The city proper remained confined within the narrow limits of its ancient walls. It is bounded on the east by the River Aisne, on the south by the small stream _Crise_, on the west by the Boulevard Jeanne d’Arc which follows the line of the old ramparts, and on the north by the rue Saint-Léger, near which may be seen (close to the tennis court) part of the remains of the old fortifications (_See plan, p. _12).