Artois

The First Battle of Artois (17 December 1914 – 13 January 1915) was fought during the First World War between the French and German armies on the Western Front. The battle was the first offensive move on the Western Front by either side after the end of the First Battle of Ypres in November 1914. The French attack failed to break the stalemate.

The County of Artois (French: comté d'Artois, Dutch: graafschap Artesië, Picard: Comté d'Artoé) was a historic province of the Kingdom of France, held by the Dukes of Burgundy from 1384 until 1477/82, and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 until 1659. Present-day Artois lies in northern France, near the border with Belgium. Its territory has an area of around 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) and a population of about one million. Its principal cities include Arras (Dutch: Atrecht), Calais (Dutch: Kales), Boulogne-sur-Mer (Dutch: Bonen), Saint-Omer (West Flemish: Sint-Omaars, Lens and Béthune. It forms the interior of the French département of Pas-de-Calais. In northern Gaul the Belgic tribe of the Atrebates lived in the future area of Artois, the name of which (Latin: Atrebatia) reflects theirs. A Carolingian feudal county in its own right from the late 8th century, Artois was annexed by the County of Flanders (898 onwards). It came to France in 1180 as the dowry of a 10-year-old Flemish noblewoman, Isabelle of Hainaut, and was again made a separate county in 1237 for Robert, a grandson of Isabelle. Through inheritance, Artois once again came under the rule of the counts of Flanders in 1384, this time as part of a large agglomeration of low country territories held by the dukes of Burgundy and their heirs the Habsburg kings of Spain. Artois briefly joined in the Dutch Revolt in 1576, participating in the alliance of the Pacification of Ghent until it became a member of the Union of Arras in 1579. After the Union, Artois and Hainaut (Dutch: Henegouwen) reached a separate agreement with Philip II of Spain. Artois remained part of the Spanish Netherlands until it was conquered by the French during the Thirty Years War of 1618–1648. The annexation was acknowledged in the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, and Artois became a French province.

Marles-les-Mines (French pronunciation: [maʁl le min]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Béthune and 36 miles (58 km) southwest of Lille. The river Clarence flows through the commune. Vis-à-Marles station is the local train station.

The Canton of Divion was one of the 14 cantons of the arrondissement of Béthune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It had 18,117 inhabitants in 2012. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015.

Vis-à-Marles is a railway station located in the French commune of Marles-les-Mines (Pas-de-Calais). The station is served by TER on the line from Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise to Béthune and Lille-Flandres.

Lozinghem (French pronunciation: [lozɛ̃ɡɛm]; Picard: Lozinghin) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Calonne-Ricouart (French pronunciation: [kalɔn ʁikwaʁ]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Béthune and 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Lille by the banks of the river Clarence.

Auchel (French pronunciation: [oʃɛl]; Picard: Auchez) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.

Divion (French pronunciation: [divjɔ̃]) is a commune and in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Béthune and 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Lille.

Allouagne (French pronunciation: [alwaɲ]; Picard: Allouanne) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Camblain-Châtelain (French pronunciation: [kɑ̃blɛ̃ ʃatlɛ̃]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.

Lapugnoy (French pronunciation: [lapyɲwa]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.