Editing Douai (section)

==History==
Its site probably corresponds to that of a 4th-century Roman fortress known as Duacum. From the 10th century, the town was a [[Romance languages|romance]] fiefdom of the [[Count of Flanders|counts]] of [[County of Flanders|Flanders]]. The town became a flourishing textile market centre during the [[Middle Ages]], historically known as Douay or Doway in English. In 1384, the [[county of Flanders]] passed into the domains of the [[Dukes of Burgundy]] and thence in 1477 into Habsburg possessions.

In 1667, Douai was taken by the troops of [[Louis XIV of France]], and by the 1668 [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]], the town was ceded to France. During successive sieges from 1710 to 1712, Douai was almost completely destroyed by the British Army. By 1713, the town was fully integrated into France. Douai became the seat of the [[Parlement|Parliament of Flanders]] ([[:fr:Parlement de Flandres|fr]]).

The local airfield at [[La Brayelle Airfield|La Brayelle]] was very significant in the history of French aviation. It operated from 1907 to the mid-1950s. In 1909 it was the site of the world's first aeronautical meeting,<ref name="FirstRaces">{{cite web |title=Concours d'Aviation de Douai |url=http://www.thefirstairraces.net/meetings/do0906/venue.php |website=The First Air Races |access-date=15 January 2020}}</ref>

Douai was again caught up in hostilities in [[World War I]].<ref>[http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/vimy_ridge/index.html Vimy Ridge] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325190551/http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/vimy_ridge/index.html |date=25 March 2008 }}</ref> when for much of the war it was occupied by the Germans. La Brayelle airfield was a base of [[Manfred von Richthofen]], the Red Baron.<ref name="Arras">{{cite book |last1=O'Connor |first1=Michael |title=Airfields & Airmen: Arras |date=2004 |publisher=Pen & Sword Military |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=1-84415-125-5 |page=64 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4vDGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA190}}</ref> Later in 1918, the town was partly burned, and was liberated by the British Army after the [[Battle of Courtrai (1918)|Battle of Courtrai]].

The [[Douaihy]] family of [[Lebanon]] claims descent from inhabitants of the city who settled in Lebanon during the [[Crusades]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Hitti|first=Philip|author-link=Philip K. Hitti|date=1957|title=Lebanon in History|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.53848|location=India|publisher=Macmillan and Co Ltd|page=319}}</ref>