Editing Montauban (section)

==History==
[[Image:Montauban - La Place Nationale.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Place Nationale in Montauban]]
[[Image:Montauban arcades de la place Nationale.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Arcade at Place Nationale]]
Montauban is the second oldest (after [[Mont-de-Marsan]]) of the ''[[bastides]]'' of southern France. Its foundation dates from 1144 when Count [[Alphonse I of Toulouse|Alphonse Jourdain]] of [[County of Toulouse|Toulouse]], granted it a liberal charter. The inhabitants were drawn chiefly from Montauriol, a village which had grown up around the neighbouring monastery of [[St Théodard]].

In the 13th century the town suffered much from the ravages of the [[Albigensian war]] and from the [[Inquisition]], but by 1317 it had recovered sufficiently to be chosen by [[Pope John XXII|John XXII]] as the head of a [[Diocese of Montauban|diocese]] of which the basilica of St Théodard became [[Montauban Cathedral|the cathedral]].

[[File:Reddition de la ville de Montauban 21 Aout 1629.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''[[Surrender of Montauban]]'', 21 August 1629. [[Château de Richelieu]].]]
In 1360, under the [[Treaty of Brétigny]], it was ceded to the English; they were expelled by the inhabitants in 1414. In 1560 the bishops and magistrates embraced Protestantism, expelled the monks, and demolished the cathedral. Ten years later it became one of the four [[Huguenot]] strongholds under the [[Peace of Saint-Germain]], and formed a small independent republic. It was the headquarters of the [[Huguenot rebellion]] of 1621, and successfully withstood an 86-day siege by [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]].

Because Montauban was a Protestant town, it resisted and held its position against the royal power, refusing to give allegiance to the Catholic King. To scare off the King's opponents and speed up the end of the siege, 400 cannonballs were fired, but Montauban resisted and the royal army was vanquished. Saint Jacques church is still marked by the cannonballs, and every year in September, the city celebrates "les 400 coups" (the 400 shots), which has become a common phrase in French.

Montauban did not submit to royal authority until after the fall of [[La Rochelle]] in 1629, when its [[fortification]]s were destroyed by [[Cardinal Richelieu]]. The Protestants again suffered persecution later in the century, as [[Louis XIV]] began to persecute Protestants by sending troops to their homes ([[dragonnades]]) and then in 1685 revoked the [[Edict of Nantes]], which had granted the community tolerance.

During World War II, Leonardo da Vinci's ''[[Mona Lisa]]'' was briefly hidden in a secret vault behind a wine cellar at Montauban.