Editing Saint-Omer (section)

==History==
Saint-Omer first appeared in the writings during the 7th century under the name of Sithiu (Sithieu or Sitdiu), around the Saint-Bertin abbey founded on the initiative of [[Audomar]], (Odemaars or Omer).

[[Omer, bishop of Thérouanne]], in the 7th century established the [[Abbey of Saint Bertin]], from which that of Notre-Dame was an offshoot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.informationfrance.com/st-omer/|title=St Omer|date=August 24, 2017|website=www.informationfrance.com}}</ref> Rivalry and dissension, which lasted till the [[French Revolution]], soon sprang up between the two [[monastery|monasteries]], becoming especially virulent when in 1559 St Omer became a [[Diocese|bishopric]] and Notre-Dame was raised to the rank of cathedral.

In the 9th century, the village that grew up round the monasteries took the name of St Omer. The [[Vikings]] laid the place to waste about 860 and 880. Ten years later the town and monastery had built fortified walls and were safe from their attack. Situated on the borders of territories frequently disputed by French, [[County of Flanders|Flemish]], English and [[Spain|Spaniards]], St Omer for most of its history continued to be subject to [[siege]]s and military invasions.

In 932 [[Arnulf I, Count of Flanders|Arnulf of Flanders]] conquered the [[County of Artois]] and Saint-Omer (''Sint-Omaars'' in Dutch) became part of the [[County of Flanders]] for the next three centuries. In 1071 [[Philip I of France|Philip I]] and the teenage Count [[Arnulf III of Flanders]] were defeated at St Omer by Arnulf's uncle and former protector, [[Robert I of Flanders|Robert the Frisian]], who subsequently became the Count of Flanders until his death in 1093.

Along with its textile industry, St-Omer throve in the 12th and 13th century. In 1127 the town received a communal charter from the count, [[William Clito]], becoming the first town in West Flanders with [[City rights in the Low Countries|city rights]]. Later on the city lost its leading position in the textile industry to [[Bruges]]. After the mysterious death of [[Baldwin I, Latin Emperor|Count Baldwin I]], the County of Flanders was weakened. In 1212 [[Philip II of France]] captured Baldwin's daughter [[Joan, Countess of Flanders|Joan]] and her husband [[Ferdinand, Count of Flanders]] and forced them to sign the [[Treaty of Pont-à-Vendin]], in which Artois was yielded to France. Ferdinand did not take this lying down, and allied with [[Emperor Otto IV]] and [[John, King of England]], he battled Philip II [[Battle of Bouvines|at Bouvines]], but was defeated. Despite the political separation for the next 170 years, the city remained part of the economic network of Flanders.

In 1340 a [[Battle of Saint-Omer|large battle was fought]] in the town's suburbs between an Anglo-Flemish army and a French one under [[Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy]], in which the Anglo-Flemish force was forced to withdraw. From 1384, St-Omer was part of the [[Burgundian Netherlands]], from 1482 of the [[Habsburg Netherlands]] and from 1581 to 1678 of the [[Spanish Netherlands]]. 
<!--Seems a bit trivial:
King [[Henry VIII of England]] employed a swordsman from Saint-Omer for the [[execution]] of Queen [[Anne Boleyn]], rather than having a [[queen consort]] beheaded with the common axe.-->

The French made futile attempts against the town between 1551 and 1596.  During the [[Thirty Years' War]], the French attacked in 1638 (under [[Cardinal Richelieu]]) and again in 1647. Finally in 1677, after a seventeen-day siege, [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] forced the town to capitulate. The [[Treaties of Nijmegen|peace of Nijmegen]] signed in the fall of 1678 permanently confirmed the conquest and its annexation by France.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaties-of-Nijmegen|title=Treaties of Nijmegen &#124; European history &#124; Britannica|website=www.britannica.com}}</ref> In 1711, St-Omer was besieged by the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]]. With the town on the verge of surrendering because of [[famine]], Jacqueline Robin risked her life to bring provisions into the town, in memory of which in 1884 a large statue of her was erected in front of the cathedral.

The [[College of Saint Omer]] was established in 1593 by Fr [[Robert Persons]] [[Society of Jesus|SJ]], an English [[Jesuit]], to educate English Roman Catholics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=10335|title=College of Saint Omer - Encyclopedia Volume - Catholic Encyclopedia|website=Catholic Online}}</ref>  After the [[Protestant Reformation]], England had established [[Penal law (British)|penal laws]] against Roman Catholic education in the country. The college operated in St Omer until 1762, when it migrated to [[Bruges]] and then to [[Liège]] in 1773.  It finally moved to England in 1794, settling at [[Stonyhurst]], [[Lancashire]]. Former students of the College of Saint Omer include [[John Carroll (bishop)|John Carroll]], his brother [[Daniel Carroll|Daniel]] and his cousin [[Charles Carroll of Carrollton|Charles]].

During [[World War I]] on 8 October 1914, the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC) arrived in Saint-Omer and a headquarters was established at the [[aerodrome]] next to the local race course. For the following four years, Saint-Omer was a focal point for all RFC operations in the field. Although most squadrons only used Saint-Omer as a transit camp before moving on to other locations, the base grew in importance as it increased its logistic support to the RFC.  Many [[Royal Air Force]] squadrons can trace their roots to formation at Saint-Omer during this period. Among which are [[No. IX Squadron RAF]] which was formed at Saint-Omer, 14 December 1914<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/9squadron.cfm |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-01-19 |archive-date=2015-04-17 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20150417134816/http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/9squadron.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[No. 16 Squadron RAF]] which was formed on 10 February 1915.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/16squadron.cfm |title=RAF - 16 Squadron |access-date=2015-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610173414/http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/16squadron.cfm |archive-date=2015-06-10 }}</ref>

During World War II, the [[Luftwaffe]] used the airfield. When the [[RAF]]'s legless Battle of Britain ace, [[Douglas Bader]], parachuted from his Spitfire during an aerial battle over France, he was initially treated at a Luftwaffe hospital at Saint-Omer. He had lost an artificial leg when bailing out,<ref>[http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/airforce/p/World-War-Ii-Group-Captain-Sir-Douglas-Baderhtm World War II. Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader] militaryhistory.about.com {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> and the RAF dropped him another one during a bombing raid.