Editing Caen (section)

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Caen}}

===Early history===
{{See also|History of Normandy}}
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2022}}
Caen was known in Roman times as 'Catumagos', from the Gaulish roots ''magos'' meaning 'field' and ''catu'' meaning 'combat'. It remained a minor settlement throughout the Roman period and began to see major development commence in the 10th century, under the patronage of the Dukes of Normandy. Around 1060, [[William the Conqueror]] began construction of the [[Château de Caen]], which became the centre of the ducal court. Duchess [[Matilda of Flanders]] also founded the [[Benedictine]] [[Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, Caen]] around the same time, eventually being buried in the abbey. Caen succeeded [[Bayeux]] as the capital of [[Lower Normandy]], complementing the second ducal capital of [[Rouen]].

Caen fell to [[Philip II of France]] on 21 May 1204, and was incorporated along with the remainder of Normandy into the Kingdom of France.

===Hundred Years' War===
{{Main|Battle of Caen (1346)}}
In 1346, King [[Edward III of England]] led his army against the city, hoping to loot it. It was expected that a siege of perhaps several weeks would be required, but the army took the city in less than a day, on 26 July 1346, [[Battle of Caen (1346)|storming and sacking it]], killing 3,000 of its citizens, and burning much of the merchants' quarter on the Île St-Jean. Only the castle of Caen held out, despite attempts to besiege it. A few days later, the English left, marching to the east and on to their victory at the [[Battle of Crécy]]. It was later [[Siege of Caen (1417)|captured following a siege]] by [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] in 1417 and treated harshly for being the first town to put up any resistance to his invasion. In 1450 towards the end of the war, French forces [[Siege of Caen (1450)|recaptured Caen]].

===World War II===
{{Main|Battle for Caen}}
[[File:Canadian bulldozer in Caen.jpg|thumb|A [[Canadian Army]] bulldozer in Caen, 1944. The towers of the [[Abbey of Saint-Étienne, Caen|Abbaye aux Hommes]] are behind.]]

During [[World War II]], Caen was captured by [[Nazi Germany|German]] forces during the [[Battle of France]] in 1940 and placed under [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|military occupation]]. In 1944, [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] forces launched [[Operation Overlord]], invading German-occupied France and rapidly advancing through [[Normandy]]. From 6 June to 6 August 1944, the British [[Second Army (United Kingdom)|Second Army]] fought the [[battle of Caen]] to dislodge German forces from the city. During the battle, Allied bombing raids heavily damaged the city and caused numerous French civilian casualties. After the battle, little of prewar Caen remained, and reconstruction efforts in the city continued until 1962.<ref>{{cite book |last=Badsey |first=Stephen |title=Normandy 1944 Allied Landings and Breakout |publisher=Osprey |location=London |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-85045-921-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Badsey |first=S. |chapter=Chapter 4: Culture, Controversy, Caen and Cherbourg: The First Week of the Battle |pages=[https://archive.org/details/normandycampaign00buck_143/page/n60 48]–63 |editor-last=Buckley |editor-first=John |editor-link=John Buckley (historian) |title=The Normandy Campaign 1944: Sixty Years On |url=https://archive.org/details/normandycampaign00buck_143 |url-access=limited |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-1-134-20304-8 }}</ref>

===Postwar===
Postwar work included the reconstruction of complete districts of the city and the university campus. It took 14 years (1948–1962) and led to the current urbanization of Caen. Having lost many of its historic quarters and its university campus in the war, Caen does not have the atmosphere of a traditional Norman town such as [[Honfleur]], [[Rouen]], [[Cabourg]], [[Deauville]] or [[Bayeux]]. {{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

The Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit filmed the D-Day offensive and Orne breakout several weeks later. It returned several months later to document the city's recovery efforts. The resulting film, ''You Can't Kill a City'', is preserved in the [[National Archives of Canada]].
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