BEZIERS HISTORY

120 000 BC	Some nomads tribes live on the place (attested by the discovery of primitives tools as the 'biface lancéolé')
5000/1800 BC	First sedentary inhabitants on the Béziers' hill
600 BC	Construction of the Ensérune Oppidum.
600/500 BC	Construction by the Greeks of the first Béziers/Betara city (more than 40 hectares (480,000 sq. yard) !)
around 400 BC	Total Blackout : The city seems to be deserted (epidemics ?)
350 / 281 BC	Volces occupation.
200 BC	Gallic Longostaletes settlement
121 / 118 BC	Construction of the Domitian way.
105 BC	Kimris army and Teutons occupation.
36 BC	Béziers become the Julia baeterrae Roman colony.
77	Viticultural crisis and vineyard destroyed.
Around 250	Saint Aphrodise is beheaded - Construction of the firsts remparts.
450	Visigoths occupation.
Years 500	The IVth century ancient Romana necroplolis (St Aphrodise) shelters St Aphrodise's body and his faithful ones.
Around 650	Firsts (?) parts of St Nazaire church.
680	The Biterrois support rebellion against the king Wamba.
724-725	Saracenic occupation (under Ambessa rules - vineyard destroyed - churches sacked.
736-737	Francs occupation (Charles Martel) - Fortifications destroyed.
Around 800	Construction of the St Jacques church.
889	Enlargement of St Nazaire - the St Aphrodise church is in abandonment.
Beginning 900	St Aphrodise church restoration.
Beginning 1000	Construction of the Sainte Madeleine church.
Around 1090	Construction of the Saint Félix church.
1130	St Nazaire church becomes a cathedra (roman parts)
October, 15th 1167	Assassination of Raimond Trencavel the 1st inside the Madeleine church.
during XIIth century	Construction of the Old Bridge (on the ancient roman bridge's bases)
July, 22nd 1209	Béziers is burnt by the Simon de Montfort's army The Madeleine and St Nazaire churches are burnt too.
1215	St Nazaire is rebuilt.
1229	The region passes under French kingdom rules.
1348	Black death epidemic.
1355	The British are attempting an invasion (Prince of Cambria).
September 8th, 1381	Revolt (the Bernard Pourquier's one) against the notables.
1391	the Old Bridge is repaired.
April 1436	Black Death epidemic (click to see ordonnance - in French).
January 1420-august 21	Rebellion against the dauphin Charles.
1471	Old Bridge enlargement.
February 1506	Great cold wave : the Orb river and the Capestang mere are froze
1528	François 1er creates the seneschalsy.
August the 13th 1533	François 1er, his wife Eléonore, their children, the king and the queen of Navarre stay for a while in Béziers.
1543	A peddler is burnt to have sold heretic books.
1556	Establishing of the Friday market by the Seneschal Philippe de Levis.
1561-1562	Protestants occupation.
December 29th 1564	Charles IX (14 years old) and Catherine de Médicis spend a few days in Béziers (the mother queen is accommodated to the hôtel de Sorgues, 7 Mayran street). They can see the traditional spectacle : the galleys fight (with wheels) on the Carmes place.
1585	The Duc de Montmorency is building the Citadelle.
1604-1609	Birth of Pierre-Paul Riquet.
July 18th 1622	Louis XIII spend three weeks/a month in Béziers. He lodges in the Evéché.
1629-1631	Black Death epidemic.
1632	Henry 2 de Montmorency's rebellion then writing of the Edit de Béziers with the king, the queen and Richelieu. Destruction of the Citadelle.
1656	Molière creates and play in Béziers "Le Dépit Amoureux".
January 3rd 1660	Visit of Louis XIV.
October the 1st 1680	Pierre-Paul Riquet dies in Toulouse.
May 24th 1681	Canal du Midi's Inauguration - Fonseranes' festivities.
1695-1700	Building of St Jacques' barracks.
1709	Re-establishment of the friday market by Louis XIV.
1722	Black Death epidemic.
July 9th 1745	Little earthquake + one more 2 days later.
1746	The city hall's central part is inaugurated.
January 1790	The first street lamps illuminate the city !
May 17th 1792	The Caritat (charity) feasts become the Freedom feasts.
May 19th 1803	The Caritat feasts come back.
May 30th 1814	Riots against drinkings' taxes.
1826	Discovery of a Fauna torso.
1827	Battlements destruction.
1830	Riots against drinkings' taxes (once again...)
1838	Paul Riquet's statue and Old Graveyard inauguration.
April 1844	Discovery of 10 roman marble heads (kept in a Toulouse museum...).
1842-1844	Construction of the Theatre
April 1846	Inauguration of the Pont-Neuf (new bridge)
December 3rd-6th  1851	Republicans fight against Bonaparte's coup d'etat (bloody repression).
1857	The railroad arrives - Bridge-canal on the Orb river.
1870	End of the Allées P.Riquet and Poets square installations.
1882	Construction of the "Caisse d'Epargne" (a bank avenue Clémenceau).
1889-1891	Construction of the Halles.
1894-1896	Construction of the National Street (Alphonse Mas) and Republic Street.
1897	Construction of the Arenas.
June 20th 1899	Jean Moulin's birth.
July 2nd 1905	Assembly against viticultural crisis.
Mars 24th 1907	1851 casualties' monument.
May 12th 1907	Meetings and assemblies against viticultural crisis.
1912	Post Office construction (close to the city hall).
August 1st 1914	The General Mobilization's order is placarded. The local newspaper - 'Le Petit Méridional' - attests of a "real patriotism" in Béziers
17 octobre 1914	The whole city wait - at the station - for the come back of a country child's - G. de Montal - corpse, hurt at war on september 26th 1914 and died in the Chambéry's hospital. The whole population stays at obsequies
June 1936	Strikes manifestations.
December 26th 1940	First resistants under arrest.
November 11th 1942	German troops arrival.
June 7th 1944	18 resistants shot on the Champ de Mars.
July 5th 1944	German bombarding.
August 5th 1944	Anglo-American bombarding.
August 22th 1944	Béziers is liberated from German troops.
1952	Construction of the sub-prefecture
December 3rd 1947	Strikes and incidents all around the City Hall.
1961	ASB becomes champion of the French Rugby cup.
1962	North Africa repatriated's arrival.
1963	Construction of the Devèze.
1964	Swimming pool's inauguration.
June 1968	Strikes manifestations.
1986	Occitanie bridge.
1987	Mediterranean Stadium.
1994	Installation of the New Port - Construction of the l'IUT (University technical institute).
1995	New hospital in Montimaran.
1998	CIRDOC building - University center of Dugesclin.
2005	Destruction of the old barracks :(
2006	Beginning of Hours complex's works