Péronne

Péronne guarded a crossing of the Somme, with a castle forming a strong point in its defences. As one of the towns on the river claimed by both the French Crown and the dukes of Burgundy, it became a focal point of their rivalry. Its walls later defended the northern approaches to France against imperial armies.

In 1468 Louis XI came to Péronne to negotiate with Charles the Bold. News of a revolt at Liège, supported by the king, reached the duke while Louis was in his hands. Charles confined him in the castle and compelled him to accept a treaty favourable to Burgundy. Louis recovered Péronne after Charles's death in 1477. In 1536 its inhabitants and garrison resisted a thirty-one-day siege by the army of Charles V.