Angoulême
[key], city, capital of Charente dept., W France, on the Charente River. A former river
port, it is now a major road and rail center. Its paper industry dates from the 15th cent.,
and it has copper foundries, and plants making electric motors, soap, and shoes. It was an
early episcopal see and became (9th cent.) the seat of the counts of Angoumois. Ceded (1360) to England, it was reconquered (1373) by Charles V. Its
remarkable Cathedral of St. Pierre was begun c.1110.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: French Political Geography
