Genlis, Côte-d'Or

Genlis is two times twinned with European cities :

• Sprendlingen, in Germany
• Bogdanesti, in Romania.[2]

In 867 Genlis was written Gediacensis finis which origins would probably come from a Gallo-roman name called Aegidius or Genelius, the ancestor of the French firstname Gilles because the greek D often turns into an L in latin.[3]

The city of Genlis has never been known under this name. Different cartularies, those of Saint-Bénigne abbeys (future cathedral), of Tart, Clairvaux, Cîteaux, different chronicles such as of Bèze and Saint-Bénigne as well as departmental archives that give details on its name evolution throughout the time. During Carolingian years, Genlis was called Getliacus, Gediacnesis finis in 867, Gliniacensis finis in 868, Janlint around 1060, Genliacensis finis in the 11th century, Genlé, Genleium in 1132, Genleio in 1180, Janlée in 1191, Jamleium in 1234, Genlliacum in 1235, Janli in 1236, Genllé in 1238, Janleium in 1248, Genlerum in 1249, Janlé in 1260, Janleyum in 1297, Genleyum in 1285, Janley in 1290, Jenlleium in 1297, Jamley in 1360, Jamleyum in the 14th century, Janly in 1498, Janlis in 1637, Jenlis in 1666, Janlys in 1679, Jeanlis in 1685, Jeanly in 1728, Genlis or Janly in 1783. Genlis seems definitely passed at the end of the 18th century.[4]

The first written note of Genlis is dating back from approximately 866. It is referred to as Finis Genliacensis (area of Genlis) in the chronicles of Saint-Bénigne during a public "Malle" or "Placite", held in Lux. It was an political assembly gathering the main civil servants – bishops, counts, abbots – who were King's advisors. These placites were held in May or Octobrer.[5]

The second oldest reference of Genlis was made around 1060. Berno, from Genlis, gives to Saint-Pierre de Bèze a property he owns in the Coriant village (disappeared today), keeping incomes for him all his life. He is not a lord, but only a farm owner (villicus Janlint Villae) as emphasizes the latin deed:

Notum sit omnibus praesentibus et futuris, quod Berno villicus Janlint Villae, quoddam alodum juris sui, quod jacet in villa Coriaut dicta, ea condicione dedit S. Petro, et propria manu super altare misit, ut ipsius alodi usuarium fructum retineret tempore vitae suae : post discessum vero vitae ad locum sancti Petri rediret cum omni integritate. Hujus donationis, quam viva voce fecit, vivos testes adhibuit; quorum nomina haec sunt : Odilo Praepositus, Rodulfus, Dado, Aldo, Ewardu.[6]

The Genlis site occupation dates back from the Romans. A military presence in Genlis is proved as a hidden post that would be the starting point of a Roman road, called Chemin des Romains, or a Brunehau road.[7] In 1973, a Gallo-roman villa was found by aerial search:

"inside of the gallo-roman castrum, recognized thanks to its angle towers and its double surrounding walls, singular buildings disseminated marks, most of them composed of a unique room, appeared into irregular lines from modern times. These buildings would be rural establishments close to the fortress?".[8]

The Chemin des Romains linked Genlis to Arceau. On this part of the road, several archaeological discoveries were made, such as at Izier, Cessey-sur-Tille, Bressey-sur-Tille and Arc-sur-Tille.[9] Arc-sur-Tille were the intersection point of the Chemin des Romains coming from Genlis, with the Roman road Besançon-Alise-Sainte-Reine, towards Alise. A bronze statuette of the high-empire and two statuettes of Mercure were found during excavations. Bressey-sur-Tille were located on the road to Arcelot at the North and Genlis to the South.[10] Finally, the Chemin des Romains linked the nearby Arceau village where the Roman road passed through Dijon to Mirebeau.[11]

Archaeological digs of localities "le Johannot" and "la Voie Romaine" between Genlis and Izier revealed vestiges dating from the Final Tène.[12] The gallo-roman period is represented by remains of a cremation necropolis (1 AD) located on "le Johannot". Several vases and Gaulish currency were found at the edge of the "la Voie romaine".[13] Gaulish ceramic and amphora shards of 1 AD were discovered in a ditch near both sites.[14] Remains of a Merovingian village were found by archaeologists between both sites.

In the early 1990s, planning works of Highway A39 Dijon-Dole unearthed vestiges of a Merovingian village in the localities "le Johannot" and "la Borde" on Genlis area. These digs unveil the existence of twenty nine wooden semi-buried rectangular buildings called "bottoms of huts". Their sizes vary from 1.80 to 3.30 meters (5.9 to 10.8 feet) in length, 1.70 to 3.60 meters (5.5 to 11.8 feet) in width and a surface of approximately 4 to 8 m² (1.5 to 3.1 mi²). Their functions were different: some served as "storehouses, storages, shelters for small animals [...] or also handmade workshops (weaving, metalworking, bronze or bones works)".[15]

Other kinds of buildings were identified as houses by remains of several pole holes. These homes were different by shapes and dimensions. Also, it can be found some small structures that could be granaries on stakes, silos that "showed samples of rye, wheat seeds, elderberries, pear tree, millet, cabbage, black nightshade but also wild plants, reflecting pictures of cultivated and meadow (fodder crops) surfaces". These Genlisians from the 7th century were growers and farmers as confirm barns of beef, pigs, but also caprines, poultry and horses. The last structures that are showing are ditches, fences and pathways.

Three graves were found during the digs. The first skeleton is a "young male adult measuring approximately 1.66 meters (5.4 feet). [...] The second individual was buried in the same position at about 30 to 40 meters (98 to 131 feet) from the first one. He was an old adult [...]. Several degenerative wounds of a kind of arthrosis was observed, mostly in the vertebras. [...] The subject was wearing a plating iron buckle which seems to be dating from the early 7th century. A third person was pulled out [...]. He was a young male teenager [...] and was wearing a bronze buckle from the 6th century."

"Within the excavated items, we could have found ceramic shards of tumblers, bowls, cooking pots, jugs and vases. Metallic furnitures included nails, a small bell, a twisted poker, knives, etc."

From the feudal era until the French Revolution, which would remove benefits, the territory of Genlis was entitled as a seigneury. In the 18th century, abbott Courtépée, in his Description générale et particulière du Duché de Bourgogne, he narrates that under the Old Regime, Genlis was also a parish of the Châlon-sur-Saône diocese, archpriest of Mailly, patronage of Saint Martin and patronage of Saint-Vivant priory. From a feudal point of view, the Genlis seigneury was a back-fiefdom because it was part of the Mirebeau seigneury, then marquisate, where lords pledged homage to the Duke of Burgundy. Huchey was part of Genlis, and Athée and Magny close to Auxonne were attached to Genlis.[16] In the 18th century, Genlis counted 80 burners and 400 communicants, as well as Huchey. The market was held on Thursday and two fairs per year.[16]

Feudal marks are, for instance, the fortified manor house – then castle – of Genlis, as well as many rights and privileges that lords were benefiting. Janly lords and the people that owned properties in Genlis were also benefiting rights and privileges.

The seigneurial homage

The hommage[17] was demanded between the suzerain and the vassal to ensure stability and peace. So in 1340, the venerable Father Pouçard, abbott of Saint-Étienne de Dijon and owner in Genlis, got the homage of Symon, along with Raymond de Chailly and Jean Cultivier, of the Dijon church and tabellion juror, who admitted he "owned a fief by his wife name, of the aforementioned abbott the meadows he owns in an isle of the Janley area, which are linking fields of the abbott, and about these meadows as monastery fiefdom, Symon, as vassal and man of the abbott on behalf of the monastery, pledged faith and homage of the kiss that the abbott gave to him on the mouth, in accordance with the tradition, promising him loyalty. Done, the abbott asked to establish an official act that would be sealed with the Langres church seal".