Picardy

Picardy (; Picard and , , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. History The historical province of Picardy stretched from Senlis to Calais via the main parts of the Oise and Aisne departments, the whole of the Somme department and the west of the Pas-de-Calais department. The province of Artois (Arras area) separated Picardy from French Flanders. Middle Ages From the 5th century, the area formed part of the Frankish Empire and, in the feudal period, it encompassed the six countships of Boulogne, Montreuil, Ponthieu, Amiénois, Vermandois and Laonnois. In accordance with the provisions of the 843 Treaty of Verdun, the region became part of West Francia, the later Kingdom of France.