Transportation

The commune has a railway station, Genlis, on the Dijon–Vallorbe line.

Etymology and toponymy of Genlis

In 867, Genlis was written Gediacensis finis, a spelling which probably originates from the Gallo-Roman name Aegidius or Genelius, the ancestor of the French first name Gilles because the Greek "D" often turns into an "L" in Latin.^[3]

The city of Genlis was not historically referred to by its modern name. Cartularies, including those of the Saint-Bénigne abbeys (future cathedrals), Tart, Clairvaux, and Cîteaux; chronicles, such as those of Bèze and Saint-Bénigne; and departmental archives all give details on the name's evolution over time. During Carolingian times, Genlis was called Getliacus. It was then called Gediacnesis finis in 867, Gliniacensis finis (868), Janlint (~1060), Genliacensis finis (11th century), Genlé/Genleium (1132), Genleio (1180), Janlée (1191), Jamleium (1234), Genlliacum (1235), Janli (1236), Genllé (1238), Janleium (1248), Genlerum (1249), Janlé (1260), Janleyum (1297), Genleyum (1285), Janley (1290), Jenlleium (1297), Jamley (1360), Jamleyum (14th century), Janly (1498), Janlis (1637), Jenlis (1666), Janlys (1679), Jeanlis (1685), Jeanly (1728), and Genlis/Janly in 1783. The name Genlis seems to have disappeared by the end of the 18th century.^[4]

First written account

The first written account that mentions Genlis dates back to approximately 866. It is referred to as Finis Genliacensis (area of Genlis) in the chronicles of Saint Bénigne during a "malle" or "placite" held in Lux. A placite was a public political assembly gathering the main civil servants, such as bishops, counts, and abbots, who were the King's advisors. These events were held in May or October.^[5]

The second oldest reference to Genlis was made around 1060. Berno, from Genlis, gives Saint-Pierre de Bèze a property he owns in the Coriant village (which has since disappeared), keeping incomes for him all his life. He was a farm owner (villicus Janlint Villae), not a lord, as emphasized in 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. Let it be known to all, present and future, that Berno the steward of Villa Janlint, a certain successor of his own right, which lies in the village called Coriaut, gave this on condition to St. Peter, and put it in his own hand upon the altar, so that the user of Alodi might retain the fruit during the time of his life. but after departing from life, he returned to the place of St. Peter with all integrity. He gave living witnesses to this donation, which he made orally; whose names are these: Odilus the Provost, Rodulf, Dado, Aldo, Eward.^[6]

Roman and Gallo-Roman eras

The Genlis site has been occupied since the time of the Romans. A hidden post that would be the starting point of a Roman road, also called Chemin des Romains or Brunehau roads, proves the Romans had a military presence in the area.^[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, there were traces of scattered buildings, most of them having only a single room, appearing disorderly lines that date to modern times. Could these buildings be rural settlements 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 was the intersection of the Roman road coming from Genlis and the road leading from Besançon-Alise-Sainte-Reine to Alise. A bronze statuette of the high-empire and two statuettes of Mercury were found during excavations. Bressey-sur-Tille was located on the road to Arcelot to the north and Genlis to the south.^[10] Finally, the Chemin des Romains linked the nearby Arceau village to Dijon and Mirebeau.^[11]

Archaeological digs of the areas "le Johannot" and "la Voie Romaine" (located between Genlis and Izier) revealed artifacts 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 pieces of Gaulish currency were found at the edge of "la Voie romaine".^[12] Gaulish ceramic and amphora shards from 1 AD were discovered in a ditch between the sites, and the remains of a Merovingian village were also found nearby.^[13]

Merovingian Genlis

In the early 1990s, the planning works of Highway A39 Dijon-Dole unearthed the ruins of a Merovingian village in "le Johannot" and "la Borde". These digs revealed 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 areas approximately 4 to 8 m² (43 to 86 sq ft). They served a variety of purposes, including "storehouses, storages, shelters for small animals" and "handmade workshops (weaving, metalworking, bronze or bones works)".^[14]

Other kinds of buildings were identified as houses by the remains of several pole holes. These homes differed in shapes and dimensions. Additional small structures are thought to be granaries on stakes, silos that "showed samples of rye, wheat seeds, elderberries, pear tree, millet, cabbage, [and] black nightshade but also wild plants, reflecting pictures of cultivated and meadow (fodder crops) surfaces". These Genlisians from the seventh century were growers and farmers, confirmed by barns of cows, pigs, goats, poultry and horses. The last structures visible are ditches, fences and pathways.

Three graves were found during the digs. The first contained the skeleton of a "young male adult measuring approximately 1.66 meters (5.4 feet). [...] The second individual was buried in the same position, 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 plated iron buckle which seems to be dating from the early seventh century. A third person was pulled out [...]. He was a young male teenager [...] and was wearing a bronze buckle from the sixth 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."

Feudal era

From the feudal era until the French Revolution, which would remove its benefits, the territory of Genlis was a seigneury. In the 18th century, Abbot Courtépée, in his Description générale et particulière du Duché de Bourgogne, narrates that under the Old Regime, Genlis was also a parish of the Châlon-sur-Saône diocese under the archpriest of Mailly, the 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.^[15] 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.^[15]

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.

Homage

The seigneurial homage

The hommage^[16] was demanded between the suzerain and the vassal to ensure stability and peace. So in 1340, the venerable Father Pouçard, abbot 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 abbot the meadows he owns in an isle of the Janley area, which are linking fields of the abbot, and about these meadows as monastery fiefdom, Symon, as vassal and man of the abbot on behalf of the monastery, pledged faith and homage of the kiss that the abbot gave to him on the mouth, in accordance with the tradition, promising him loyalty. Done, the abbot asked to establish an official act that would be sealed with the Langres church seal".

Bibliography

• Foisset, Paul (1831-1885) Auteur du texte; Simonnet, Jules (1824-1875) Auteur du texte (1872). Voies romaines du département de la Côte-d'Or et répertoire archéologique des arrondissements de Dijon et de Beaune / publiés par la Commission des antiquités du département de la Côte d'Or ; [rédigé par P. Foisset et Jules Simonnet] (in French) – via Bibliothèque nationale de France.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
• Catteddu, Isabelle; Clavel, Benoit; Ruas, Marie-Pierre (1992). "L'habitat rural mérovingien de Genlis (Côte-d'Or)". L'Habitat rural mérovingien de Genlis (Côte-d'Or). 43. ISSN 0035-0745 – via openbibart.fr.