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Discover / History / Origins
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 The Briovère fortress ( Briovère signifying ‘bridge over running water') was built on a rocky outcrop, and became known as Saint Laud around 750A.D. At the beginning of the ninth century Charlemagne had a perimeter wall built, which proved insufficient against the violence of the Viking assault which destroyed the town in 890A.D.
Geffroy de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances and Baron of Saint-Lô (1048-1093), lay behind the considerable economic expansion of the town: with its bridge and many mills the town prospered, as demonstrated by the 14-fold increase in tax revenues on the movement of goods ( the ‘tonlieu') between 1039 and 1093!
It was now the third town of Normandy after Rouen and Caen, and in 1275 King Philip III granted Saint-Lô the privilege of minting its own coin – a right retained until 1693.
The wars of religion caused the town to sink into decline: it was pillaged by the Huguenots in 1562 and the siege of 1574 brought about its partial destruction. With the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 many skilled artisans fled the city. In the French Revolution the town was given a new name: the “Rock of Liberty”, and on 11 October 1795 it became the administrative centre of the département.
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