ARTOIS, an ancient province of the north of France, corresponding to the present department of Pas de Calais, with the exclusion of the arrondissments of Boulogne and Montreuil, which belonged to Picardy. It is a rich and well-watered champaign, producing abundance of grain and hops, and yielding excellent pasture for cattle. The capital of the province was Arras, and the other important places were Saint-Omer, Béthune, Aire, Hesdin, Bapaume, Lens, Lillers, Saint-Pol, and Saint-Venant. The name Artois (still more corrupted in “Arras ”) is derived from the Atrebates, who possessed the district in the time of Caesar. From the 9th to the 12th century Artois belonged to the Counts of Flanders. It was bestowed in 1180 on Philip Augustus of France by Philip of Alsace, as the dowry of his niece, Isabella of Hainault. In 1237 it was raised to the rank of a countship by Saint Louis in favour of his brother Robert. Philip, the son of Robert II., having died before his father, the transmission of the title was disturbed. The countship was claimed by Robert, Philip’s son, and his descendants, better known as the counts of Edu, continued to style themselves counts of Artois; but it was actually inherited by Mahaud or Matilda, daughter of Robert II. By her marriage with Otho IV., Artois passed to the house of Burgundy, in whose possession it remained till the marriage of Mary, the daughter of Charles the Bold, to the Archduke Maximilian brought it to the house of Austria. By the peace of Nimeguen it was ceded to France in 1678. The title of count of Artois was borne by Charles X. of France before his accession to the throne.