Ham

France

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Article History

Ham, town, upper valley of the Somme River, Somme département, Hauts-de-France région, France, southwest of Saint-Quentin. Its medieval fortress, used for centuries as a state prison, was destroyed by German forces in 1917. Among the fortress’s prisoners in the 15th century was Joan of Arc, patron saint of France. Prince Louis-Napoléon, later Emperor Napoleon III, was detained there in 1840 and escaped six years later to England. The town has one of the largest sugar refineries in Europe. Pop. (1999) 5,398; (2014 est.) 4,717.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.