The Château de Cordon is a ruined feudal castle in the ''

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of

Brégnier-Cordon Brégnier-Cordon () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Geography Brégnier-Cordon lies 20 km south of Belley. It is located in a bend of the Rhône on the edge of Savoie (on the southeast) and Isère (on the west). Th ...

in the

Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

'' of France.

History

The House of Cordon is one of the oldest in the historical region of

Bugey The Bugey (, ; Arpitan: ''Bugê'') is a historical region in the department of Ain, eastern France, located between Lyon and Geneva. It is located in a loop of the Rhône River in the southeast of the department. It includes the foothills of the ...

. They were invested by the Holy Roman Emperor in the 11th century. Since then, the castle remained in the possession of the family, one of the oldest in Savoy. Ideally placed on a high point dominating the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

, it served as a look-out post on the

marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...

of Savoy. It was seized in 1434 by

Amadeus VIII Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was the son of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy and Bonne of Berry. He was a claimant to the papac ...

, Duke of Savoy, from Aynard II de Cordon who had taken up arms against his sovereign. The castle was dismantled and the Cordons deprived of the title of Lord of Cordon. Having later recovered the lordship of Cordon and justice, the Cordons resided at the Château de la Barre. The castle is situated on a hill (altitude ), dominating the plain of the Rhône below. Destroyed probably in the 17th century, it was later used as a quarry.

Architecture

All that remains is a part of the surrounding wall whose large openings dominate the Rhône.

References

11th-century establishments in France 1430s disestablishments in France 1434 disestablishments in Europe 15th-century disestablishments in France 11th-century fortifications Buildings and structures demolished in the 15th century Ruined castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Ain Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy {{france-castle-stub

History

Architecture

See also

References