The siege of Thimert (1058–60) was the last military action in the war between King

Henry I of France Henry I (4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060) was King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060. The royal demesne of France reached its smallest size during his reign, and for this reason he is often seen as emblematic of the weakness of the early Capetians. T ...

and Duke

William II of Normandy William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 108 ...

. In the first half of 1058, William captured the French fortress at Thimert in the

County of Dreux The Counts of Dreux were a noble family of France, who took their title from the chief stronghold of their domain, the château of Dreux, which lies near the boundary between Normandy and the Île-de-France. They are notable for inheriting the D ...

. According to Orderic Vitalis, this was about the same time he took

Tillières Tillières () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. History On 15 December 2015, Le Longeron, Montfaucon-Montigné, La Renaudière, Roussay, Saint-André-de-la-Marche, Saint-Crespin-sur-Moine, Saint-G ...

, a Norman fortress that had been seized by Henry in 1040. Sometime between 29 June and 15 August 1058, Henry personally laid siege to Thimert. The siege dragged on into the next year. Several royal charters are dated by the siege, indicating Henry's continued presence there., pp. 74–75. He was joined in 1058 by his powerful vassal Count

Ralph IV of Valois Ralph IV (french: Raoul; born 1025, died 1074) was a northern French nobleman who amassed an extensive array of lordships lying in a crescent around the Île-de-France from the border of the Duchy of Normandy in the northwest to Champagne in the s ...

, and briefly in 1059 by the recalcitrant Count

Theobald III of Blois Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans. The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Tybal ...

. By 23 May 1059, when Henry's son Philip was consecrated as joint king with his father, negotiations for a truce had been opened. King Henry sent Bishops Humbert of Paris and Guy of Amiens to seek terms in Normandy. Around the same time, Duke William and many of his leading men were in Dreux, only about twelve miles from Thimert. It is possible that a meeting between king and duke took place at Dreux. All efforts at negotiations failed and the siege was ongoing when Henry died on 4 August 1060. His death brought peace. Thimert was surrendered to the king and razed, while the Normans retained Tillières. A new castle,

Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais () is a commune in Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. The commune was once an important stronghold reigning over the whole natural and historic province of Thymerais. Born of the fierce determination of its f ...

, was built nearby in 1061., p. 36.

References

{{Reflist Thimert Thimert Thimert William the Conqueror 1060 in Europe 1060s in France