Montcornet Castle (french: Château de Montcornet) is a
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
Montcornet in the
Ardennes ''département'' of France.
History
The castle was built between the 11th and 12th centuries by the first occupants, the
Montcornets. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the fortress passed to
Miles de Noyer and then to the
Mello family. In 1446,
Antoine I de Croy repurchased the castle and rebuilt it almost completely. In 1613,
Charles of Gonzaga, who was in the process of building the nearby
Charleville Charleville can refer to:
Australia
* Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia
**Charleville railway station, Queensland
France
* Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France
*Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France
** ...
, capital of the
Principauté d'Arches, purchases the castle. From then it passed into the hands of the
Meillerais, then finally to the
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
of
Aiguillon, who dismantled it around 1760. Only ruins survive today.
The artefacts excavated from the castle grounds—keys, currency, pottery, bones, etc.—are on display in a room of the castle.
Château de Montcornet has been listed as a ''
monument historique'' by the
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...
since 1926.
Architecture
Gallery
File:Vue Montcornet5.JPG, ''Haute cour''
File:Salle d'armes Montcornet.JPG, ''Salle d'armes''
File:Armoiries Montcornet 2.JPG, Montcornet coat of arms
See also
*
List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Region and Department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or vine ...
References
External links
*
The Château de Montcornet in the « ''Archéologie en terre d'Ardenne'' » site
Castles in the Ardennes (France)
Ruined castles in Grand Est
Châteaux in Ardennes (department)
Monuments historiques of Grand Est
Gonzaga residences
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