The ruined

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

of Châteauneuf-sur-Epte is in the '' commune'' of

Château-sur-Epte Château-sur-Epte is a commune in the Eure department in northern France. Population See also * Château-sur-Epte Castle *Communes of the Eure department The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France ...

in the

Eure Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.department of France. The ruins are owned by the Héritage Historique association, which has been restoring it since 2015. It has been listed since 1998 as a ''

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

Location

The remains of the castle stand on the edge of the Vexin plateau in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, in the village of Château-sur-Epte (French department of

Eure Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.Gisors Gisors () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Eure, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, France. It is located northwest from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Gisors, together with the ...

, the castle watched over both the Franco-Norman border and its crossing, a short distance away, by the road from Paris to Rouen.

History

Foundation

Building begun in 1097 by

William Rufus William II (; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third son of William the Co ...

, King of England, to reinforce the frontier along the Epte River. The castle occupied a site on the border between the

Duchy of Normandy The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple, King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a r ...

and the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

. In 1119,

Louis VI the Fat Louis VI (1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat () or the Fighter (), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Like his father Philip I, Louis made a lasting contribution to centralizing the institutions of royal power. He spent mu ...

besieged the castle. On the fifteenth day of siege, learning that

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

had burnt the town of

Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. History Antiquity In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century AD, was named '' Mediolanum Aulercorum'', "the central town ...

, he left the siege in a hurry, leaving only the burning huts of his soldiers behind. The castle was defended by Gautier Riblard, as recounted in this passage written in 1612:

"Meanwhile, Louis the Fat besieged the Château de Dangu .. When Dangu was burnt down, the Fat took his arms to Neuchaftel hâteau-sur-Epte which Guillaume the Red had had built at Faufelmont uscelmontnear the Epte. This plan was not fortunate, as Captain Gautier Riblard and his soldiers resisted him generously and shot him with arrows. Fifteen days had passed in these exercises of March, when the Gros heard of the misfortune of Évreux and ..lifts the siege & returns to France to raise new forces .."

In August 1151, Henry II Planagenet, then Duke of Normandy, transferred the

Vexin Vexin () is a historical county of northern France. It covers a verdant plateau on the right bank (north) of the Seine running roughly east to west between Pontoise and Romilly-sur-Andelle (about 20 km from Rouen), and north to south betw ...

Louis VII Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

. Among the castles and fortresses in this area was Châteauneuf-sur-Epte. Louis VII donated the site to the

Abbey of Saint Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...

in 1153. The purpose of this donation was to remove the castle from the influence of the bishopric of Rouen, which was then under the influence of the King of England. In 1153, Louis VII granted the village around the castle the right to hold a market every Friday. According to Laurence Bougant, the aim of this favour was "to give importance to this stronghold and allow the village to prosper", proving "the political importance of Château-sur-Epte allowed by its strategic position as a frontier castle". Built from

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, the castle was reinforced by the Plantagenets in the 12th century (

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

and entry) and again during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. Other works were carried out in the 14th century. In 1437, it was captured by

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, 1st Earl of Waterford, 7th Baron Talbot, KG (17 July 1453), known as "Old Talbot" and "Terror of the French" was an English nobleman and a noted military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He was t ...

Decline

The castle's role declined in the 16th century and it was ordered to be dismantled by Mazarin in 1647. Transformed into an agricultural centre under the ''

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

'', it comprised a

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortificati ...

with a stone

, a lower court linked to the motte and defended by a curtain wall flanked in the east and west by two fortified gateways (14th century), a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

and, in the lower court, a medieval

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

, a 17th-century ''

corps de logis In architecture, a ''corps de logis'' () is the principal or main block, or central building of a mansion, country or manor house, castle, or palace. It contains the rooms of principal business, the state apartments and the ceremonial or formal ...

'' and a

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

. The condition of the site deteriorated.

20th century

In 1911, the Normandy region celebrated the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of the Duchy of Normandy by the

Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte The treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (911) is the foundational document of the Duchy of Normandy, establishing Rollo, a Norse warlord and Viking leader, as the first Duke of Normandy in exchange for his loyalty to Charles III, the king of West Fra ...

by organising the 'Norman Millennium Festivities'. In Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, the festivities began on the 28th of May 1911 and were attended by 420 Normans from the region and Paris as well as several representatives and mayors, including the mayor of Château-sur-Epte, Mr Hervé. The events began with a speech and a banquet, followed by the unveiling of a plaque in Saint-Clair-sur-Epte. The events were attended by journalists from Sweden, Norway and Denmark. At the end of the day, the attendees were invited to visit Châteauneuf-sur-Epte: in total, they were more than 1,500 to visit the castle that day. During the Second World War, between 1941 and 1944, the castle was used by the German army, which settled a transmission post with a large transmitting aerial. A garrison stayed in the village and lived alongside the inhabitants. For a few days in 1944, the castle was occupied by the command post of the 49th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht (led by General Macholz). At the very end of August, Lieutenant

Brian Horrocks Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, (7 September 1895 – 4 January 1985) was a British Army officer, chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World ...

's troops ( XXX British Corps) began the reconquest of the Norman Vexin. Heading towards

Gisors Gisors () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Eure, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, France. It is located northwest from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Gisors, together with the ...

, the British troops passed through Château-sur-Epte on 29 August before arriving at Dangu that same evening.

Preservation

In 2015, volunteers created the Héritage Historique association in order to preserve, restore and bring the old fortress back to life. Until then, the castle had fallen into ruin and risked serious damage. In its first year, the association had 37 members and around 60 volunteers, who began in 2016 with more than six months of land clearance. At the time, the site was overgrown with vegetation that was damaging the spaces. The first masonry work began in 2017, followed in 2019 by major works such as strengthening the west gate tower. Nowadays, volunteers take part in workcamps on the second weekend of each month or during Rempart workcamps in the summer. The restoration of the castle is one of the projects selected for the 2020 French Heritage Lottery. In 2021, the Heritage Mission (run by the Fondation du Patrimoine) awarded a grant of €244,000 to the association. This grant, covering for the restoration of the west gate tower, the curtain wall, the south wall and the dwelling, was estimated at 30.88% of the total cost of the work. The aim of the restoration project is to open the castle to visitors, along with organising events such as medieval fairs and markets.

Citations

References

* * * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau-Sur-Epte Castle 1097 establishments in Europe 1090s establishments in France 11th-century fortifications Castles in Eure Ruined castles in Normandy Motte-and-bailey castles Monuments historiques of Eure William II of England