Châteaux de Normandie : stratégies, sièges et renaissances 🏰⚔️ | Trésors du Patrimoine

Châteaux de Normandie : stratégies, sièges et renaissances 🏰⚔️ | Trésors du Patrimoine

The land of Normandy preserves,
amidst meadows and bucolic landscapes, a heritage that
bears witness to a rich history. This dates back to the beginning of the 10th century,
when in 911, the King of France, Charles the Simple,
hoping to protect himself from Nordic aggressors,
ceded all the territories west of the Eptte River to the Viking leader, Rollo. Thus, the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Eptte
gave birth to Normandy, the land of the Northmen. This region became a duchy, which was inherited by
William the Conqueror, a descendant of Rollo. After a victorious campaign
across the Channel, he was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey. He and his descendants are therefore both
Duke of Normandy and sovereign of England. This situation made Normandy
a border region which, throughout the Middle Ages,
was marked by diplomacy and Franco-English rivalries. Subsequently, his story becomes
intertwined with the history of France. And after the Hundred Years’ War,
the Wars of Religion and the Revolution, it was in the 19th century that it experienced
its greatest economic boom. The advent of the railway, in particular,
made it possible to sell livestock products to the major cities . And Normandy is
building a reputation in this area. This golden age was not exclusively
economic, and many artists found their inspiration in the landscapes and heritage of the region. A cultural richness that
permeates the Norman identity. At the gateway to Normandy,
on the banks of the Ept, the small town of Gisors has managed to preserve
its charm and showcase its medieval heritage. Right in the city centre,
its immense fortress has survived a thousand years of history and a thousand wars. But paradoxically,
it was the mysteries it contained that threatened it in the 20th century. From the
11th century onwards, tensions between the Kingdom of France
and the Duchy of Normandy were felt. Each of the two sides will therefore secure
its side of the border by building castles facing each other. Thus, each of its two
banks is punctuated with strongholds. It is in this context that in 1097,
the castle of Gisors was built on the orders of William Leroux,
son of William the Conqueror. Guillaume Leroux will call upon the services
of a specialist named Robert de Bellême, who is a great lord
from southern Normandy, Bellême being a small town in the Perche. So, we shouldn’t imagine
the castle of Gizorre built by Robert de Bellême as the one
we see today. At that time, many castles were built out
of earth and wood. So, this is what we should imagine
at Gizeur, a castle mound with probably wooden superstructures on top
, a palisade surrounding the top of the mound, and a wooden tower
, also serving as a last refuge in case of a siege. In 1123, there was a rebellion
of Norman lords. So, it happens often and generally,
when there is a rebellion of Norman lords, there is always the king of France
who is never far behind. There is an absolutely ongoing quarrel. At that time, the two protagonists
were on the Norman side, Henri I, Baudelaire, and on the French side,
King Louis VI, the Fat. There is a conspiracy forming,
which aims to try to take control. It is not really a
very violent attack since they will first try to take it by treachery. The conspirators will try to lure
the governor of the place to them, but the governor
will sense the wind coming and will choose to take refuge with his garrison
inside the place of Gizeur. The conspirators will try
something, but the king of the camp, Henri Baudelaire,
is not far away and arrives quite quickly with his army. When he arrives,
the besiegers have already fled since they know they will not stand
a chance, they are not fit to fight against Henri Baudelaire
and his entire army. Following this first threat
and a fire that ravaged Gizor, Henri I Baudelaire seized the opportunity
to develop the fortifications of the stronghold. He replaced the
wooden structures with stone. For example, the first
floors of the current keep date from seven construction campaigns. Gizor also features a shell keep. It is a circular wall
crowning a mound of earth that could house other buildings. Typical of
British castle architecture of the period. This is a constant
in Gizor’s history. It’s going to be a
perpetual arms race. All successive owners will
constantly strive, precisely because of the strategic importance of the place,
to evolve its defensive system because it is truly
the lock of the Vexin. And losing the Vexin
would potentially open the road to Rouen for the King of France. And losing Rouen
means losing Normandy in the long run, which, obviously, these people
absolutely do not want. And over time, we have
seen an evolution of the fortifications. Some were built by the Duke
of Normandy, notably the enclosure. And there are also towers that were
built by Philip Augustus, the Devil’s Tower and the so-called Prisoner’s Tower. Then, as
weapons of war evolved, an artillery boulevard was built. It is the earthen mound located
outside the castle, but which is an integral part of the monument. So this is an element that was
added in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today, we have remains of some buildings, but others have completely disappeared,
notably the royal residences. We know their location. We have evidence that allows us
to attest to the way in which they were constructed. However, no trace of it remains
today. The cellars in Gizorre were used
for storing foodstuffs. All the goods that arrived at
the Gizorre castle passed through the barn at Cannes. At Cannes,
there was a control system for beards. Everything was recorded and checked before
being stored in the cellars. Gisors will also
serve as a dowry for a time. King Louis VII of France
and Henry II Plantagenet decided to negotiate a marriage
between their respective children. Jizor’s place is given as security,
not to one of the two parties, but to Templar knights,
three in total, who will have custody of this dowry
until the marriage is celebrated. And on the day the marriage is celebrated,
the dowry must go to Henry Plantagenet. But Henry Plantagenet was a clever fellow. So, he asks Louis VII to
entrust his daughter to him for her education, which Louis VII accepts a little naively. And then, Henry Plantagenet took advantage of the
fact that the two children were extremely young to
marry them off immediately. This meant that he took over
Gizor Castle very early on. The haste of this marriage is
all the more inappropriate given that at the time of their union, the two brides and grooms
were barely eight years old together. Gizor having regularly been a point of contention
between the two kingdoms, the place is the ideal location
for diplomatic meetings between the sovereigns. This usually took
place under an elm tree. This immense elm tree was the object of
true veneration on the part of Henry II Plantagenet. He had it encircled with metal
and proclaimed that the fate of this tree and that of himself were linked. When a match is organized during
a sweltering summer, the English are in the shade of the foliage
while the French swelter in their armor. That’s all it takes
for the situation to deteriorate and for the French to resort to arms. The English soldiers are forced
to retreat into the fortress. In a fit of rage, the French cut down
the tree so dear to the heart of Henry II. As it happened, Henry died a year
later and Normandy was taken from Ducroix about fifteen years later. Another meeting took place in Gisors
on January 21, 1188 between Henry II Plantagenet and Philip Augustus. This resulted in a diplomatic success. She puts an end to hostilities and the two
sides seal their alliance to join forces in a
third crusade. The following year, Henry II died,
but his son Richard the Heart of Lyon honored his oath and left for Jerusalem on
July 4, 1190, alongside Philip Augustus. But upon his return from the crusade,
the territorial appetites of the King of France put an end to this alliance. By 1196, the situation had changed considerably.
Evaluated. King Philip Augustus,
who is a formidable opponent to Richard the Heart of Lyon,
has decided to launch a major offensive in eastern Normandy. He succeeded, notably through the Russians,
in seizing the castle of Giza. Among other places. And the two protagonists will
meet again, this time at the castle of Gaillon,
to negotiate a treaty, which is also known as
the Treaty of Gaillon. And in this treaty,
in exchange for some other concessions, notably in the Loire Valley,
Richard the Heart of Lyon will leave to Philip Augustus several strongholds
in the Vexin, including the castle of Gizeur. We
know that the Grand Master of the Order of the Temple, Jacques de Molay,
was held in Gizeur. Now, in Gizeur, the only place where
a prisoner can be held is the fortress. In Gizeur, there is what is called a
Philippian tower, that is to say, a tower that was built by King
Philip Augustus. It’s called the Prisoner’s Tower. However, we know from other
examples, for example the castle of Dourdan, for example the castle
of Perronnes, where there are similar towers which
regularly serve as prisons. It is therefore reasonable to assume
that Jacques de Molay, as well as other dignitaries of the temple,
was imprisoned in the tower built by Philip Augustus, which would later be called
the Prisoner’s Tower. The Return of the Prisoner was so
named in the 19th century, at a time when
the Middle Ages were really fantasized about a lot and in which graffiti was found. Some are exceptionally fine,
and legend has it that a prisoner engraved all of these graffiti
using a single nail that he managed to pull out of the door. And then, once that nail was worn or broken,
the prisoner would have died of grief. It is a common practice
for prisoners to carve graffiti on the walls
of what is their prison. So, Gizeur is not in itself
an exception in that there is graffiti on the walls. We don’t know
exactly who created these graffiti. There is talk in particular of a certain
Nicolas Poulain, about whom very little is known. Therefore, it is difficult to link
a specific personality to Gizeur’s graffiti. On the other hand, there are many
religious motifs, which means that it is certainly a way for the people
who have them and who have carried them out to continue to have a form
of devotion, to be able to pray. The graffiti in the Prisoner’s Tower
is not the only mystery surrounding Gizor Castle. In 1928, the town hall hired Roger Lomoy
as gardener and caretaker of the castle. It was the clandestine excavations
undertaken by him that made the fortress famous. He began digging at the level
of the upper courtyard, where a well already existed. He broke his leg,
so he then chose to dig from the cellars. He did create tunnels
inside the clod, but did not support them. After the Second World War,
he informed the town hall that he had found a chapel. He gave the exact lengths. He described sarcophagi. He described a real treasure. This chapel, you say, is 30 meters
long by 9 meters wide, 4.50 meters high. And 19 sarcophagi and 30 shells measuring 2.50
meters long by 1.80 meters high by 1.60 meters wide.
Chests? Chests.
It’s made of gold-plated metal. It was noted that there was no… It’s not that there was no idea. When you rub it, it shines like this. The town hall does not give credence
to the statements of its employee, but nevertheless dispatches
the fire chief. He is used to difficult access,
but the Omois works are so unstable that the
firefighter cannot go to the end. He nevertheless instinctively throws
a stone and hears an echo. This is the last time
this puy can be observed. The excavations that were too dangerous were
filled in and the caretaker was dismissed immediately. The problem is that unfortunately,
it will be triggered by a book that will appear
in the early 60s by Gérard de Cède, called The Templars
are among us. A kind of frenzy around Gizeur
will attract to the castle all the dowsers, all the mediums,
all the amateur treasure hunters of creation. All these clandestine searches
will simply weaken the fashion industry. It was necessary to consolidate the entire site,
which was genuinely threatened at that time. There are concrete pillars that have
been poured, 15 pillars of 27 meters. The only concrete element of this
Gizeur story is, above all, that it almost jeopardized a treasure
that previous centuries had bestowed upon us. The
city and its elected officials have a responsibility to maintain the heritage for its
safety, but also to pass it on to future generations. So, currently, the construction site in progress
is the so-called Prisoner’s Tower, which is a tower that dates back to the 13th century. We will be able to reopen this tower, which has
been closed to the public for 20 years. The Gizanciens are very attached
to the castle because, firstly, it is in the heart of the city. It’s a garden, so everyone can
walk around and explore it with their children. He has always been there. The Gizanciens grew up with it. They are really very
attached to its story. A
few kilometers from Gisors, an imposing fortress built
on the heights of a rocky massif overlooks the Seine. This is the iconic Château-Gaillard,
a building also erected and protected by the Franco-Norman rivalry. When Philip Augustus and Richard the Heart
of Lyon signed the Treaty of Gaillon, the border was moved and
no fortifications protected it anymore. The King of England,
also Duke of Normandy,
needed to block access to Rouen, the Norman capital, in order to protect his kingdom. To do this, he exploits the geography
of the small village of Les Andelys. We have a rock, in fact,
which is suitable for having a fairly large castle, and which will also allow us to have
a direct view of the Seine. This territory, in Les Andelys,
we did not have the right to fortify it because it belonged
to the archbishops of Rouen. They’re starting the work anyway. So naturally, the archbishop
decided not to let it go. He places the ban
on the land of Normandy. This means that no
religious services can take place. So, in the Middle Ages, it was important. And he refers it to the Pope. The Pope, for his part, decides that there is a case
of force majeure for Richard the Heart of Lyon, so he gives him the right
to keep the site of the castle and the village to fortify, but he must compensate
the Archbishop of Rouen and he will give him salt marshes, mills,
things that bring in money. According to what contemporary texts tell us
, it was built in a real hurry,
which suggests that there was an absolutely incredible number of workers
mobilized on this construction site for a pharaonic undertaking in just one year. Upon seeing her, Richard reportedly exclaimed:
How beautiful my one-year-old daughter is. Upon seeing the fortress, Philip Augustus is said to have exclaimed: “I would take it even if its walls were made of iron.” Richard Cœur de Lyon, for his part,
is said to have retorted: I will keep it even if its walls were made of butter. During his crusade,
Richard the Lionheart observed the fortresses and
defensive structures of the East. This experience allowed him to enrich
Plantagenet architecture, and the Andely construction site provided the perfect opportunity. Château Gaillard is one of the first
European castles to benefit from this new knowledge. And it is often compared to the crack cocaine
that Richard may have seen in the Middle East. So, it’s not the crack we know
today since there have been many developments, but the one he was able to
see, indeed, Château-Gaillard can resemble it. Cylindrical flanks are found there. For example,
on the keep of Château-Gaillard, there are large arches for
machicolations on the buttress. Also characteristic
of Plantagenet architecture, there is a sharp spur on the attack side of the keep. And then, on Château-Gaillard, we have
what is called the advanced work, which is a part in front of the castle
itself, since the site that was chosen for Château Gaillard is indeed
very good for protecting the Seine, but it has a small defect. This is not the highest point,
this is not the culminating point. We have a plateau that is
slightly higher. So, we add this kind of large
buttress which is also found on forts in the Middle East
during the Crusades. In Richard the Heart of Lyon,
Philip Augustus has an adversary worthy of him, but no one is eternal. And in 1199, Richard the Heart of Lyon met his
death while besieging a Limousin fortress, a trawl castle. Philip Augustus will take advantage of
the disappearance of his main adversary to attack an opponent who is
much weaker and much less reactive. This adversary
is the successor of Richard the Heart of Lyon, the famous John Lackland,
the harsh character from the adventures of Robin Hood or Yvannoué. Philip August divided his army. One attack by land and the other
by the Seine in light boats. This is blocked by a series of stakes
and diving soldiers must clear the passage for the attacking fleet. The island at the foot of the castle,
which housed a ducal residence, is completely burned down. The village is looted and part
of the population takes refuge in the castle. A siege will begin there. The initial aim is
not to storm the fortress , but rather to force it
to surrender due to lack of supplies. So, he will begin by surrounding
the entire place by building temporary fortresses and will wait for
time to do its work, hoping to obtain the surrender of the garrison. Château Gaillard is a castle
that was built to withstand a siege. There are
a lot of saddlers in its basements. It is believed that there were potentially
a year to a year and a half’s worth of food reserves for the garrison. Except that there, there is
also a large population with the garrison. And that will inevitably pose a small problem for
the castle commander, Roger Delassy, ​​who,
after a few weeks of siege, will decide to drive out this population
in order to continue to have food. Philip Augustus will refuse to let
these populations pass, who will literally die of hunger
between the garrison of Château-Gaillard, which no longer wants to let them in,
and the troops of Philip Augustus who prevent them from leaving. This kind of no man’s lamp
is going to become a horrific death trap. After several months of siege,
the French Army became more offensive, notably with the use of a
trebuchet, a powerful projectile weapon still very little used at the time,
which certainly had a strong psychological impact on the defenders. But it was the soldiers specializing
in sapping who enabled the first French advance. This technique involves digging through
the rock beneath the structures and lighting a fire in the opening,
which causes part of the fortifications to collapse. Today, we can still see
a strip of vegetation at the site of this undercut. The operation was successful,
the advanced structure was captured. This French success was nevertheless only a
first step, since the besieged retreated and remained well protected
in the second fortified enclosure, which was the lower bailey. To gain access to this
farmyard, they will look for a small hidden entrance,
a slightly less well-protected place they could use. We know that we have about twenty soldiers,
a priori, who found themselves at night below a chapel that
was added by John Lackland in the castle of Gaillard,
with windows that were opened to the outside. And so, the French will be able to
enter by helping each other out. We have a lot of detail
in some of the archives. And some of the French soldiers will
succeed in opening the drawbridge of the lower courtyard to their entire
army waiting behind it. Around this capture of the farmyard,
it was said for a very long time that Château-Gaillard had
been lost because of its latrines. For a very long time in French history,
people certainly didn’t really dare to say that the King of France, Philip Augustus,
had attacked the castle of Gaillard through its chapel. Therefore, the latrine conduit
very close by was favored to explain the possible entry of the French. And then there remains, well, the last
enclosure, plus the Great Keep. But then, the governor of the place,
Roger de Lassy, simply decided to surrender. He knows very well that he
can no longer resist. He was possibly expecting help from
landless people who would never come. And arrest is
the only possible solution. Château-gaillard has fallen. The French army continued its advance,
conquering Rouen and all of Normandy. It was therefore integrated
into the kingdom of France. The fortress loses its role as a
border lookout and no longer has any military value. Like many other fortified castles,
in addition to housing a garrison, it is used as a prison. The most famous of these prisoners are
the beautiful daughters of Philip the Fair, Joan and Margaret of Burgundy. They were guilty
of adultery, secretly meeting their lovers at the Tour de Nesle. Thus, doubt may well hang over
the legitimacy of the royal lineage. This is the famous affair of the
King’s Rumors, which will call into question the order of succession
to the throne of France. Blanche and Marguerite, therefore,
will be locked inside the castle of Ruyères while their
lovers will suffer an abominable torture for crimes of lèse-majesté. Adultery with a woman of royal blood is
considered an act of lèse-majesté. And then, this Marguerite of Burgundy,
she poses a problem because the marriage between Louis, Prince Louis the Quarrelsome,
prevents her from remarrying. So that’s a real problem
for him because he has no other children than a daughter with Marguerite, who
is also suspected of being illegitimate. And then, Marguerite was found
dead after about a year of confinement. So of course, there are many
mysteries surrounding this death. In novels and films,
we often see that she was strangled or suffocated in her cell. That’s not proven,
but it’s true that the facts are against Louis X the Quarrelsome,
since he had in fact already contracted a new marriage and was
indeed only waiting for his wife to disappear so he could remarry. A century later,
during the Hundred Years’ War, the fortified castle was no longer
as strategic a location as it had been in the time of Philip Augustus. It is, however, the scene
of four sieges. And as if history were repeating itself,
it is now the English who are surrounding the square. The wells at
Gaillard Castle are very deep. There were three of them. And when the last rope of the last
accessible well, the one in the upper courtyard of the dungeon, breaks, well,
the soldiers are forced to surrender and leave the castle
because of a broken rope. In the 17th century, the castle was no longer maintained and stones from the fortress began to fall onto the
homes of the Anglisians. The population is
therefore demanding the dismantling of Gaillard Castle to use it as a quarry. Two successive kings of France,
Henry IV and Louis XIII, authorized this dismantling,
initially allowing religious orders to use the materials to
restore, repair, or build churches and convents. And the castle will change enormously
in appearance during this early 17th century to look more like what we
know today with entire sections of walls being undermined
to make them fall and eventually disappear. Whereas
for ages, ancient monuments, remains,
even great cathedrals, had been considered. We viewed them somewhat like warts
in the landscape, looking at them and saying: They are there,
we have no choice but to keep them, we cannot completely tear them down. In the 19th century,
a true notion of preservation and conservation
of what was increasingly considered heritage was born. Even though its building remains in ruins,
it has a revival in its notoriety for its truly romantic ruined look,
typical of what was adored in 19th-century Europe. The 19th century is also the one that saw
the emergence of Impressionism and the light, the landscapes
of Normandy inspired them. William Turner,
Jean-Eugène Clari and Paul Signac, for example,
set up their easels at Les Anglis on the banks of the Seine
and Château-Gaillard became their model.
For many people, Château-gaillard remains a monument, a very, very important site. So, first of all, for the English. Why is it a source of pride
to have the Château de Gaillard? Because today,
we still talk about it a lot. It is in all history books
and it is also very important to a part of the English population. It’s true that there are many English people
who come to visit Gaillard Castle saying, when they arrive,
it’s a bit like our castle too, since it was Richard the Heart
of Lyon who had it built. And Richard the Lionheart
was, first and foremost, an English king. And we go as far as the Americans,
since in England we also have cruises on the Seine,
which inevitably stop to visit Château-Gaillard. And many Americans have
roots in England. And so, this Richard the Heart of Lyon aspect
means that there are people who remain attached to this ruin, to this castle,
for its history, in fact. But Norman castle heritage is
not limited to medieval castles. North of the Anglis, near Rouen,
the Château de Martinville offers a pivotal architecture,
clearly from the beginning of the Renaissance, but retains codes
of medieval fortresses. It is a rural dwelling made of
pink bricks that does not appear to have been eroded by the centuries. And yet, if it had not become
a museum dedicated to Normandy, it would probably have become a ruin. The castle of Martinville
is, in fact, a dream of grandeur. This is the dream of a character
named Jacques le Pelletier.
Jacques Lepeltier. He is someone who is
very prominent in Rouen. He is an alderman.
These are the people who run the city. He made a lot of money
by chartering ships and reselling his goods,
but his dream is to become a nobleman. But he is not noble. To do this, he goes to an estate
in Martinville. And on this land, he will want to
build a castle. He’s even going to go further. He will give up trading,
simply because a nobleman must live off the produce of his land. The Château de Martinville is,
I would say, the prime example of Early Renaissance architecture in Normandy. In fact, it is quite early in its
construction since it was built in only about ten
years, between 1485 and 1495. The building by Jacques Lepeltier,
at this beginning of the renaissance, retains some codes
of the fortresses of the Middle Ages. The massive circular towers,
the arrow slits and the sawn stones that evoke machicolations. These elements no longer have
defensive effectiveness since the progress of artillery,
but they are there to mark the power of the lord of the place. By doing this, Lepeltier Le Pelletier
seeks to show that he is, if not noble, then that he is the master of the land. And this castle
is the mark of a land belonging to a person. The use of brick was very
early at that time, but Jacques Le Pelletier,
who traded with Flanders, was inspired by the architecture
of Flanders and therefore by the use of brick. No trace remains of the gardens as
they were when the castle was built in 1485. The first records that allow us
to imagine them date from the beginning of the 18th century. At the foot of the castle was the vegetable garden as well
as the formal French garden, which the lord could access
directly through the gate in the east facade. More broadly,
the challenges were surrounded by a 25-hectare park with an orchard
and a grove that supplied the house with firewood. The garden that is being offered to you
today, which is called the rediscovered garden,
is a Renaissance-inspired garden in terms of its layout,
which is very geometric, with a central axis, and on the other hand, which is
contemporary in its plantings, since it contains grasses,
which are contemporary species. There is also an heir to
a tradition, since the garden is bordered in places by
espaliered apple and pear trees, reminiscent of the orchard as it might have
been in the 18th century, at the Château de Martinville. And then, we will obviously find
a dovecote, a pigeon loft, that is a typical privilege of the nobility. It should be noted that towards the end of his life,
Jacques Lepeltier obtained the title of squire, which was,
one might say, a first step towards entering the nobility. And besides, it’s interesting
because, imagine for example a peasant who has just sown his field
and right behind him, the pigeons of the local lord come to swoop down. And we will see, we will regularly find
recorded in the notebooks of the Oléance of 1789, before the French Revolution,
the abolition of this right of colony. In reality, it is a castle with a
completely modern interior, since one enters directly after
the drawbridge, into a central corridor which serves the ground floor,
the first, the second and the third floor,
the living rooms. And the Château de Chenonceau,
particularly in the Pays de la Loire region, was inspired by the
spatial organization of the Château de Martinville. Jacques Lepeltier, the first
of that name, died in 1510. He was succeeded by his nephew Jacques Lepeltier
, also the second of that name, who would also carry out great works. He will, for example,
want to widen the windows. He will want to fill in the gaps. We are in the Renaissance period,
King Francis I is building Chambord. And we must understand that we are
truly entering a new era. The nobility no longer wants to be content
with living in dark spaces. She wants homes that are open
to the outside, often with gardens, with large windows,
large doors. We are entering a new era,
we are also changing our approach, and we are changing both our mentality and our fashion,
quite simply. Then,
the castle remained in the family and it was Richard Lepeltier who obtained
the ennoblement and the transformation of the name from Lepeltier
to De Martinville in 1571. The castle would remain in the
de Martinville family until the middle of the 18th century. Then, a secondary branch
of the family will inherit it. The 18th century was the era of the rise of the
peasantry in Normandy, and the Martinville estate was no exception. The landscapes of Normandy are changing. Lands least suitable for
cereal cultivation become pastures for cattle farming. Norman dairy products are highly
valued and are rapidly gaining renown. The various cheeses,
but especially the cream and butter, are a great success and can
be sold as far away as Paris. The region supplies 55 percent of the
fresh butter and up to 90 percent of the salted butter for the capital. And the castle will then pass
from owner to owner. We know in particular that in 1856,
all the furniture from the Château de Martinville was dispersed and sold. It was occupied by the Prussians in 1870,
who burned much of the woodwork. Then, the castle was sold
to a bailiff from Blainville-Crevon in 1894, who began to dismantle it. It was a cattle dealer
who bought it in 1905. And so, at that time,
the castle was in very poor condition, although it had been
listed as a historical monument in 1889. But as it was in very poor condition,
the State, without concern, in 1906, bought back the Château de Martinville,
which was initially assigned to the Ministry of Agriculture,
which served as a repository for works of art from the entire Northern Front during
the First World War. And then, in 1955, it became
the first museum of folk arts and traditions in Normandy. It was the museum’s first curator,
Daniel Lavallée, who collected the pieces for this museum, which opened in 1961. The permanent exhibition includes,
among other things, a collection that traces the history of furniture in Normandy,
and in particular wardrobes. Indeed, the Norman wardrobe is a
famous piece of furniture, and this is certainly because it has a central position
in one of the region’s traditions. In the first part of the 19th century,
this piece of furniture was the dowry offered to newlyweds. The oak tree is cut down as soon as
the girl is born. The planks were cut at his communion
and assembled only at the time of the engagement. These are true masterpieces,
to be admired on the wedding day, and cabinetmakers can
only make two of them per year. Therefore, it is often the delivery date
of the wardrobe that determines the date of the ceremony. The whole of Normandy includes a set
of pottery centers which is very important, since there was a significant clay deposit
in what is called the Pays de Bray buttonhole, which runs
along Seine-Maritime to Bovesie. So, in Seine-Maritime,
more precisely, we have important earthenware centers,
such as the Forge-les-Eaux Center, which, at the end of the 18th century,
produced fine earthenware inherited from England,
then tin-glazed earthenware, which is commonly called acu-noire today. We have everything we need, in fact,
to produce glass and ceramics. We have forests, therefore abundant wood,
where we can build ovens. We have sand and we also have ferns
, which are particularly interesting for glass,
for glass production. On the second floor,
they evoke life in the 19th century on farms in the different
territories of the former Upper Normandy. We discuss furniture,
daily life in the Eure department, in the Pays de Caux,
in the Pays de Bray and on the coast. Next, the top floor is dedicated to the history of textiles and the history of costume in Normandy,
but also to the history of music, since Normandy has been a center
for luthiers and important instrument makers since the Middle Ages. Martinville and its museum embody the connection
that Normans maintain with their tangible, as well as intangible, heritage. And literature occupies a large
place within the latter. The stories told
by Gustave Flaubert or Guy de Maupassant, for example,
draw on the atmosphere of their native Normandy and
often serve as the backdrop for their plots. The inhabitants of the territory reciprocate this support
and take pride in it. Closer to the coast, near Dieppe,
on August 5, 1850, the castle of Miromenil was the site of a happy event. This little being who comes into the world
is Guy de Maupassant, an event that contributes to the identity
of the castle, although its history is much older. The oldest part,
still standing on the Miromesnil estate, is the chapel. It is inherited
from earlier constructions. She is in a clearing. It has a
rather rough exterior appearance of flint and sandstone. And when you walk through the door,
well, it’s absolutely incredible. You have both 18th century woodwork,
you have both 18th century woodwork, you have
16th century polychrome stone statues of Flemish inspiration that have not been decapitated.
Amazing. You also have magnificent stained glass windows from
the 16th century. After the medieval fortress,
there is a fortified class which is exactly under the current castle
and which was demolished in 1589. 1589, Battle of Arc,
Jacques Dielle fought on the side of Henry IV, and when he returned,
his castle had been completely demolished, both by the troops of Henry IV,
and by the troops of the Duke of Mayenne. And we did use
the foundations, which were quite important, and
especially the existing water source, to rebuild the current castle. This castle is interesting for more than one
reason because, in fact, it has two faces. It has a south facade
which is quite characteristic of the Henry IV era, with a large
red brick facade. At the corners, we always find a symbol
of power, a symbol of nobility: two large round towers that mark
the power of the lord of the place. There used to be loopholes that
allowed people to defend themselves, to fight. Jacques Dielle then
died and it was his nephew who took over Miromenile, who
embellished the north facade. And this north facade, therefore,
there is a 50-year difference, ultimately, between the two facades. And she was there no longer because we
were at war, but on the contrary, to show that we had a superb castle. We will find, for example,
engaged pilasters. We’re going to find a sculpture setting. The angles are much more right-angled. There are fewer round shapes. You obviously have the fire pots which
are incredible, which are on the roof. And we would put oil in it,
light it, and that would illuminate the facade. Next, we added large windows
to really get that through light which is absolutely magnificent
and which also characterizes the place. And we have a castle,
ultimately, on a human scale. The coat of arms on the north facade is
that of Armand Thomas U de Miromenil. The illustrious figure that the
Miromini estate gave to France. He is remembered for his
empathy and kindness towards the most destitute. As a guardsman for Louis XVI and first
president of the Parliament of Normandy, he was particularly concerned
about the condition of the peasants working on these lands and hired a doctor
and a baker to combat famine and epidemics. This character is somewhat the archetype
of what was called at that time the honest man, that is to say a
good man, curious about everything, rather kind to his
interlocutors, without excessive pretension. It was he, in particular,
who requested and obtained in 1780 the abolition of torture
in judicial proceedings. A little Parisian wink,
you know there’s the rue de Miromenille, the Miromenille metro station
, it’s the same man. And he is one of the rare men to have had
a street named after him while he was still alive, which was absolutely exceptional. And so, at the time of the
French Revolution, he was arrested and sent to prison. There was a lull in the fighting and he
managed to settle in Miromenille. And here we have an amusing trace of his
installation since he wrote a revolutionary letter which ends with:
Greetings and fraternity, your fellow citizen. So, he was a guy
who had it all figured out. And he died a peaceful
death in his castle. Another key figure in the story
of Miromenille is, of course, Guy de Maupassant. When talking about Guy de Maupassant,
no Norman can speak to you about Guy de Maupassant without feeling
a little bit of a soft spot for him. This is the Norman soul of Maupassant. Guy de Maupassant’s parents
settled in Miromenicle in 1849. A young couple without a truly fixed home. So, the Maupassant family who
stayed here for four years. Guy de Maupassant took his first steps. I think the Lebanese cedar tree that is
behind it in the park, on the south side, is undoubtedly a witness to all of this. Maupassant returned once with
one of his friends, who was called Robert Pinchon,
and he wrote a letter to his mother saying: I returned to Miromenil,
it didn’t remind me of anything at all. These gloomy things and the people
inside them, we put them back. It’s remarkable, but not very marketable. At the time, it wasn’t us,
so it works out well. But there you have it,
it was a bit of a… It’s one of the traces, one of the only traces we have of
Maupassant’s passage, as an adult, to Miromenil. The Miromenil estate,
in addition to its castle, is renowned for its plant heritage. The building is in the middle of a
200-meter-long stand of beech trees, many of which are two hundred years old and
about forty meters tall. The current occupants of the castle,
the Romatais family, are committed to maintaining and enriching the park,
the garden and the vegetable garden. But the jewel of this space
is the gigantic Lebanese cedar, taller than the castle,
which has dominated the park for two centuries. The Miromeny estate is classified as a
remarkable garden of France. This setting preserves and
enhances the castle. At one point,
that is to say in the perspective of the castle, there is an absence of walls
and in its place, there is a ha-ha. So, the wolf’s leap
was a brilliant method that allowed for a ditch
deep and wide enough to prevent animals from entering and eating all
the flowers in the French gardens, while also
preserving the perspective. So, that’s also what’s
interesting about Irmaine. You have a kilometer of vistas
practically from the end of the property, from south to north. So, we are in the heart of nature
when we are in the castle. And this nature, it sets the rhythm. It sets the rhythm of life. The seasons are extremely important. There are many birds. Right now,
the first swallows have just arrived. And so begins the start of a
new season. The small green leaves, an
extraordinary tender green, are growing. And we will progress like this,
at the pace and throughout the season. And it just so happens that on the left side
of the castle, you have hidden the vegetable garden behind the pink brick wall. And the walls also allow
for the reflection of heat. So, everything that grows here about
three weeks earlier than what grows around it,
which is fun, also protects from the wind
and prevented rabbits or small animals and humans from coming to steal
a delicious carrot or a small cabbage that is growing, etc. We feed vegetables,
so obviously there are very, very few toxic products. That’s obvious. And you also have the small greenhouse in a corner of the vegetable garden
. This is where we sow all the seeds
that we and all our babies grow, grow, grow, and then
everything is transplanted into the vegetable garden. This vegetable garden
is also composed of four large squares and also allows for
crop rotation. This is absolutely essential
if we don’t want to deplete the earth. And here you have a mix of flowers,
fruits and vegetables. Miraménie is like a childhood home to me. I spent a lot of weekends,
a lot of time in France. It was great to see all
the cousins ​​again, they were all coming. It is true that currently,
taking care of such a place is a huge challenge , but each day brings
its share of disasters and happiness. So, as long as it’s
balanced, everything is fine. We tried to understand
what Myromenyle was. We always try to develop it
while keeping the spirit of the place. And ultimately,
it’s a place that touches people. And if they can forget here what they
may experience outside, which can be terrible and difficult,
especially right now. I believe that’s what we’re
always trying to do. I can perhaps just add
one thing by saying that there are many castles in France and I
am amazed and impressed by the fact that all the people who take care of these
castles have this energy, this passion and this
desire to save the heritage. It’s not just a pile
of old stones. It is a place that lives,
that continues to keep alive the memory of things that have happened. And that, I think, is
absolutely magnificent. Really. One of the distinctive features of the castles
built on the land of Normandy is their extraordinary diversity. The medieval fortresses, which are
integrated into the landscape, welcome walkers and stand alongside
the rich Renaissance residences, which contribute to the
cultural activity of the region. Each of these buildings has therefore been able to
reinvent itself in its own way. And all are witnesses to a
story that continues to be written.

Au IXᵉ–Xᵉ siècle naît la Normandie, terre des hommes du Nord. Des ducs aux rois d’Angleterre, des rivalités franco-anglaises à l’essor du chemin de fer au XIXᵉ, la région façonne son identité entre puissance, commerce et arts.

Amoureux de la France et du patrimoine, ses trésors n’auront plus de secrets pour vous 👉https://bit.ly/4dnI1h1

Gisors, place forte frontalière, raconte mille ans de diplomatie et de pierres (Tour du Prisonnier, légendes templières). À flanc de Seine, Château-Gaillard, chef-d’œuvre plantagenêt, témoigne d’innovations militaires et de sièges décisifs. À Martinville, la Première Renaissance normande mêle brique flamande et codes médiévaux. À Miromesnil, naissance de Maupassant, façades Henri IV, chapelle et grand parc classé.

Poteries, faïences, textiles, musique et littérature complètent ce panorama d’un patrimoine vivant.

CHATEAUX D’HIER ET D’AUJOURD’HUI – CHATEAUX DE NORMANDIE
© Tout droits réservés – AMP

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