Château de Fauguernon: A Medieval Fortified Castle in France
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Duchy of Normandy, French
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Château de Fauguernon is a ruined fortified castle in France, developed under the medieval feudal order of the Duchy of Normandy from the twelfth to the sixteenth century. It stood at the centre of Fauguernon, a viscounty or barony that ranked among the major fiefs of Normandy. Its holder could sit in the Exchequer, the duchy’s highest financial and judicial institution, and controlled eight knight’s fees, or feudal estates held in return for military service, across Le Pin, Norolles, Saint-Philbert-des-Champs, and neighbouring parishes.
Norman Fief and Bertran Lords
At the beginning of the eleventh century, the fief belonged to Toustain de Bastebourg. By the twelfth century, Fauguernon was associated with the Bertran family, whose holdings extended well beyond the castle. Robert IV Bertran, Baron of Bricquebec, held Fauguernon between 1144 and 1194 together with Roncheville, Fontenay-le-Marmion, half of the town and port of Honfleur, and the Barde estate in Essex.
The castle was defended by Robert Bertran when Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, attacked it in 1147. Robert resisted for three months before the stronghold was captured and dismantled. Geoffrey belonged to the Plantagenet dynasty, which later ruled England. The Bertran connection with Fauguernon continued into the following century. Another Robert Bertran joined Simon de Montfort during the Albigensian Crusade, a thirteenth-century campaign against the Cathar movement in southern France.
In 1275, a division of the Bertran family estates transferred Fauguernon to Guillaume Bertrand. He was the younger brother of a Robert Bertran who retained Bricquebec, Roncheville, and Honfleur. Around the middle of the fourteenth century, Fauguernon passed through marriage first to the Garancières family and then to the Montenay family.
English Occupation and Later Inheritance
Guillaume de Montenay held the castle in 1417, when English royal troops occupied it during the second phase of the Hundred Years’ War. This prolonged conflict between the English and French crowns included the English seizure of Fauguernon and its later recovery by France. French forces recaptured the castle in 1449, after which it returned to the Montenays, who retained it until 1493.
That year, Christophe de Cerisay, Baron of La Haye-du-Puits and chamberlain to Charles VIII, acquired Fauguernon. A chamberlain was a senior officer in a ruler’s household. His only daughter, Marie de Cerisay, brought the castle into the Brézé family through her marriage to Gaston de Brézé, a son of the Count of Maulévrier and lord of Plasnes and Auvercher.
After their son and heir, Louis de Brézé, Bishop of Meaux, died in 1589, the lands of Fauguernon were divided between his first cousins Françoise de Brézé and Louise de Brézé. Françoise was married to Robert IV de La Marck, while Louise was the wife of Claude II d’Aumale. Both women were daughters of Louis de Brézé, Count of Maulévrier, and Diane de Poitiers.
Destruction and Later Lords
Fauguernon was attacked again in 1590 during the Wars of Religion, the late-sixteenth-century conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in France. Members of the Catholic League, a Catholic political and military movement, had taken refuge in the castle. The Duke of Montpensier, governor of Normandy, captured it by cannon fire and ordered its dismantling. The castle has remained in ruins since that destruction.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the lands were sold to Nicolas de Mire, lord of Angerville. His daughter and heir, Françoise de Mire, later married Louis-Jacques Le Conte de Nonant as her second husband. During the eighteenth century, the Le Conte family used the titles Marquises of Pierrecourt, Viscounts, Barons, and High Justiciars of Fauguernon. A high justiciar held extensive judicial authority over a lordship. The family also controlled La Pinterie, Le Pin, Angerville, Betteville, and Forges, presented candidates for several local parish cures, and retained the Fauguernon lands until the French Revolution.
The castle’s position explains its long military importance. It occupied the end of a ridge above the village, at the edge of the Lieuvin plateau and close to the Touques valley. The ruins were entered on France’s register of historic monuments by an order dated 16 October 1930.
Remains
Enclosures and Defensive Works
Château de Fauguernon survives as the remains of a fortified complex arranged across the end of the ridge. A double fortified enclosure surrounded the castle, while deep ditches strengthened its defenses. The earthworks remain visible and help define the physical organization of the site.
Lower Bailey and Farm
The outer enclosure contained a lower bailey occupied by a farm. Its surviving farm buildings retain elements from the sixteenth century, linking the later agricultural use of the complex with the period before the final dismantling. A drawbridge connected this lower area to the second enclosure.
Second Enclosure and Towers
The second enclosure followed an approximately square plan and was protected by very deep ditches. Seven towers flanked its walls, including one that served as a keep. The enclosure walls were two metres thick, giving the inner stronghold a substantial defensive structure. These fragmentary remains preserve the principal fortified layout despite the castle’s destruction in 1590.
