Castle of Nogent le Rotrou

History of the castle

6 - The One hundred Year old war

The One hundred Year old war will replace the Pole in the center of the Franco-English competition and will give again with the castle of Nogent a defensive role which it had not played any more for several centuries. The Pole, asserted like Normandy by the kings of England, had to undergo on several occasions the fatal attacks of the English.
In 1359, the English seize Nogent as well as castle and on October 24, 1360 with the Treaty of Brétigny, Édouard, king d' Angleterre, restores the places of Nogent and Beaumont. In 1424 after the Battle of Verneuil, the Pole passes to the English. In 1427, the castle of Nogent is taken again by the French.
In 1428, the castle, although valiantly defended by the Gascon captain Pallière, does not resist the attack conducted by the count de Salisbury. The attack relates especially to the north-eastern angle. A wall side yields on all the height of the keep, of which the interior is set fire to, then left to the abandonment. The Saint-Etienne vault, built in the enclosure of the castle in 1122 pennies Rotrou III, is also destroyed. In 1447, the English are definitively driven out Pole.

7 - End XVe at the beginning XVIe century

It is to the "young ladies of Armagnac" that one allots the current aspect of the castle: rebuilding of the home above the passage arched in cradle, formant rez of roadway, heightening of the turns of the entry crowned of decorative machicolations. The "steps of Jean Saint" connecting the castle to the district of Pâty go back to this time.

8 - XVIe century

The seigniory of Nogent-le-Rotrou passes to the family of theCop, which frequently remains there. The castle is the theatre of a sumptuous life: in 1558, one celebrates the new drafting of the habits of the Large-Pole; in 1566, one celebrates the birth of Charles of Bourbon, future count de Soissons. The poets of Pleïade interpret "the Judgement of Pâris".
1568 - These festivals know bloody following days during the wars of religion. It is at this period, probably, that the tower of the Chair is levelled down to be transformed into terrace with gun.

9 - XVIIe at the XVIIIe centuries

1624 - The duke of Sully becomes owner of the castle. The project imposing which had been considered by the minister of Henri IV - to reverse the old keep of the counts of the Pole to rebuild a traditional residence of style - were not fortunately I ever realized. The small house of style Louis XIII is the only vestige of this period. The alley of elms that Sully made plant on the circumference external of the enclosure is cut down - two centuries later.
1641 - Died of Sully. Its burial is high in the hotel God of Nogent and is next to the NotreDame church.
1779 - The descendants of Sully sell the baronnie of Nogent to the count d' Orsay who was the last lord of Nogent. 1789-1801 - During the Revolution, the castle is transformed into prison. Collegial St Jean, built in 1094 per Geoffroy IV outside the enclosure of the castle, is cut down in 1798.

10 - XIXe at the XXe centuries

During these two centuries, the castle passes between several hands. The 9 juin1836, Victor Hugo written to his wife "We saw and visited in Nogent it Rotrou this castle which one wanted to sell to me, there are six to seven years. Nanteuil makes of them for you a sketch of remembering while I write to you. The outside of the castle is still very beautiful and superbly dominates an immense horizon of undulating plains. Interior N is that dilapidation ".

In 1843, Oeillet of the Walls acquires the castle and undertakes many work of restoration. The "breach of English" is dissimulated by a wall of plating to windows, overcome machicolation. The ground floor of the keep is bored several windows. The windows of the home and the turns are increased, the restored floors and ceilings. Exhausted and partly ruined per so many work, Oeillet of the Walls resells the fortress with Dr. Jousset de Bellesme. In 1885, Historian of the Pole and impassioned archaeologist, this one continues the work undertaken by his predecessor.Several interventions are carried out on the keep; most visible and discussed being the re-establishment of the crenellation of the keep in 1905.

In 1950, damaged by the conflicts of the Second War, the castle is bought by the town of Nogent it Rotrou. Very significant work of restoration is then undertaken in order to arrange the home of the castle in museum of ethnography and local history and in showrooms. Since 2001, the restoration and the development of the keep and tower of the Chair are in hand.

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