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History of the castle
 In
1035, the duke of Normandy Robert the Splendid one dies in crusade.
He leaves for heir child a 7 year old, Guillaume the Bastard one,
who will have to face the revolt of his paternal uncles: Mauger
archbishop of Rouen and Guillaume, count d' Arques.
Located at one mile and half in the south-east of Dieppe, the castle
of Arch rises on a hill arid and rocky dominating two vallèes
and surrounded of an immense ditch, dug hand of man. He was surrounded
in the beginning of a palisade of protection. The construction of
the castle would have taken place between 1040 and 1045 per Guillaume
of arch. Built of wood and ground, it rises on this natural hillock.
This feudal mound could be 10 meters top. Hardly built, its William
the Conqueror nephew besieges the castle of his uncle félon
in revolt, that the famine makes capitulate in 1053 after one year
of painful seat. This event will remain marked in the spirit of
the duke of Normandy which will always take care to secure fidelity
of this fortified town.
In 1123 young person wire of William the Conqueror become Henri
1st king d' Angleterre reinforces the castle with a square keep
and a wall. In 1355, the keep is restored, the well feeding the
castle has a depth of 106 then measure. In 1145, Étienne
of Boulogne and Geoffroy Plantagenêt dispute the Duchy of
Normandy under its walls. In 1204, Philippe Auguste annexes Normandy
and seizes the castle with Richard Lion Heart: it is the last fortress
Norman to be gone to king de France.
In 1367 Charles V makes make "new bridges and a neufve carries
to the chastel of Arch" (back bridge levis). During the one
hundred year old war, the citadel is the place of many confrontations,
passing from the one with the other on several occasions. Talbot
and Warvick seize on January 27, 1420 it. In 1431, it is the Bouteiller
captain, who delivers Jeanne d' Arc to the torturer. Charles the
bold fire the borough in 1472, but the castle resists.
In 1544 and 1545, king François Ier accomplishes frequent
stays with Arques to monitor work of the artillery bastion of the
entry of the castle, with his four reinforced towers. The Duke of
Bubble, driven out dieppe by the Protestants takes refuge there
May the 5, and 6 1562. In 1589 Henri IV will install his batteries
there to beat the duke of Mayenne. (By error the guns destroy the
porch of the church.)
In 1708, Louis XIV declares the old citadel "unsuitable with
the service". Given up militarily since 1668 the dismantling
of the building starts at the beginning of the XVIIIème century.
Louis XVI closes down the citadel whose inhabitants are authorized
to take the stones. In 1793, the monument is sold like communal
good.
In 1836, a black band proposes to ensure the complete demolition
of it and to resell materials of them. A movement of interest for
this formidable ruin is organized around Achille Déville,
Mr. Jules Reiset and Mrs. Reiset (owner) impassioned amateurs, buy
it to avoid this destruction to him. In 1860, parts were arranged
in museum.
In 1868, the state becomes about it owner and Historic building
classifies it in 1875. This museum still existed with the day before
of war 14-18, and even afterwards, but closed definitively in 1939.
During the second world war it was occupied by the German army.
It was used as station of monitoring with D.C.A and an ammunition
dump was even installed there.
With the end of the Seventies, a guard commented on the visits.
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