1 - Beginning of Xe century 911 - Treaty of Saint-Clair on-Epte
1 - Beginning of Xe century
911 - Treaty of Saint-Clair on-Epte. Creation of the duchy of Normandy.
931 - The Norman ones reach Alençon and set fire to Chartres. The Pole "goes separating" occupies a strategic position border, because located between the royal field and the territories occupied by the Norman ones.
2 - Second half of Xe century
To protect itself from these terrible neighbors, the count of Chartres, Thibault the Cheater, vassal on king de France, decides to install in Nogent, in avant-garde, one of his faithful of the name of ROTROLDUS, in order to take care of the border. Thus appears in the history, the first lord of Nogent. Rotrou, whose name was given to its dynasty. On a site, which passes to have been occupied since antiquity, Rotrou Ier makes rebuild, probably drink some, a castle with the site of older which would have been demolished by the Danes.
3 - Beginning XIe century
Its successor Geoffroy II fact of building in the years the 1020 keep hones some that we admire still today. To this time the small bays in semicircular arch go back which one sees on the last floor. The keep is established in advanced defensive position. It is protected in the west by natural defenses; in the east, side plate, a ditch of a score of meters of broad and deep from seven to eight meters is spread in half-circle to meet at the place where the plate overhangs of an about sixty meters the valley of Huisne.
In 1028, the Saint-Denis abbey is rested by Geoffroy III, frightening warrior, as a sign of repentance. The charter of foundation, written in 1031, locates the abbey "between Huisne and the strong castle of Nogent". It is the first time that in a charter the existence of the castle appears. In 1079, the lords of Nogent take the title of counts of the Pole. In 1100, Rotrou III learns death from his/her father, Geoffroy IV, first count of the Pole, whereas it takes part in the head office of Jerusalem (1099), at the time of the first crusade.
4 - End XIe in XIIe century
Between the rides and the combat, the lords of Nogent live the keep and bring some elements of comfort there: creation of geminated bays with lancets in slightly broken arc and bored tympanum of a losangé oculus, construction of chimneys.
Between 1100 and 1144, Rotrou III, known as the Large one, leaves with six recoveries its grounds of the Pole to go guerroyer against the Arabs, to Spain and Holy Land. At the time of its briefs returns on its native soil, it takes an active share, at the sides of the duke of Normandy, king d' Angleterre, with the competitions with the king of France, for which Robert the Devil fights, lord of Bellême. In 1113, it receives Bellême of Henri it, Beauclerc, in reward of its services. With its death, Rotrou III leaves a powerful, sovereign and independent county.
In the medium of XIIe century, buttresses come to reinforce the four angles of the keep, as well as the faces is, southern and western. Between 1144 and 1191, Rotrou IV takes an active part in the conflict which always opposes France and England. In 1191, it finds death under the walls of Saint Jean-to Acre in Palestine.
5 - End XIIe at the beginning XIVe century
The military architecture changes radically: influence that of the Close East, creation of a military body of engineers by Philippe Auguste. In 1204, Philippe-Auguste conquers Normandy and confiscates it with Jean-Without-Ground. The county of the Pole loses thus its character of frontier zone.
In 1217, Thomas, 5th count of the Pole, is killed with the battle of Lincoln on May 20, 1217. The crown prince Louis VIII, wire of Philippe-Auguste, of "felt the greatest pain".
In 1226, the Pole is plain with the crown of France. To XIIIe and XIVe centuries, no significant modification is made to the fortress.
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.
http://www.casteland.com/puk/castle/centre/eure_loir/nogent/nogentle_rotrou_hist2.htm
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