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Origin and history

The Château de Coiselet is a former fortified house built in the 2nd quarter of the 14th century, located in the commune of Matafelon-Granges (Ain), on the banks of the river Ain. This monument, the centre of the seigneury of Coiselet, was originally owned by the Aleman family, vassal of the Sires of Thoire-Villars. In 1370 William and Jean Aleman, son of knight Pierre Aleman, recognized this fief as a tribute. The seigneury remained in their line until Philiberte Aleman, the last heiress, who passed it on by marriage and then by sale in 1517 to the brothers Barthélemy and Philippes de Forcrand, squire lords of Arromas.

The transaction of 1517 specifies that Coiselet is a firm house in justice, sold to repay a debt contracted to Amand Goyet, seigneur of Monthoux. The contract was ratified in 1518 by Claude de Chalant, son of Philiberte. The Forcrands kept the seigneury for several generations: in the seventeenth century, Claude and Antoine de Forcrand were the seigneurs, descendants of Philippes. The castle, partially protected since 1983 (façades and roofs inscribed in the Historical Monuments), bears witness to this feudal history and its transformations in the 15th, 16th and 19th centuries.

Architecturally, the site combines medieval defensive elements and later developments. Its strategic location, near the former border of Burgundy County, highlights its historic role of territorial control. The seigneury of Coiselet, described as pure and frank (without intermediate suzerainety), illustrates the legal autonomy of certain fiefs in the region. Today, the castle remains a marker of local heritage, linked to noble families such as the Aleman, Chalant and Forcrand.

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