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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Folleville Castle, located in the Somme, is an ancient castle whose remains date mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries. It was rebuilt at the site of an 11th century quadrangular dungeon, destroyed during the jacquerie of 1358. During the Hundred Years War, it was disputed between French, Bourguignons and English, suffering successive destruction and reconstruction. In 1440, English captain John Talbot took over with his artillery, before the Bourguignons partially dismantled him to deprive their enemies.

At the end of the 15th century, Raoul de Lannoy, rewarded by Louis XI for his bravery, undertook his reconstruction after his marriage to Jeanne II de Poix in 1478. The castle became a seigneurial residence welcoming the kings of France: Louis XI in 1477, Charles VIII in 1492, and François I in 1544, who published there a royal ordinance linked to the Peace of Crépy-en-Laonnois. Lannoy's family reigned there until the 17th century, before the estate passed to the Gondi and then to the Sericourt.

In the 18th century, the Marshal of Mailly ordered his partial demolition from 1777 to reuse his stones in another castle. The ruins, including a 25-metre watchtower and remains of walls and moats, were classified as a historical monument in 1992. Today, the site is animated by medieval festivals and managed by the Community of Communes of Val de Noye, perpetuating its historical heritage.

The castle was characterized by a body of rectangular houses flanked by round towers, with missing wings and access by a bridge with three arches. Its quadrilateral plan and dry ditches testify to its defensive role. After belonging to religious congregations, the ruins were acquired in 1990 by a local community, which ensured its preservation and tourist development.

Among the notable events, the castle will house Vincent de Paul, preceptor of the children of Philippe-Emmanuel de Gondi in the seventeenth century. The Médiévales de Folleville, organized since 2003, celebrate each year its past through reconstructions and animations, attracting a passionate audience of living history.

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