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Origin and history

The castle of Happlaincourt, built in the 13th century, was a fortified quadrilateral surrounded by ditches, located on the shores of the Northern Canal in Villers-Carbonnel (Somme). It was largely destroyed during World War I, leaving today only remains of towers and walls. The seigneury belonged to the family of Happlaincourt until the 16th century, before moving on to the d'Etampes by marriage in 1578, then to the d'Amerval in 1713.

In June 1576, the castle was the meeting place of local lords, including Jacques d'Humières, to draft a manifesto founding the Catholic League in Picardia. This text, published in 1577, called for the restoration of the Catholic religion and for royal obedience. The movement, supported by Spain, spread rapidly to cities like Peronne, Amiens and Abbeville.

In the 19th century, the castle, then owned by the Jallu family, still retained a body of stone houses on two levels, flanked by towers and a central pavilion. Drawings of the Duthoit brothers and old photographs bear witness to his appearance before his destruction in 1914. The ruins, inscribed as historical monuments in 1926, recall its strategic and architectural importance.

The historical sources, including the works of Abbé Paul Decagny (1865) and the archives of the Merimée base, confirm his role in regional history, especially during the Wars of Religion. Today, the site offers a poignant testimony of the transformations suffered by the medieval picardic heritage.

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