Origin and history
The castle of Caen, founded around 1060 by William the Conqueror, rises on a rocky spur overlooking the Orne valley. This strategic site, chosen to control Lower Normandy and compete with Rouen, quickly became a major citadel. The Duke erected a palace, a chapel (Saint George), and a fortified enclosure, marking the birth of a "castral village" around a flourishing economic axis. The absence of an initial link between the castle and the city, whose only door is to the north, reflects its primary vocation: to assert the ducal authority over an expanding agglomeration.
In the 12th century, William's son Henri I Beauclerc radically transformed the fortress. He raised the ramparts, added eleven quadrangular towers and two circular towers, and built a dungeon-palais near the north gate (1120-1123). This dungeon, surrounded by a 3.50 m thick wall, forms a "castle in the castle". At the same time, he built the Chesquier Hall, a Grand Hall twice as large as the previous one, a place of festivals and ceremonies designed to impress, such as the lavish reception of Louis VII in 1158. The castle, the seat of the chessboard of Normandy (court and tax administration), also houses the royal treasure and a ducal prison, confirming its central political role.
The conquest of Normandy by Philippe Auguste in 1204 marks a turning point. The king of France modernizes the defences: he girds the dungeon with a shirt flanked by four round towers (inspired from the Louvre), digs a horse iron ditch to the north (the Roquette), and adds two circular towers to the east and west doors (Mathilde and Puchot). The front door is moved east (field gate), and the command is unified under a chastel and city captain. The castle, however, lost its status as a princely residence: royal visits became scarce (Saint Louis in 1256, Philip the Bel in 1307), and its use shifted towards administrative, with the permanent installation of the baili of Caen in the Logis du Roi (XIVth century).
During the Hundred Years' War, the castle regained strategic importance. Taken by Édouard III in 1346 because of old defences, he was strengthened: the southern cantern became the fortified Saint Peter gate, and a barbacan was added. Under English occupation (1417-1450), the defences were further improved, but after the French reconquest, the site declined militarily. The bailiff leaves the compound for Geôle Street, and the abandoned dungeon deteriorates. The internal conflicts (public good league in 1467) and the wars of Religion (seat of 1563 by Coligny) reveal its weaknesses: a breach is opened in three days of bombing, leading to its surrender.
From the 17th century the castle became a barracks and a prison. The ramparts are adapted to artillery (rear, slope), and military buildings gradually replace medieval structures. In 1789 the revolutionaries took over, and the dungeon was partially destroyed by order of the Convention (1793) to punish the federalist insurrection. In the 19th century, the army installed the Lefèbvre barracks (1877), razing the last remains of the dungeon and filling the ditches. During World War II, the site, occupied by the Germans, was heavily bombed during the Battle of Caen (1944), destroying part of the ramparts and buildings.
Since 1956, the castle has been owned by the city of Caen. Restored in its medieval state, it has been home since 1963 to the Museum of Normandy (in the Logis des Gouverneurs) and, since 1970, the Museum of Fine Arts, semi-entered to preserve the harmony of the places. Archaeological excavations (Michel de Boüard, INRAP) revealed major remains: the second hall of the 12th century, medieval forges, and graffiti of prisoners in the St. Peter's Gate. Today, the site, classified as Historical Monument, combines heritage (Saint George's Church, chess hall) and modernity (sculpture park, temporary exhibitions), while preparing the full opening of its ramparts and dungeon to the public (the castle in its walls project, 2020-2026).
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