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Origin and history

The castle of Bonneville-sur-Touques is an ancient 12th century castle built on the site of an 11th century ducal mansion. Located in Calvados, Normandy, it dominates the lower Touques valley and its medieval port, once crucial for connections with England. Its remains, classified as historical monuments in 1964, include a polygonal enclosure flanked by six towers and deep ditches.

The site initially housed a mansion of William the Conqueror (v. 1027-1087), where key events of the Norman conquest of England took place, such as the oath of Harold Godwinson. Between 1170 and 1180, Henry II Plantagenet erected the present castle, which became a privileged residence for the Dukes of Normandy and the Kings of England. The castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years War, passing alternately under English or French control.

Over the centuries, the castle lost its strategic importance after the siltation of the port of Touques. Partly dismantled in the 16th century, he served as a prison during World War II under German occupation, then for collaborators after the Liberation. The archaeological excavations of 1965 revealed structures such as the "great hall", the "room the Roy", and houses backed by ramparts, although most of the buildings have now disappeared.

The castle was the scene of significant events, such as the arrest of Robert de Bellême in 1112 by Henri I Beauclerc, or his capture by Geoffroy Plantagenet in 1139. In the 15th century, after 32 years of English occupation, it was taken over by the French in 1449. François I stayed there in 1545, and the Admiral of Coligny briefly seized it in 1562. Its decline accelerated with the Revolution, when its stones were reused to build the local church.

Today, defensive elements such as the tower of Robert the Devil, the tower of King John, and portions of courtine dating back to the 12th century remain. The site, though ruined, offers an architectural testimony of the struggles of power in Normandy, between Dukes, kings of France and England. Its classification as historical monuments in 1964 preserved these emblematic remains of Norman medieval history.

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