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Château de Champtocé à Champtocé-sur-Loire en Maine-et-Loire

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château fort

Château de Champtocé

    1 Impasse du Château
    49123 Champtocé-sur-Loire
Private property
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Château de Champtocé
Crédit photo : Romain Bréget - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1900
2000
vers 1000
First mention of the site
début XIe siècle
Control by Champtocé
1212
Allegiance to Philippe Auguste
XIIIe siècle
Current form of the castle
1437
Sale by Gilles de Rais
1926
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Château de Gilles de Rays (rests): inscription by order of 16 June 1926

Key figures

Foulques Nerra - Count of Anjou First known lord of the site.
Hugues de Champtocé - Founding knight First member of the Champtocé lineage.
Marie de Craon - Lady of Chantocé Gilles de Rais' mother.
Gilles de Rais - Marshal of France Born in the castle, sold in 1437.
Jean V de Bretagne - Duke of Brittany Acquisition of the castle in 1437.
François d’Avaugour - Lord of Montfalcon Owner from 1486.

Origin and history

The Château de Champtocé, built on a schistose promontory overlooking the Loire and the Romme, is mentioned as early as the year 1000 under the name of Cantosciaco. Foulques Nerra, Count of Anjou, initially infeoded there a vassal named Orry before entrusting it, at the beginning of the eleventh century, to the family of Champtocé, knights responsible for controlling river traffic. Around 1075-1084, the site is called castelum, confirming its defensive role. In the 12th century, the fief passed into the hands of the House of Craon through the marriage of Tiphaine de Champtocé with Maurice I de Craon, marking the beginning of a long possession by this lineage.

In the Middle Ages, Champtocé became a strategic stronghold of Anjou on the right bank of the Loire, serving both as a bulwark against the Duchy of Brittany and as a lucrative river toll. In 1212, during the war between Capetians and Plantagenes, Amauri de Craon supported Philippe Auguste and undertook to give him the fortress. The castle takes its present form in the 13th century, with a enclosure with eleven towers. His reputation is mainly related to Gilles de Rais (1405-1440), born in his walls, Marshal of France and companion of Jeanne d'Arc, who sold him in 1437 to the Duke of Brittany Jean V before his execution for crimes.

After 1437, the castle passed under Breton control with the House of Montfort, then was played by the Valois kings (Charles VII, Louis XI) during the nobiliary leagues of the 15th century. An agreement of 1486 attributed to Francis d'Avaugour, the natural son of Duke Francis II, whose descendants preserved him until 1699. In the 18th century, the estate was sold to the Walsh family via Madeleine-Diane de Bautru de Serrant. Today, there is only one double door chestnut (carrying and pedestrian), a steep tower, and underground rooms accessible by a poterne. The absence of archaeological studies leaves its internal organization largely unknown.

Ranked a historic monument in 1926, the Château de Champtocé embodies medieval military architecture, marked by its geostrategic role between Anjou and Brittany. Its history reflects feudal conflicts, marriage alliances and economic issues related to the Loire, the major river of trade and transport in the Middle Ages. The present, though partial, remains testify to its past importance as the first line of defence and symbol of seigneurial power.

External links