Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Courcelles-lès-Gisors was built around 1098 as part of a defensive line ordered by the King of France after the plundering of the Vexin by William the Conqueror in 1087. Composed of a quadrangular dungeon and a fortified shirt, it marked the border between the French Vexin and the Norman Vexin. Its ruins, still visible today, dominate the Ept Valley and testify to its strategic importance.

In 1198, the castle entered history when it was taken by Richard Coeur de Lion, who sought to regain the nearby fortress of Gisors, then controlled by Philippe Auguste. This attack triggered the battle of Courcelles, where Richard defeated the French troops, forcing Philip II to retreat to Gisors. A truce was then concluded between the two sovereigns. The current remains, including a wall of the dungeon and parts of the enclosure, were partially dismantled during the wars of the Fronde in the seventeenth century by order of Cardinal Mazarin.

The site has been classified as historical monuments since 1998 for its defensive elements (donjon, shirt and archaeological soils). It is included in the perimeter protection of the neighbouring church, itself listed in the Additional Inventory of Historic Monuments. The Vexin region, to which Courcelles-lès-Gisors belongs, has also been protected since 1974 for its landscaping and historical heritage.

The excavations and archaeological studies reveal that the castle was a key point of the tensions between Capetians and Plantagenets. Its architecture, typical of medieval fortresses, with a massive dungeon and rectangular enclosure, reflects the military techniques of the period. Seigneurial rights, such as banality (taxes on bread, wine and cider), led to repeated conflicts between the lords of Courcelles and the inhabitants, as evidenced by the archives of the Old Regime.

Among the known lords, Drogon (or Dreux) was cited in 1150 for abuses in Vaudancourt, while Enguerrand, a man of arms, appeared in 1260. In the 15th century, Philippe de Courcelles, the king's great echanson, had numerous seigneuries in the Vexin. These figures illustrate the local importance of the seigneury, linked to the political and military dynamics of the region.

The castle is now owned by an association and accessible to the public. Its ruins, combined with the church of the 12th–12th century and the neighbouring washhouses, form a remarkable heritage complex. The local tradition also evokes a park designed by André Le Nôtre for a seigneur of the place, although only a farm remains today.

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