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Origin and history

The castle of Forges is an ancient fortified house built in the 15th century on the commune of Conpremiers, in Indre (region Centre-Val de Loire). Originally, he occupied the site of a castral mot which dominated a ford on the Anglin, integrated into an English invasion defence network on the southern edge of the Berry. His defensive elements – ditches, walls, towers and drawbridge (now disappeared) – were authorized by letters patent of Charles VII in 1442, granted to Jehan de Poix, the king's chasson, as a reward for his military and domestic services. The site, already partly built, was then strengthened to become a coherent stronghold.

The seigneury of Forges remained almost three centuries in the Tyrel de Poix family, native of Picardie, before going through alliance to the Lage, then to the Muzards at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Marguerite de Poix, the last direct heir, married Antoine de Lage around 1600, but their union remained without descent. The estate then belonged to his sister Renée de Poix, married to Pierre de Muzard, whose daughters Catherine (wife of Charles de Montmorency) and Gabrielle inherited the castle. Sold to the Marquis de Lussac at the beginning of the 18th century, Forges changed hands several times, notably between Mathieu Pinsonneau, Marie-Madeleine de La Vieuville (masteress of the Regent Philippe d'Orléans), and Claude Dupin, general farmer and great-grandfather of George Sand, who acquired it in 1738.

The castle architecture, remarkably preserved, combines a square dungeon flanked by four round towers and a fortified house with foothills and cannons. Dendrochronological analyses reveal construction phases spread between 1446 (housework) and 1464 (tours), with hours (overhanging woodwork) removed after 1713. The castral chapel, vaulted dogives, and the commons ( stables, pantry) complete the whole, surrounded by walls pierced by arches. Ranked a historic monument in 1964, the castle was restored in the 20th century by Fernand Aubier, a Parisian publisher, before being passed on to the family of Poix, the current owner, who perpetuates a line dating back to Jehan de Poix in the 15th century.

Today, the castle of Forges combines medieval heritage and contemporary use: part of the site has been set up in guest rooms since 2007, and it opens to the public during Heritage Days. Its exceptional state of conservation, without major rearrangements, makes it a rare witness to the Berlin military architecture of the late Middle Ages, studied for its defensive systems (mâchicoulis, fortified dovecoier) and its evolution into a seigneurial residence.

Historical sources underline its role in protecting the Berry against Anglo-French conflicts, as well as its anchoring in the nobiliary networks, from Picardie (Tyrel family) to Val de Loire (al alliances with the Montmorency and the Dupins). Subsequent changes, such as the lowering of roofs in the 18th century or the conversion to a farm in the 19th century, reflect the economic and social adaptations of the estate, before its heritage renaissance in the 20th century.

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