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Key figures

Origin and history

Launay-Villiers Castle, located in Launay-Villiers in the Mayenne department, has its origins in the 15th century. At that time, it consisted of a body of house with grilled windows, protected to the north, east and south by ponds, and to the west by walls and towers, two of which still remain today. In 1619, a second house, separated from the former and equipped with a tower and a staircase down to the upper pond, was mentioned. The constructions linking these two buildings date back to 1575. The fief then possessed rights of high, medium and low justice, falling under the Châtellenie de Saint-Ouen, with precise military and fiscal obligations.

In 1725, a conflict between the religious of Fontaine-Daniel Abbey and the buyer of the castle, concerning sales rights paid to the Count of Laval, seigneur of Saint-Ouen. This dispute illustrates the persistent feudal tensions at that time. The present castle, built between 1879 and 1883 by Charles de Vaujuas, has erased almost all traces of old buildings, with the exception of the two medieval towers. It has an imposing facade on the valley, an ogival chapel, and a terrace whose walls dive into the pond. A second, more sober castle is outside the park.

During the French Revolution, Villiers Castle played a key role in the history of Chouannery. In 1792, Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie, Marquis de La Rouërie, organized with his cousin Jacques de Farcy and Jean-Louis Gavard the insurrection of the false-sauniers, a prelude to the caulan revolts. On 26 September 1792, 400 National Guards of Andoullé invaded the castle on the pretext of seeking weapons. They plunder the premises, burn the family archives and take away or destroy everything they find, as M. de Farcy reports in a letter of 1794.

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