Château de Montaigu dans l'Aube

Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Montaigu, mentioned as early as 1251 in the accounts for the maintenance of the castrum of the Counts of Champagne, occupied a key position at the confluence of the Brie, Burgundy and Gâtinais. Its geographical location made it a strategic point for controlling the surrounding territories. Blanche d'Artois, Countess of Champagne and Queen of Navarre, was the owner of the estate before it joined the royal estate in 1314. The castle also served as a refuge for the people of neighbouring villages under the authority of the baili de Troyes.

In 1416, the castle was taken by Simon Lemoine, a Burgundy partisan, before being taken over in 1417 by the baili de Sens, allied with the Armagnacs, after a six-month siege. However, it was lost again on July 31 of the same year. The Treaty of Troyes (1420) sealed his fate: Charles VI, under Anglo-bourguignon influence, ordered his demolition. The materials were reused to repair royal buildings in Troyes, while the stones and bricks were used for local buildings, such as the ovens or the Priory of Notre-Dame-en-l'Isle.

Almost circular in shape (120 m radius, 240 m with ditches), the castle extended over 1.64 hectares, reaching 2.12 hectares with its defences. His gradual disappearance after 1420 marked the end of his military and protective role. The excavations and documents of the early twentieth century, such as those of Louis Morin (1906), attest to its historical importance in the region.

Several captains succeeded himself, including Guillaume (1288), Saladin d'Anglure (1319), Jean sire de Trainel (1340), Étienne de Précy (1374), and Fessard (1420). Their presence illustrates the evolution of its defensive and administrative role over nearly two centuries, until its definitive destruction.

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