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Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Montaigu, founded around 950 by Lambert de Chalon at the request of the Duke of Burgundy, was responsible for protecting the region from invasions from the west and controlling the Roman route from Lyon to Paris. Located on a hill in Mercurey, it quickly became a symbol of the Ducal power in Burgundy, serving as a military fortress and seigneurial residence for the Counts of Chalon and then the Dukes of Burgundy.

In the 11th century, the castle gave its name to Hugues de Montaigu, bishop of Auxerre, marking its religious and political influence. In 1180, he went under the direct authority of the Dukes of Burgundy after being confiscated to William II of Chalon by King Louis VII. Hugues III of Burgundy then became a fief for his son Alexander, founder of the lineage Bourgogne-Montaigu, whose members, like Eudes or Guillaume de Montaigu, made it a bastion of power until the 14th century.

The castle experienced troubled periods: refuge for villagers or den of bandits in the 15th and 16th centuries, it was partially dismantled in 1591 by order of Henry IV after its capture by the League. Abandoned, its stones were sold as a quarry in the 19th century, and its ruins became a hermitage before being acquired by noble families such as the Suremain or Launay. Today, there remain imposing remains, including a 12th-century dungeon and crenellated enclosures, witness to its strategic past.

Architecturally, the castle adopts an ovoid form with a double enclosure: the exterior, irregular quadrilateral 700 meters flanked by towers, protected the interior seigneurial space, where stood dungeon, house and well. The square dungeon, nearly 15 meters high, illustrates medieval defensive engineering. Although private property, the site remains a major testimony of the military and feudal history of Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

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