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Château de Montfort dans le Cantal

Cantal

Château de Montfort

    1 Montfort
    15200 Arches

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1293
Templar possession attested
1329
Partial sale to Bertrand de Sartiges
1527
Wedding of Gabriele de Battu and Gabriel de Murat
1747
Transmission to the fire
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Pierre d'Austressal - Lord and partial seller Cede Montfort aux Sartiges in 1329.
Bertrand de Sartiges - Acquirer in 1329 Becomes lord of a part of Montfort.
Gabriele de Battu - Lady of Montfort Wife Gabriel de Murat in 1527.
Gabriel de Murat - Lord of Montfort (XVIe) Founded the Murat-Montfort line.
Antoine de Murat-Montfort - Last Lord Murat Transmit Montfort to the Humières in 1747.
Guillaume d'Humières - Heir in 1747 Get Montfort from his uncle.

Origin and history

Montfort Castle is a historic monument located in the Arches plain, in the Cantal department, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Dominating the banks of the Dordogne and the Limousin plateau, it was largely rebuilt after its foundation. Although its exact period of construction is not specified, its history is closely linked to the order of the Temple, then to local noble families.

In 1293, Montfort appeared in the accounts of the royal baili d'Auvergne as a possession of the order of the Temple (mentioned under the preceptore of Montfort), although it was not mentioned during the trial of the Templars in Auvergne. The seigneury then passes into the hands of several lines, including the d'Austressal, the Sartiges, and the Las Vaisses (or Battut). These families, often linked by marriage alliances, mark the history of the castle until the 18th century.

The Murat-Montfort family played a central role from the 16th century onwards. In 1527, Gabriele de Battu married Gabriel de Murat, lord of Serres, whose descendants preserved Montfort for more than two centuries. Among their heirs, Claude de Murat-Montfort married Jacqueline de Sartiges in 1599, consolidating the ties between these dynasties. The castle remained in this family until Antoine de Murat-Montfort, who passed it on to his nephew Guillaume d'Humières in 1747.

The castle of Montfort, although private, bears witness to the strategies of alliances and heritage transmissions of the Auvergne elites between the Middle Ages and the modern era. Today, he does not visit, but his history reflects the feudal and templar dynamics of the region. The sources mention in particular the work of Jean-Baptiste de Ribier du Châtelet and Dominique Larcena to deepen its historical context.

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