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Origin and history

The château de Monthoux, built around 1245 by the Baron of Faucigny Aymon II, was a strategic fortress on the border of Geneva County. Set on a hill at 567 m above sea level, it controlled the roads to Annemasse, Bonne and Bonneville, as well as the northern accesses of the Faucigny. A chapel, authorized by Pope Innocent IV, became an issue between the bishopric of Geneva and the local lords. The site, called Haut Monthoux, offered a stunning view of Geneva, as described by historian Alfred Fierro in 1339: "Can we hardly leave Geneva without being seen at that castle".

Passed into the hands of the Great Dauphine Beatrix (daughter of Aymon II) after his marriage with the dolphin Guigues VII, the castle was pawned in 1269-1270 during family conflicts, then ceded in 1293 to Count Amédée V de Savoie. In 1304, a transaction at Mornex Castle settled a dispute with the seigneur of Faucigny Hugues over Gaillard Castle, strengthening the defensive alliance between Monthoux and Gaillard. The treaty of 1308 between the Dauphine and the Count of Savoie confirmed the Savoyard possession of the castle, among six other fortresses of the Faucigny.

The castle was home to a châtellenie that included the parishes of Monthoux, Annemasse, Ambilly, Sales and Vétraz. The Chatelans, officers appointed to manage the estate, collected tax revenues and maintained the fortress. In the 16th century, after the Bernese occupation (1536-1567), their role became purely judicial. In 1532 Michel de Viry sold the castle and its order to Michel Guillet, whose descendants took the name Guillet de Monthoux.

Architecturally, the castrum included a square dungeon (estimated at 29 m side), a wall, a village below and a church, all girded with a enclosure. Konrad Witz's retable (1444) offers a representation, revealing a dominant tower. The archives mention recurrent tensions between the Barons of Faucigny and the bishopric of Geneva for the control of the chapel, a symbol of the political and religious rivalries of the region.

Historical sources, such as the investigations of 1339 or the accounts of chestnuts (XIIIth–XVIth centuries) kept at the departmental archives of Savoie, attest to its administrative and military importance. The castle, now extinct, illustrates feudal dynamics in Faucigny, between the houses of Savoie, Geneva and the Dauphiné.

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