Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Montréal was erected in 1245 by Stephen II of Thoire-Villars on a steep rock named Mont Royal. It remained the property of this family until 1402, when Humbert VII handed it over to the Count of Savoy, Amédée VIII, for 100,000 guilders. The latter took possession of it in 1414 after negotiations with Philip II of Burgundy, strengthening the place as capital of Savoyard possessions in the mountains.

Between 1287 and 1353 Humbert IV de Thoire-Villars founded a town at the foot of the castle, granting franchises to the new inhabitants and building ramparts. The castle changed hands several times in the 16th century: it was ceded to Laurent de Gorrevod in 1523 (with right of redemption), then to Charles de la Chambre in 1565, before being acquired by Louis Oddinet in 1570, who obtained for Montreal the rank of county.

The feudal castle was dismantled in 1602 and destroyed in 1635 by Antoine de Douglas. A new castle, built in 1638 by the latter after his marriage to Françoise de Rubat, burned before the Revolution and was rebuilt in Louis XVI style. He remained in the Douglas family until 2000, when he was transferred to the commune. The remains of the medieval castle on Mount Bey still dominate Montréal-la-Cluse.

The seigneury passed into the hands of several noble families: the House of Seyssel (until 1720), the Budé, then the Douglas, of which Louis-Archambaud (1758–42) was the last count. The site illustrates the power struggles between the houses of Savoy, Burgundy and the local lords, as well as the architectural evolution of medieval fortresses in seigneurial residences.

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