Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Morains, located in Saumur en Maine-et-Loire (Pays de la Loire), has its origins in the 15th century, probably built in 1460 by François de La Vignolle, local lord and former squire of René d'Anjou. This castle, also known as Dampierre Castle with reference to the former commune of Dampierre-sur-Loire, is inseparable from the history of Marguerite d'Anjou, Queen of England. After the death of her father René d'Anjou, she took refuge there in 1480 or 1481 and lived there until her death in August 1482, welcomed by François de La Vignolle, her faithful servant.

Until the Revolution, the castle belonged to a canon named M. de la Rivière, before being sold by the state and acquired by a certain Richeaudieu, then by his ally family, the De Fontenailles. The latter offered the stained-glass windows of the choir at Saint Peter's Church in Dampierre. The monument attracted the attention of historians and writers, especially British people fascinated by the tragic destiny of Marguerite d'Anjou. In 1863, the magazine Once a Week presented it in an article on French castles, followed in 1872 by the biography of the Queen illustrated by Mary Ann Hookham, including a drawing by R. Knight.

In the 19th century, the castle became a place of literary and historical pilgrimage. Noémie Dondel du Faouëdic, a local author, described him in 1881 in Impressions d'un touriste sur Saumur, evoking the silent pain of his walls that witnessed the end of Marguerite. In 1910 or 1911, American historian Anne Hollingsworth Wharton paid tribute, moved by the commemorative plaque. The castle, still privately owned, was inscribed in the historical monuments in 1965, preserving its medieval heritage and its link with one of the most poetic figures of the Deux-Roses war.

External links