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Origin and history

The Grey Tower is the last vestige of the castle of Verneuil-sur-Avre, built around 1120 by Henri I Beauclerc, Duke of Normandy and King of England, to strengthen the southern borders of the duchy. The fortress, immediately surrounded by ramparts and ditches, became a strategic stronghold, often disputed between kings of France and England. Its walls of 4 meters thick and 35 meters high made it a symbol of resistance, described as "strong and impregnable moult" by medieval chroniclers.

In the 12th century Verneuil was the scene of repeated conflicts: in 1135, the city supported Étienne de Blois against Geoffroy Plantagenet, and then suffered the assaults of Louis VII in 1152 and 1153. Henry II Plantagenêt strengthened his defences there in 1169, but Louis VII took and burned the city in 1173 before being repulsed. In 1194, Richard Cœur de Lion entered triumphantly after having lifted the siege of Philippe Auguste, who definitely took Verneuil in 1204 during the conquest of Normandy.

Philippe Auguste had the Grey Tower built after 1204 to monitor the city, marking its attachment to the royal estate. The dungeon, in ferruginous puddingue, was protected by ditches and a enclosure, with two gates facing the city and the ramparts. In the 19th century, its summit was changed, but its massive structure, initially vaulted, still bears witness to its role as the last refuge for defenders. The tower was listed as a historic monument in 2016, preserving its grip and ditches.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, Verneuil changed hands several times: looted in 1356 by Henri de Grosmont, it was taken over by the French in 1424 before being lost to Bedford. In 1449, Pierre de Brézé recaptured her for Charles VII, putting an end to the English occupation after a siege where the defenders took refuge in the Grey Tower. The fortress also played a role during the Wars of Religion, passing between leagues and royals until the submission of Pierre Rouxel de Médavy in 1594.

Today, the Grey Tower stands isolated, surrounded by the remains of partially preserved ramparts and ditches. The ditch, fed by the Iton, and a few flanking towers like the St Andrew's Tower, recall the extent of the old fortifications. Tillières' gate has disappeared, but a secondary entrance, near the Benedictine convent, remains. The site, owned by the municipality, illustrates medieval military architecture and the Franco-English struggles for Normandy.

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