Château de Marthon
Encyclopedia
The Château de Marthon is a ruined castle
in the commune
of Marthon
in the Charente
département of France. Only the keep
remains.
, Audouin II
. This seigneury
existed from the 11th century.
dominated by a square keep in the south-west corner. Living accommodation was built against the north face of the tower. A turrett has disappeared.
The castle had a Gothic
chapel with two floors - the lower served as a shelter for pilgrims
and the upper was reserved for the lord.
In 1960, the keep was reduced in height by a metre.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Marthon
Marthon
Marthon is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
in the Charente
Charente
Charente is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.-History:Charente is one of the original...
département of France. Only the keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
remains.
History
The Marthon family was descended from the Montbrons, grandchildren of the count of AngoulêmeAngoulême
-Main sights:In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the...
, Audouin II
Counts and dukes of Angoulême
Angoulême in western France was part of the Carolingian Empire as the kingdom of Aquitaine. Under Charlemagne's successors, the local Count of Angoulême was independent and was not united with the French crown until 1307. By the terms of the Treaty of Brétigny the Angoumois, then ruled by the...
. This seigneury
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
existed from the 11th century.
Architecture
The castle was built as a polygonal enceinteEnceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
dominated by a square keep in the south-west corner. Living accommodation was built against the north face of the tower. A turrett has disappeared.
The castle had a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
chapel with two floors - the lower served as a shelter for pilgrims
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
and the upper was reserved for the lord.
In 1960, the keep was reduced in height by a metre.