Château de Montcornet
Encyclopedia
The Château de Montcornet is a castle
in the commune of Montcornet
in the Ardennes
département of France
.
, who was in the process of building the nearby Charleville
, capital of the Principauté d'Arches, purchases the castle. From then it passed into the hands of the Meillerais, then finally to the duke
of Aiguillon, who dismantled it around 1760. Only ruins survive today.
The artefacts excavated from the castle grounds—keys, currency, pottery, bones, etc.—are on display in a room of the castle.
Château de Montcornet has been listed as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture since 1926.
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 of Montcornet
Montcornet, Ardennes
Montcornet is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:...
in the Ardennes
Ardennes (département)
Ardennes is a department in the northeast part of France named after the Ardennes area.- History :The department is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was named after the Ardennes hills, which are located in northeast France, southern...
département of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
History
The castle was built between the 11th and 12th centuries by the first occupants, the Montcornets. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the fortress passed to Miles de Noyer and then to the Mello family. In 1446, Antoine I de Croy repurchased the castle and rebuilt it almost completely. In 1613 Charles of GonzagaCharles I, Duke of Mantua
Charles Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1627 until his death. He was also Duke of Rethel and Nevers, as well as Prince of Arches.-Biography:...
, who was in the process of building the nearby Charleville
Charleville-Mézières
Charleville-Mézières is a commune in northern France, capital of the Ardennes department in the Champagne-Ardenne region. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the Meuse River.-History:...
, capital of the Principauté d'Arches, purchases the castle. From then it passed into the hands of the Meillerais, then finally to the duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of Aiguillon, who dismantled it around 1760. Only ruins survive today.
The artefacts excavated from the castle grounds—keys, currency, pottery, bones, etc.—are on display in a room of the castle.
Château de Montcornet has been listed as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture since 1926.