Château de Robert-le-Diable
Encyclopedia
The Château de Robert-le-Diable is a French feudal castle
from the time of the Dukes of Normandy. It is more properly, though less commonly, known as the Château de Moulineaux. It is situated at Moulineaux, near Rouen
, in the département of Seine-Maritime
at the side of the A13 autoroute
.
It takes its name from Robert the Devil
who, according to some, was Robert de Montgommery
, also known as Robert le Magnifique ('the magnificent'), Duke of Normandy and father of William the Conqueror. However, there is no evidence that this person was involved in the construction .
The castle was built during the 11th and 12th centuries. It stands on a hill which dominates the River Seine, the view extending over the whole Rouen region, making it a particularly strategic location.
It is known that the English King Richard I
('Lionheart') stayed here. His brother, King John
('Lackland') destroyed the castle during his struggle with the King of France Philip II Augustus. The latter rebuilt it. During the Hundred Years War, the people of Rouen destroyed the towers to prevent the castle being used by the English.
Half ruined, it is today furnished with various artefacts as well as reconstructed scenes of local history and life in the Middle Ages
. The castle is listed as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
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...
from the time of the Dukes of Normandy. It is more properly, though less commonly, known as the Château de Moulineaux. It is situated at Moulineaux, near Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, in the département of Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
at the side of the A13 autoroute
A13 autoroute
Autoroute 13, or L'Autoroute de Normandie links Paris to Caen, Calvados.The motorway starts in Paris at the Porte d'Auteuil, a former gate of the Paris walls, and ends at Mondeville's Mondeville 2 exchange junction on Caen's ring road...
.
It takes its name from Robert the Devil
Robert the Devil
Robert the Devil is a legend of medieval origin. Robert is the devil's own child, for his mother, despairing of heaven's aid in order to obtain a son, has addressed herself to the devil...
who, according to some, was Robert de Montgommery
Robert II, Duke of Normandy
Robert the Magnificent , also called Robert the Devil , was the Duke of Normandy from 1027 until his death. Owing to uncertainty over the numbering of the Dukes of Normandy he is usually called Robert I, but sometimes Robert II with his ancestor Rollo as Robert I...
, also known as Robert le Magnifique ('the magnificent'), Duke of Normandy and father of William the Conqueror. However, there is no evidence that this person was involved in the construction .
The castle was built during the 11th and 12th centuries. It stands on a hill which dominates the River Seine, the view extending over the whole Rouen region, making it a particularly strategic location.
It is known that the English King Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
('Lionheart') stayed here. His brother, King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
('Lackland') destroyed the castle during his struggle with the King of France Philip II Augustus. The latter rebuilt it. During the Hundred Years War, the people of Rouen destroyed the towers to prevent the castle being used by the English.
Half ruined, it is today furnished with various artefacts as well as reconstructed scenes of local history and life in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. The castle is 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.