Alleuze Castle

Alleuze Castle, locally known as Château d'Alleuze, lies southwest of the hamlet of the same name, in the Cantal department in France.

There already was a castle here in the late 13th century when it was owned by Béraud VIII de Mercœur, Constable of the Auvergne. Later it passed to the bishops of Clermont and served as an outpost for the city of Saint-Flour.

In the late 14th century, during the Hundred Years' War, Alleuze Castle was seized for the English by Bernard de Garlan, a bastard noble from Brittany. Garlan and his men occupied it for several years, all the while terrorizing the region by pillaging and abductions for ransom. They only left after having been paid in gold by the people of Saint-Flour.

To prevent the English from using it again, the people of Saint-Flour decided to tear down the castle in 1405. The original owner of the castle; the bishop of Clermont, however didn't like this and sued the inhabitants after which they were condemned to rebuild the castle. However, by 1411 only the keep was rebuilt and not the outer defenses. This is the castle we see today. The bishops then used the castle as a prison.

In 1536 the castle underwent.a rebuilding campaign. During the French Wars of Religion, in 1575 it was taken by Huguenot troops. The Bishop of Clermont finally sold it to Jean de Lastic-Sieujac at the end of the 16th century. It remained the property of his descendants but was abandoned at some point in time after which it fell to ruin.

Alleuze Castle was built on a rocky promontory in the valley of the Alleuze river. Since 1960 the valley is partly flooded as it became part of the Grandval Reservoir.

At present Alleuze Castle is freely accessible. A beautiful castle ruin on a very nice location.

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