Fréteval Castle

Fréteval Castle, locally known as Château feodal de Fréteval, lies above the village of the same name in the Loir-et-Cher department in France.

The castle of Fréteval was built in the first half of the 11th century by Nivelon I, senechal of the Count of Blois. He built his castle on the site of an earlier Carolingian village; called Saint Victor, situated on a headland in a corner formed by the Loir valley and a dry valley joining the former. From its height, towering over the Loir river, it monitored the traffic from Chartres to Vendôme and Tours, as well as that of Orléans to Le Mans.

In 1194 the Battle of Fréteval was fought nearby, between the troops of Richard the Lionheart and Philip II 'Auguste' of France, in which the latter lost his baggage train with royal seal and archives.

Until the end of the 13th century, Fréteval Castle was held by the Meslay family, who resided in Meslay-le-Vidame, near Chartres.

During the Hundred Years' War the castle was strengthened but was still twice attacked by English troops in 1418. Later that century, after the war, the castle was in a ruined state but was inhabited until at least 1487. From then on, the castle ruins were used as a stone quarry by the locals.

The round keep is considered to be one of the oldest round keeps in France. Originally it was a shell keep, protected by two more outer walls and ditches.

Although the site of Fréteval Castle is freely accessible, the interior of the keep is fenced off. A beautiful ruin in a nice green location. I like the mighty keep very much, although it looks in danger of collapse.

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