Péronne Castle

Péronne Castle, locally known as Château-fort de Péronne, lies in the center of the town with the same name, in the Somme department in France.

The first castle at this site was built at the end of the 9th century by Herbert I, Count of Vermandois, to replace a royal palace that had been burned down by Vikings in 884 AD. Herbert II of Vermandois imprisoned Charles the Simple, King of West Francia, in the keep of Péronne Castle until the death of Charles in 929 AD.

In 1191 the castle was again made a royal domain. In 1209 the castle was completely rebuilt by Philip II of France into a more-or-less pentagonal shaped stronghold flanked by circular towers and commanded by a large circular keep.

In 1468 Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and Louis XI of France had a meeting in Péronne Castle. During that meeting Louis was held prisoner by the Duke and forced to sign a humiliating treaty.

In 1536 Péronne Castle was besieged by the troops of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, led by the Count of Nassau. The siege ended without success after 31 days but had destroyed the western part of the castle, including the keep. Later the castle was partly rebuilt and in the 17th century updated to withstand the advances in artillery.

The castle kept its military use up until 1914. In World War I, during the Battle of the Somme, Péronne Castle was almost completely destroyed. After the war it was partly rebuilt in red brick. Since 1992 it houses a World War I museum; the Historial of the Great War.

At present the medieval Péronne Castle serves as the gate building of the modern museum. You can only walk through the gate and over the courtyard; the interior of the medieval building can not be visited. Too bad but the museum itself is also very much worth your time, as is the town itself. Fort Caraby is nearby.

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