Robert le Diable Castle

Robert le Diable Castle, locally known as Château de Robert le Diable or Château de Moulineaux, lies south of the village of Moulineaux, in the Seine-Maritime department in France.

The castle takes it name from a legendary 11th century, medieval character, called Robert the Devil, a cruel Norman knight who was a son of Satan. Attempts were made to identify this Robert with a historical individual, and several men were proposed. The first was the father of William the Conqueror; Robert I, Duke of Normandy. The second was Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury. Robert Curthose, a son of William the Conqueror, is also sometimes mentioned. As such the castle is said to date back to the 11th century. However, there is no evidence that either of these men was involved in the construction of the castle, nor that it was built at that time.

It is known that John Lackland, King of England from 1199 till 1216, built or rebuilt a small castle here during his reign. It was built on a ridge overlooking a bend in the river Seine with views all the way to the city of Rouen, making it a particularly strategic location. Apparently John had the castle demolished at a certain point, after which the site was taken over and the castle rebuilt by Philippe Auguste (Philip II of France).

During the Hundred Years' War, in 1418, the townspeople of Rouen slighted Robert le Diable Castle to prevent it from being used by the English.

In 1905 the ruin was owned by an Oscar Cosserat. He had the area cleared of trees and undergrowth and had the castle partially rebuilt by the architect Lucien Lefort, a pupil of the famous Viollet-le-Duc.

Still half ruined, it was bought, restored and fitted out in the 1950s by the mayor of Moulineaux, Roger Parment. It was opened up to the public and held a small museum. It closed in 2003 and suffered from a fire in 2007. It has been closed ever since.

At present Robert le Diable Castle is closed to the public and can only be viewed from outside. It can also easily be seen from the E-46 highway, which passes just south of it. Its interior can only sometimes be visited on national heritage days. Too bad, I am very curious about its interior, especially the largest tower. A great castle. There is a nice small war memorial next to the road below the castle.

Gallery

The war memorial

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Robert le Diable Castle

Robert le Diable Castle, locally known as Château de Robert le Diable or Château de Moulineaux, lies south of the village of Moulineaux, in the Seine-Maritime department in France.

The castle takes it name from a legendary 11th century, medieval character, called Robert the Devil, a cruel Norman knight who was a son of Satan. Attempts were made to identify this Robert with a historical individual, and several men were proposed. The first was the father of William the Conqueror; Robert I, Duke of Normandy. The second was Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury. Robert Curthose, a son of William the Conqueror, is also sometimes mentioned. As such the castle is said to date back to the 11th century. However, there is no evidence that either of these men was involved in the construction of the castle, nor that it was built at that time.

It is known that John Lackland, King of England from 1199 till 1216, built or rebuilt a small castle here during his reign. It was built on a ridge overlooking a bend in the river Seine with views all the way to the city of Rouen, making it a particularly strategic location. Apparently John had the castle demolished at a certain point, after which the site was taken over and the castle rebuilt by Philippe Auguste (Philip II of France).

During the Hundred Years' War, in 1418, the townspeople of Rouen slighted Robert le Diable Castle to prevent it from being used by the English.

In 1905 the ruin was owned by an Oscar Cosserat. He had the area cleared of trees and undergrowth and had the castle partially rebuilt by the architect Lucien Lefort, a pupil of the famous Viollet-le-Duc.

Still half ruined, it was bought, restored and fitted out in the 1950s by the mayor of Moulineaux, Roger Parment. It was opened up to the public and held a small museum. It closed in 2003 and suffered from a fire in 2007. It has been closed ever since.

At present Robert le Diable Castle is closed to the public and can only be viewed from outside. It can also easily be seen from the E-46 highway, which passes just south of it. Its interior can only sometimes be visited on national heritage days. Too bad, I am very curious about its interior, especially the largest tower. A great castle. There is a nice small war memorial next to the road below the castle.

Gallery

The war memorial

Details
Hits: 1820