Château de Coucy
Encyclopedia
The Château de Coucy is a French castle
in the commune of Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique
, in the département of Aisne
, built in the 13th century and renovated by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th. In 1917, the German army dynamited the keep
and the four towers using 28 tons of explosives.
During its heyday, it was famous for the size of its central tower and the pride of its lords, who adopted the staunchly independent rhyme: "Roi ne suis, ne Prince ne Duc ne Comte aussi; Je suis le sire de Coucy" ("I am not a King, nor Prince nor Duke nor Count; I am the Lord of Coucy").
The castle was constructed in the 1220s by Enguerrand III de Coucy. The castle proper occupies the tip of a bluff or falaise. It forms an irregular trapezoid of 92 x 35 x 50 x 80 m. At the four corners are cylindrical towers 20 m in diameter (originally 40 m in height). Between two towers on the line of approach was the massive donjon (keep
). The donjon was the largest in Europe, measuring 35 meters wide and 55 meters tall. The smaller towers surrounding the court were as big as the donjons being built at that time by the French monarchy. The rest of the bluff is covered by the lower court of the castle, and the small town.
Coucy was occupied in September 1914 by German troops during World War I. It became a military outpost and was frequented by German dignitaries, including Kaiser Wilhelm II himself. In March 1917 the German army destroyed the keep and the 4 towers. It is not known whether this act had some military purpose or it was merely an act of barbarism. The destruction caused so much public outrage that in April 1917 the ruins were declared "a memorial to barbarity". War reparations were used to clear the towers and to consolidate the walls but the ruins of the keep were left in place.
One of its lords, Enguerrand VII de Coucy
(1340–1397) is the subject of historian Barbara Tuchman
's study of the fourteenth century, A Distant Mirror
. It also features extensively in British author Anthony Price
's 1982 crime/espionage novel The Old Vengeful.
Château de Coucy has been listed as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture since 1862, and is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux
.
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...
in the commune of Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique
Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique
Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. Its 1999 population for the commune was 995.-Geography:...
, in the département of Aisne
Aisne
Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
, built in the 13th century and renovated by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th. In 1917, the German army dynamited the keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
and the four towers using 28 tons of explosives.
During its heyday, it was famous for the size of its central tower and the pride of its lords, who adopted the staunchly independent rhyme: "Roi ne suis, ne Prince ne Duc ne Comte aussi; Je suis le sire de Coucy" ("I am not a King, nor Prince nor Duke nor Count; I am the Lord of Coucy").
The castle was constructed in the 1220s by Enguerrand III de Coucy. The castle proper occupies the tip of a bluff or falaise. It forms an irregular trapezoid of 92 x 35 x 50 x 80 m. At the four corners are cylindrical towers 20 m in diameter (originally 40 m in height). Between two towers on the line of approach was the massive donjon (keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
). The donjon was the largest in Europe, measuring 35 meters wide and 55 meters tall. The smaller towers surrounding the court were as big as the donjons being built at that time by the French monarchy. The rest of the bluff is covered by the lower court of the castle, and the small town.
One of its lords, Enguerrand VII de Coucy
Enguerrand VII de Coucy
Enguerrand VII de Coucy, KG , also known as Ingelram de Coucy, was a 14th century French nobleman, the last Sieur de Coucy, and the son-in-law of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
(1340–1397) is the subject of historian Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American historian and author. She became known for her best-selling book The Guns of August, a history of the prelude to and first month of World War I, which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1963....
's study of the fourteenth century, A Distant Mirror
A Distant Mirror
A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, published in 1978, is a work by American historian and Pulitizer Prize winner Barbara Tuchman, focusing on life in 14th century Europe....
. It also features extensively in British author Anthony Price
Anthony Price
Anthony Price is an author of espionage thrillers.-Life and work:Price attended The King's School, Canterbury and served in the British Army from 1947 to 1949, reaching the rank of Captain. He then studied at Merton College, Oxford until 1952, earning the MA degree...
's 1982 crime/espionage novel The Old Vengeful.
Château de Coucy has been 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 since 1862, and is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux
Centre des monuments nationaux
The Centre des monuments nationaux is a French government body which conserves, restores, and manages historic buildings and sites which are the property of the French state...
.