Château de Rambures
Encyclopedia
Le Château de Rambures is a castle
situated in the commune
of Rambures
in the Somme
département of France.
It was constructed in the Middle Ages
in the style of a military fortress of the 15th century and was one of the first castles in Europe to be constructed almost exclusively in bricks. The castle is set in a park, the Parc et Roseraie du Château de Rambures
containing a rose garden and ancient trees.
The castle contains very interesting Picardy furniture from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.
It has been classified as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture since 1927.
and is built largely of brick, a defensive measure against the then new artillery, with some limestone. Located near the frontier between the French and English territories, construction began during the Hundred Years' War
but it was not complete until after the end of the war.
's Henry V
, and Charles (1572–1633), the so-called "Brave Rambures" who saved the life of Henry IV of France
in 1590.
Successive owners are:
Seigneurs de Rambures
Marquis de Rambures direct line
Marquis de Rambures by alliance - family of La Roche Fontenilles
Contemporary epoch
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...
situated in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Rambures
Rambures
Rambures is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Rambures is situated on the D180 and D110 crossroads, some southwest of Abbeville.Apples of the variety named Rambour originated here.-Population:...
in the Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
département of France.
It was constructed in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
in the style of a military fortress of the 15th century and was one of the first castles in Europe to be constructed almost exclusively in bricks. The castle is set in a park, the Parc et Roseraie du Château de Rambures
Parc et Roseraie du Château de Rambures
The Parc et Roseraie du Château de Rambures is a private park with arboretum and rose garden located at the Château de Rambures, 8, rue du Château, Rambures, Somme, Picardie, France...
containing a rose garden and ancient trees.
The castle contains very interesting Picardy furniture from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.
It has been classified 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 1927.
Description
The castle is laid out as a square and is composed of eight towers and half-towers. The towers form the corners of the square and are linked by the half-towers. There is a single room on each level of the towers between the basement and the second floor. Communication between the underground level and the second floor is provided by four spiral staircases placed in the internal angles of the corner towers. The castle was constructed within a dry moatMoat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
and is built largely of brick, a defensive measure against the then new artillery, with some limestone. Located near the frontier between the French and English territories, construction began during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
but it was not complete until after the end of the war.
History
The estate has been passed down by inheritance and through marriage since the 11th century. The Rambures name first appeared in 1058. Famous Rambures include David (1364–1415), Lord Rambures from ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Henry V
Henry V (play)
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
, and Charles (1572–1633), the so-called "Brave Rambures" who saved the life of Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
in 1590.
Successive owners are:
Seigneurs de Rambures
- Asson (11th century).
- David ( - 1103), son of the preceding.
- Jean (12th century), son of the preceding; he married Hawise de Bournonville.
- Robinet, son of the preceding; he married Yde de Melun.
- Jean, son of the preceding; he married Adeline.
- Hugues ( - after 1356), son of the preceding; he married Jeanne de Drucat
- Jean ( - 1405), son of the preceding, governor of ArrasArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
; his second wife was Jeanne de Bernuy; he died in the attack on the Château de Mercq. - Adrien ( - 1405), son of the preceding, captain of BoulogneBoulogne-sur-Mer-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
and GravelinesGravelinesGravelines is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies at the mouth of the river Aa 15 miles southwest of Dunkirk. There is a market in the town square on Saturdays. The "Arsenal" approached from the town square is home to an extensive and carefully displayed art collection....
, Governor of West Flanders; he married Jeanne de Bernuy; he died with his father at the Château de Mercq. - David (1364–1415), son of the preceding, Master of Crossbowmen of France in 1411; he married Catherine d’Auxy; he began the construction of the present castle in 1412, but building was interrupted by his death at the Battle of AgincourtBattle of AgincourtThe Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
. - André (circa 1395 - after 1449), son of the preceding; he married Péronne de Créquy; in 1429, he commanded a company at OrléansOrléans-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
with Joan of ArcJoan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
; he was killed at the siege of Pont-AudemerPont-AudemerPont-Audemer is a commune in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Population:-Sights:The commune was spared substantial damage to its historic buildings during the Battle of Normandy. Nowadays the half-timbered buildings and the canals running between them are a...
. - Jacques (circa 1428 - after 1488), son of the preceding; he married Marie Antoinette de Berghes Saint-Winoch; he completed the castle's construction in 1470.
- André ( - after 1512), son of the preceding, councillor and chamberlain to the king, sénéchalSeneschalA seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
and Governor of PonthieuPonthieuPonthieu was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged together to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France. Its chief town is Abbeville.- History :...
in 1492, grand-master of the waters and forests of Picardy; he married Jeanne de Halluin. - Jean (1500 - after 1558), son of the preceding; in 1538, he married Claude de Bourbon-Vendôme, dame de Ligny.
- Jean (1543–1591), son of the preceding; in 1538, he married, for the second time, Françoise d’Anjou, countess of Dammartin.
- Charles (1572–1633), son of the preceding; in 1589, he won victory at the Battle of ArquesBattle of ArquesThis article is about the 1589 battle. For the Battle of 1303 see Battle of Arques .The Battle of Arques occurred on 15–18 September 1589 between the French royal forces of King Henry IV of France and troops of the Catholic League commanded by Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne during the eighth...
; in 1590, he saved the life of Henry IVHenry IV of FranceHenry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
bestowed honours on him and named him « le brave Rambures »; in 1620, he married Renée de Boulainvilliers, dame de Courtenay.
Marquis de Rambures direct line
- Charles René (circa 1622 - 1671), comte de Courtenay, son of the preceding; in 1656, he married Marie de Bautru.
- Louis Alexandre (1658–1676), son of the preceding; infantry colonel, died age 18 without heir.
- Charlotte de Rambures, aunt of the preceding and sister of Charles René, inheritor of the estate; she married in 1645 François de La Roche, marquis de Fontenilles.
Marquis de Rambures by alliance - family of La Roche Fontenilles
- François ( - 1728), son of the preceding; in 1683, he married Marie Thérèse de Mesmes.
- Louis Antoine (1696–1755), son of the preceding, marshal of the Camps and Armies of the King; in 1735], he married Élisabeth Marguerite de Saint-Georges de Vérac.
- Antoine César (1746–1764), son of the preceding, infantry officer.
- Pierre Paul Louis (1755–1833), cousin of the preceding and great grandson of François and Charlotte, marshal in 1791; he married Marie Claude Alexandrine Morard d’Arces; he emigrated in 1791.
- Adélaïde Honoré César (1786–1868), son of the preceding; in 1833, he married Charlotte Antoinette Thérèse Le Clerc de Juigné.
- Léon Alexandre(1835–1920), son of the preceding; in 1859, he married Marie-Thérèse de Chevigné.
- Charles Antoine (1839–1930), brother of the preceding; in 1864, he married Louise Amour Marie de Bouillé; these were the last to have the titles of marquis and marquise de Rambures.
Contemporary epoch
- Guy, comte de Blanchard ( - 1969), grand-nephew of the preceding; he inherited the estate in 1930.
- Charles Henri, comte de Blanchard, son(adoptif) of the preceding; he married Hélène.