The
Château de Boulogne-sur-Mer is a
castleA castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress, in that it describes a residence of a monarch or...
in the French seaport of
Boulogne-sur-MerBoulogne-sur-Mer is a city in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city was 44,859 in the 1999 census, whereas that of the whole metropolitan area was 135,116.-Name:...
, in the
Pas-de-CalaisPas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders.-History:Inhabited since prehistoric times, the Pas-de-Calais region was populated in turn by the Celtic Belgae, the Romans, the Germanic Franks and the Alemanni...
départementIn the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies, a department is an administrative division roughly analogous to an English district or a Scottish region. The 100 French departments are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas...
. It houses the Boulogne museum.
The castle was built in the 13th century by
Philippe HurepelPhilippe I Hurepel was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvais, Boulogne, Mortain, Aumale, and Dammartin. He was the son of Philip II of France and his controversial third wife Agnes of Merania. Illegitimacy shadowed his birth and career....
(1180-1234), count of Boulogne and son of
Philip II of FrancePhilip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
. Following the death of his half-brother, king
Louis VIIILouis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut...
after a short three-year reign, Hurepel was one of the leaders of a rebellion against the regent, Blanche de Castille, mother of the minor
Louis IXLouis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet, the son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile...
.
The
Château de Boulogne-sur-Mer is a
castleA castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress, in that it describes a residence of a monarch or...
in the French seaport of
Boulogne-sur-MerBoulogne-sur-Mer is a city in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city was 44,859 in the 1999 census, whereas that of the whole metropolitan area was 135,116.-Name:...
, in the
Pas-de-CalaisPas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders.-History:Inhabited since prehistoric times, the Pas-de-Calais region was populated in turn by the Celtic Belgae, the Romans, the Germanic Franks and the Alemanni...
départementIn the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies, a department is an administrative division roughly analogous to an English district or a Scottish region. The 100 French departments are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas...
. It houses the Boulogne museum.
The castle was built in the 13th century by
Philippe HurepelPhilippe I Hurepel was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvais, Boulogne, Mortain, Aumale, and Dammartin. He was the son of Philip II of France and his controversial third wife Agnes of Merania. Illegitimacy shadowed his birth and career....
(1180-1234), count of Boulogne and son of
Philip II of FrancePhilip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
. Following the death of his half-brother, king
Louis VIIILouis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut...
after a short three-year reign, Hurepel was one of the leaders of a rebellion against the regent, Blanche de Castille, mother of the minor
Louis IXLouis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet, the son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile...
. He constructed castles at
CalaisCalais is a town in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
and Hardelot and refortified Boulogne. The castle is built in the eastern corner of the medieval walls surrounding the
Haute Ville (literally,
high town - the part of Bologne on the hill). The walls themselves were reconstructed by Hurepel. The eastern part of the castle was built over a corner of the
RomanAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
wall, parts of which are still visible in the basement. Housing together the political, legal and economic powers of the time, it was also a residential and defensive site.
Various modifications have taken place. Major alterations were carried out by the
duc de BerryJohn of Valois, the Magnificent, was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg; his brothers were Charles V, King of France, Louis I of Anjou, King of Naples and Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy...
between 1394 et 1416. The horse shoe shape (barracks, arsenal) was completed around 1567. After being adapted because of developments in artillery during the 16th century, it lost some of its medieval character. In 1767, it became a barracks and, after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it also housed a prison. In 1974, the town council took over ownership of the castle and decided to install its museum collections.
Unlike many other contemporary castles of the early 13th century, the plan of the castle does not include a
keepA keep is a strong central tower which is used as a dungeon or a fortress. Often, the keep is the most defended area of a castle, and as such may form the main habitation area, or contain important stores such as the armoury, food, and the main water well, which would ensure survival during a...
. The remains of Château de Hardelot in nearby
CondetteCondette is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A large farming, forestry and tourist village, some south of Boulogne, at the junction of the D240 and the D940 roads...
show that Hurepel used this design for at least one other castle. A similar castle was built around the same time at
Fère-en-TardenoisFère-en-Tardenois is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardie in northern France, .-Miscellaneous:It was the birthplace of Camille Claudel , sculptor and graphic artist....
by the Counts of Dreux. The Château de Boulogne is listed by the French
Ministry of CultureThe Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
as a
monument historiqueMonument historique is a State procedure in France by which heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings or an entire neighborhood, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their architectural and historical importance...
.
Sources
- POIRET, Françoise Camille: "Château-musée de Boulogne-sur-Mer : Guide de visite", 1998
- www.culture.gouv.fr, accessed 31 Jan 2007