Nesles Castle

History of the castle

Set up in 1226, under the minority of Saint-Louis, by Robert III of Dreux, great nephew of the king Louis VI "the large one", the castle of Nesles was built according to the formula adopted by Philippe-Auguste for the Castle of the Louvre in Paris, now disappeared.

It is a fortress of plain, marrying the form of square perfect of 60m on side, primarily consisted an enclosure or courtine flanked of 8 cylindrical turns and an enormous keep of 55 meters perimeters established outside in an angle.

It belonged successively to the houses of Dreux, Chatillon, Orleans, Montmorency and with a certain number of lords, before sheltering a farm.

After the disaster of Azincourt, the Armagnacs of the Dolphin Charles VII were asssiégés there during 4 years (1421-1424) by theBurgundian ones which could not invest it. A treaty was concluded with the Count de Salisbury, representing the Duke of Bedford, regent of the "soy saying roy France and of England", putting an end to the seat.

In 1435, Nesles falls to small a 10 year old girl that wife the Governor of Compiegne, Guillaume de Flavy, enticed by its fortune. This curious character, good warlike but without scruple was shown to have betrayed and have sold Jeanne d' Arc and makes perish the Marshal of Rieux in the keep of Nesles like many other people of which his/her parents-in-law. Old from a score of years, his pretty wife, White, falls in love with a young person and beautiful knight, Pierre of Leuwen which had received from the king the load of 100 lances with Soissons.

Flavy, whose brutalities increased, became far too awkward: one decided to remove it. After several unfruitful attempts, Blanche did it égorgetr under its eyes in the room of the first stage of the keep of Nesles, puiis married Leuwen which itself will be assassinated 20 years later by the brothers of Flavy. White will be remariera third once with Pierre Puy, adviser at the Parliament, that Leuwen, wire of White, will lock up in the keep inside uin trunk to slacken it?. By denouncing it in Louis XI like selling the secrecies of the kingdom with the Burgundian ones. Nesles having been used as refuge in Huguenots, one supposes that it is at that time that its dismantling was ordered: roofs, crownings, crenellations disappeared, as well as the higher stages.

July 31, 1918, at the time of the second battle of the Marne, during the offensive of the Mangin General, the "Sammies" of the 4è division U.S. "Rainbow", whose head of staff was the Mac-Arthur General, prennet of attack the fortress, after a terrible heavy artillery bombardment, and contraigant the enemy one with the retirement on Vesles.