Gaillon
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Gaillon () is a
commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...
in the
Eure Eure () is a department in Normandy in Northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2019, Eure had a population of 599,507.department in northern
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.


History

The origins of Gaillon are not really known. In 892,
Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...
, a
Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
chief, might have ravaged Gaillon and the region, before he became the first prince of the
Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
and
count of Rouen In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles III in 911. In 924 and again in 933, Normandy ...
in 911. The Gaillon history did begin, when the first
dukes of Normandy In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles III in 911. In 924 and again in 933, Norman ...
built a keep to defend the border of Normandy against their enemies : the kings of France. The first castle of Gaillon belonged to a whole system of defence along the Norman border such as Evreux,
Pacy-sur-Eure Pacy-sur-Eure (, literally ''Pacy on Eure'') is a commune in the Eure department, Normandy, France. On 1 January 2017, the former commune of Saint-Aquilin-de-Pacy was merged into Pacy-sur-Eure.Vernon, Malassis,
Gasny Gasny () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure Departments of France, department in northern France. Population Personalities * Georges Baptiste François Allix (1808-1881), military engineer in the French Navy. See also *Communes of th ...
, Baudemont, etc. In 1192 King Philip II Augustus of France seized the castle in his battle with
Richard the Lion Heart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...
to conquer
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
. Richard decided to build a new one a few kilometers away in
Les Andelys Les Andelys (; Norman: ''Les Aundelys'') is a commune in the northern French department of Eure, in Normandy. Geography It lies on the Seine, about northeast of Évreux. The commune is divided into two parts, Grand-Andely (located about fr ...
on the other bank of the Seine River : Château Gaillard. In 1262 the castle was exchanged between King
Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the House of Capet, Direct Capetians. He was Coronation of the French monarch, c ...
and
Eudes Rigaud Eudes may refer to: Given name * Eudes de France (c.857-898) was a King of Western Francia, reigning from 888-898 * Eudes-Henry (946–1002), Duke of Burgundy (944–965) * Eudes, Count of Penthièvre and Count of Brittany (999–1079) * Eudes ...
(
Archbishop of Rouen The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Arch ...
) and it became the residence of the Rouen archbishops until the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
. In 1419 the city was put under siege by
Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence (autumn 1387 – 22 March 1421) was a medieval English prince and soldier, the second son of Henry IV of England, brother of Henry V, and heir to the throne in the event of his brother's death. He acted ...
and his English army. It was subsequently retaken by the French, and then by the English. Five years later John Plantagenet, Duke of Bedford, ordered the demolition of all fortifications, sparing only the home of the archbishop. A new castle was built around 1500 - 1509 by
Georges d'Amboise Georges d'Amboise (1460 – May 25, 1510) was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and minister of state. He belonged to the house of Amboise, a noble family possessed of considerable influence: of his nine brothers, four were bishops. His father, ...
, Archbishop of Rouen and Minister of
Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...
in the modern Renaissance style recently imported from Italy. It is often considered the very first renaissance castle in France, before the Loire castles were built. Finally it was turned into a prison in 1815, which it remained until 1905. Gaillon was reached by the
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
-
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population ...
road in 1730. A
lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...
was built at Notre-Dame-de-la-Garenne on the
river Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributari ...
in 1840. In 1866 a colony ( Douaire), for the agricultural rehabilitation of young offenders, was built in the city. In 1899 the first hill climb for racing automobiles was begun, climbing through
Sainte-Barbe-sur-Gaillon Sainte-Barbe-sur-Gaillon (, literally ''Sainte-Barbe on Gaillon'') is a former commune in the Eure department and Normandy region of France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Le Val-d'Hazey.Communes of the Eure department The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):Château de Gaillon The Château de Gaillon is a French Renaissance castle located in Gaillon, Normandy region of France. History The somewhat battered and denuded Château de Gaillon, begun in 1502 on ancient foundations was the summer archiepiscopal residence of ...


References


External links


Views of Gaillon on old postcards
Communes of Eure {{Eure-geo-stub