Eure
Eure ( ; ; or ) is a department in the administrative region of Normandy, northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2021, Eure had a population of 598,934.department in northern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
History
The origins of Gaillon are not really known. In 892, Rollo, a
Viking
Vikings were 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 settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
chief, might have ravaged Gaillon and the region, before he became the first prince of the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
and count of Rouen 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 Kingdom of France, France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles the Simple in 911. In 924 an ...
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, Vernon, Malassis, Gasny, Baudemont, etc.
In 1192 King
Philip II Augustus
Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
. Richard decided to build a new one a few kilometers away in Les Andelys on the other bank of the Seine River :
Château Gaillard
Château Gaillard () is a medieval castle ruin overlooking the River Seine above the commune of Les Andelys, in the French department of Eure, in Normandy. It is located some north-west of Paris and from Rouen. Construction began in 1196 u ...
.
In 1262 the castle was exchanged between King Louis IX and Eudes Rigaud ( Archbishop of Rouen) and it became the residence of the Rouen archbishops until the French Revolution.
In 1419 the city was put under siege by Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence 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, Archbishop of Rouen and Minister of
Louis XII
Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...
in the modern Renaissance style recently imported from Italy. It is often considered the 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 city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
-
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
road in 1730. A
lock
Lock(s) or Locked 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 entertainme ...
was built at Notre-Dame-de-la-Garenne on the river Seine 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.
Population
See also
*
Communes of the Eure department
The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French G ...