The Tour de Nesle () was one of the four large guard towers on the old city wall of Paris, constructed at the beginning of the 13th century by

Philip II of France 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 ...

and demolished in 1665. The tower was situated on the left (south) bank of the Seine facing the old castle of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

on the opposite bank. Originally known as the ''Tour Hamelin'', it was a cylindrical structure of approximately 10 metres in diameter. The height was around 25 metres, with a stair turret reaching higher still. Later, the tower was incorporated into the Hôtel de Nesle, a medieval mansion. On the right bank of the Seine river was a similar tall tower: the Tour du Coin (corner tower). The towers protected the upstream approach to the

Île de la Cité The Île de la Cité (; English: City Island, "Island of the City") is one of the two natural islands on the Seine River (alongside, Île Saint-Louis) in central Paris. It spans of land. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of ...

. In 1308, Philip IV bought the tower from Amaury de Nesle. In 1314, a scandal known as the

Tour de Nesle affair The Tour de Nesle affair was a scandal amongst the French royal family in 1314, during which Margaret of Burgundy, Queen of France, Margaret, Blanche of Burgundy, Blanche, and Joan II, Countess of Burgundy, Joan, the daughters-in-law of Philip IV ...

implicated the daughters-in-law of Philip IV, who were accused of adultery. Many of the alleged liaisons were said to have occurred in the Tour de Nesle. The scandal led to torture and execution for the princesses' lovers and the imprisonment of the princesses, with lasting consequences for the final years of the

House of Capet The House of Capet () ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians and the Karlings. The direct line of the House of Capet came to an ...

. In 1319, Philip V donated the building to his Queen Jeanne de Bourgogne (the one accused who was found innocent) and she, in her will, left it for the College of Burgundy, which she founded for the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. Demolished in 1665, mansion and tower became the place of the Collège des Quatre-Nations (later occupied by the

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

) with the Bibliothèque Mazarine.

In popular culture

In the 19th century,

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

wrote the celebrated romance '' La Tour de Nesle'' (1832), in which he portrayed the place as a theatre of orgy and the place of murder of a Queen of France at the beginning of the 14th century, (likely Margaret of Burgundy). His story is based on the fifteenth-century legend based on events alleged to have taken place in 1314. The story was also the basis of a 1955 film known in English as '' Tower of Lust'' (French: ''La Tour de Nesle''). ''Le Roi de fer'' (1955), the first novel of Maurice Druon's seven-volume series '' Les Rois maudits'' (''The Accursed Kings''), describes the affair and the subsequent executions in lurid and imaginative detail.

References

* *Imago Mundi - Tour de Nesle.

Gallery

Tour.de.Nesle.png, The Tour de Nesle in the medieval period as imagined by Viollet-le-Duc. View to the northwest and Seine river. The Porte de Nesle is the gate at center-right. TourDeNesleInstitut.jpg, A plaque on the northern wall of the

shows the former location of the Tour de Nesle. Les 3 tours (Paris).jpg, Tower and hôtel de Nesle with on the other side of the river the

Palais du Louvre The Louvre Palace (, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Ger ...

(Plan de Truschet & Hoyau, circa 1550) Murphil.jpg,

Plan de Mérian The Merian map of Paris () was created in 1615 by Matthäus Merian the Elder. It presents a bird's eye view looking east with a scale of about 1 to 7,000. The map originally consisted of two engraved plates (50 x 37 cm each) with the left ...

(1615) : at bottom, the tour de Nesle, the Hôtel de Nevers, and the ditch

External links

Scandale de la Tour de Nesle
{{Authority control Towers completed in the 13th century History of Paris Fortifications of Paris Former buildings and structures in Paris Fortified towers Buildings and structures demolished in the 17th century Towers in Paris