Château d'Acquigny

The Château d'Acquigny is a French castle located in the department of Eure in Upper Normandy.

The present castle was built in 1557 by Anne de Laval and was listed in the French National Inventory of Historical Monuments in 1926.

Acquigny sits at the confluence of two rivers: the Eure, formerly navigable to Chartres, and the Iton. The two rivers were dammed and redirected during the twelfth century by the monks of Conches-en-Ouche to power mills in the region. These newly created branches also fed into the castle's moats, which protected the Saint-mals monastery and the medieval village located directly behind the current castle.

On either side of the château are heavily wooded hills. This shelters the valley in which the château lies from wind, creating a microclimate slightly warmer than the surrounding areas.

The Renaissance château that exists today was built on the site of a medieval fortress that had been built in the 11th century to protect Normandy while William the Conqueror was campaigning in England.

Following the imprisonment of Charles II of Navarre in 1356, the Duke of Lancaster was sent by the King of England to rescue Philip of Navarre, brother of Charles. His army of twelve hundred horsemen, sixteen thousand archers and two thousand armed brigandines convened in Évreux.

The original fortress was taken by Navarre and his army. Following the Battle of Cocherel, the castle served as a refuge and stronghold for Navarre. Control of this strategic location along the two rivers caused much anxiety for the king of France, who feared a loss of influence in the High Normandy Region and ordered his forces to retake Acquigny. After a six-month siege by the French forces, the fortress was retaken.

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