Château de L'Isle-Adam

The Château de L'Isle-Adam, now destroyed, could be found in the town of L'Isle-Adam in the department of Val-d'Oise; it was built on an island called the Île du Prieuré The building was connected with many illustrious families; the Lords of Adams, the Dukes of Villiers, the Dukes of Montmorency, the Princes of Condé and finally the Princes of Conti. It was under the Princes of Conti that the building had its golden age. They lived there for seven generations and it was their principal residence outside Paris. Their Parisian home was the Hôtel de Conti. It was entirely destroyed by the 19th century. L'Isle Adam is situated on a series of three isles

To stop invasion by the Normans, the King of France ordered the construction of a series of fortresses in order to defend his lands from his enemy. The first series of buildings on the site were in fact constructed in 825 along the two islands in L'Isle-Adam bordering the River Oise near where the present town of Nogent is today. The latter was not recorded till 1069 but was near the site.

The château was given to one Seigneur Adam, literally "Lord Adam". From then on, the château was known as château de L'Isle-Adam. Around the château the town of L'Isle Adam grew and eventually met Nogent which was later swallowed by L'Isle Adam. By the Middle Ages, the Lordship grew and included the properties of Parmain and Valmondois. Over this period the château increased in size and was remodelled according to contemporary tastes. The Île du Prieuré, or "Isle of the Priory", was first built on by Saint Chrodegand in 1014. The Île du Prieuré was where the château was built on.

L'Isle Adam lived quietly till 1360 when it was sold to Pierre Villiers, the Grand Master of the Kings household. It was later the property of his descendant who took the style of Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam. Philippe (1464–1534) was a prominent member of the Knights Hospitaller at Rhodes and later Malta. Having risen to the position of Prior of the Langue of Auvergne, he was elected Grand Master of the Order in 1521. In turn, Philippe's descendant Antoine Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, heir to the domain married Marguerite de Montmorency, a member of the Montmorency family who were created Dukes in the reign of Henry II of France.

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