We started our magical history tour with Château Gaillard. After spending a night in Rouen and strengthening ourselves with a delicious breakfast at the Hotel Dieppe we picked up our rental and drove to Château Gaillard. This castle has been built during the reign of Richard Lionheart in 1196. In case you are wondering if you are reading an old blog post, no, you do not. We were on another history trip following the footsteps of the Plantagenets and anything else remotely historic along the way.
It took Richard Lionheart only two years to finish Château Gaillard. That sounds pretty remarkable to me, especially since it was done in the 12 century and is still around to day. The castle shows some great workmanship. Just check out the size!
Château Gaillard @Normandy
The walls are so high and built in such a way that they cannot be scaled. Château Gaillard sits on an important stretch of the Seine, some 40km south of Rouen and about 100km north-west of Paris.
Château Gaillard overlooking the Seine @Normandy
Even though it was deemed impregnable, Richard Lionheart’s brother John later ‘lost’ it. No wonder he was called ‘John Lackland‘. He added a chapel and other useless stuff, thereby extending the original keep to a complex of buildings. This eventually helped the French to breach it in 1204. After a siege of six month, the enemy got in with the help of a ruse and some low set windows in the chapel.
the impregnable walls @Château Gaillard
After the fall of Château Gaillard it took the French King Philippe II. only two more months to get the whole of Normandy under his rule. It is quite remarkable that John lacked all the strategic and statesman genes of his father Henry II. and his brother.
the whole scale of the enlarged castle @Château Gaillard
The guide book suggested not to pay entrance fee and just walk around the perimeter and it’s true that the inside didn’t really offer an additional value. But you know, the history nerds were on the prowl again. So of course we went in and at least understood why Château Gaillard was built there in the first place. The view was astonishing and the enemy could have been seen from far away. What an interesting start to our trip. Yours, Pollybert
an amazing view @Château Gaillard
