Association de Sauvegarde du

CHATEAU DE GAVRAY

THE NAVARRESE FORTRESS

The Hundred Years' War, which broke out at the time, was the period when the Château de Gavray played its most important role. The region was at the heart of the conflict and the fortress saw a succession of Navarrese, French and then English occupiers. The castle was besieged and twice taken by French troops during this conflict. For the historian, this was a prosperous period thanks to the Accounts of the King of Navarre, which detail with great precision the expenditure on supplies, the wages allocated to the soldiers, the state of the food reserves, etc...

The Succession of Louis X le Hutin

Jeanne, daughter  of Louis X le Hutin and Margaret of Burgundy, was removed from the crown of France in 1316, on the death of her brother, John the Posthumous, who lived only five days. The Estates-General, convened in 1317, stripped her of her rights by virtue of the principle of masculinity created for the occasion. Her uncle, Philip the Long, became king and granted her an annuity of 15,000 livres and she had to ratify in her twelfth year (in 1324) a treaty that disinherited her from Navarre and the counties of Champagne and Brie that she had held from her grandmother, Jeanne de Navarre, wife of Philip the Fair.

When she came of age, Joan did not confirm her renunciation, she married Philippe d'Evreux, son of the second brother of Philip the Fair. On the accession of Philip VI in 1328, she claimed her inheritance. It obtained Navarre but definitively lost the counties of Champagne and Brie in exchange for the county of Angoulême and possessions in Normandy, including the county of Mortain.

What happened to Gavray, which was not part of the county of Mortain?

Charles II of Navarre

said the Bad
King of Navarre
Count of Evreux

When Joan of Navarre died in 1349, she  was succeeded by her son Charles. King of Navarre (by his mother), Count of Evreux (by his father) and holder of some lordships in Normandy, he can also, very legitimately, claim the throne of France. An unscrupulous man, for whom the end justifies the means, he takes over his mother's claims (possession of the county of Angoulême promised but never given) thus reinforcing his many grievances against his stepfather John the Good (in particular the non-payment of his wife's dowry).

Finally, his grievances were exacerbated when the king of France assigned to his favorite Charles of Spain, constable of France, the county of Angoulême which was to belong to him. On 8 January 1354, the constable was assassinated at L'Aigle by the Navarrese.

John  the Good ordered  all the lands and castles belonging to his son-in-law to be "put under the roof".

Taking the lead, Charles negotiated with Edward III of England. At the same time, his brother, Philippe, Count of Longueville, together with Godfrey d'Harcourt, Lord of Saint-Sauveur, raised troops in the Cotentin. They had assembled "a large number of men-at-arms, and Monseigneur Godefroy had the steps of the Clos du Cotentin driven in." (5)
Faced with this Anglo-Navarrese threat, the King of France prefers to negotiate, it is the  "Treaty of Mantes" of February 22, 1354. By this treaty, Charles obtained the county of Beaumont le Roger and the greater part of the Cotentin, becoming master of half of Normandy.

Double game of the kings of France, England and Navarre

After the Treaty of Mantes, Charles went to Avignon where extensive French concessions to the English were to be ratified. Not content with reneging on these concessions, John the Good took advantage  of Charles' voyage to try to reconquer the lands of the King of Navarre in Normandy. Only six strongholds did not surrender: Evreux, Pont-Audemer, Cherbourg, Avranches, Mortain and Gavray.

Meanwhile, Charles met in Avignon  with Henry of Lancaster, grandson  of Henry III  of England, to arrange a partition of France. He returned to Cherbourg in 1355 and awaited the planned English landing. As the latter is not forthcoming, Charles negotiates... with the French. This was the Treaty of Valognes on 10 September 1355.

By this treaty, Charles agreed to make obedience to the King of France, his overlord, for the castles that had not wanted to surrender. The king may appoint the captains of his choice, until Charles has done homage:

This clause renders this treaty purely formal, since homage will be paid a few days later and Charles will keep his property. The Treaty of Valognes did not settle matters between the French and Navarrese for long.

Charles was arrested in Rouen in 1356 by John the Good. This arrest provoked an uprising led by  Philippe d'Evreux, the king's brother, and Godfrey d'Harcourt. (9) The Navarrese took the fortress of Hambye, among other places, and a chronicle mentions a clash between the French and the Navarrese between Gavray and Hambye. (10) These clashes were to be frequent.

Charles took advantage of this period to establish his power in Normandy. In 1360, he was at Mortain  on 28 June, at Gavray on 28 July from where he sent urgent recommendations to the governors of his castles and fortresses for their defence, at Valognes on 13 August, from 27 August to 25 September at Cherbourg, and then again at Gavray  on 6 October. (11)

The following year, we find him:

-from 9 May to 5 June in Avranches,
-June 10 in Gavray,
- 18 and 19 June in Cherbourg,
- 24 and 25 June in Valognes,
-September 14 in Cherbourg
-and, from 1 to 18 October, again in Gavray. (12)

Negotiations with the English probably justified these moves, since they gave up their forts on the coast: Graffart and Barfleur to him for payment.

The big companies

The war was temporarily interrupted, and the country was infested with bands of idle mercenaries who formed companies. (13) These Companies were made up of uprooted soldiers, unwilling or unable to return to their homes and/or the Society, and as a result of a military organization which provided only for afew months' pay between two de jure or de facto truces, at the end of which the combatants were sent back, with the exception of those destined to guard the frontiers. This phenomenon is exacerbated by social unrest and economic crises.

The region  of Gavray suffered, like so many others, from this scourge often mentioned in the accounts of the King of Navarre and the castle played its part in the fight against these Companies. It includes:

Thus, Gavray had not only lent his walls, but had also participated in the siege by providing two catapults with their accessories.

To fight against the Companies, often French and Navarrese united. Thus, from 19 to 23 April 1363, Philippe de Navarre, brother  of Charles II, Count of Longueville, stayed in Gavray, as part of a joint operation with the Duke of Normandy, the future Charles V. (16)

An extraordinary confusion reigned in Lower Normandy where troops circulated in all directions. Coutances, was most often Navarrese, but sometimes occupied by the people of the King of France. Saint-Lô was French, Torigny Navarrese. The centre of resistance of King Charles the Bad was Gavray, whose  "formidable fortifications, the boulevard of the Prince's power in the Bocage, kept away all plans of attack" according to Onfroy de Tracy. The Anglo-Navarrese had captured Saint-Denis-le-Gast and Hambye, and defended Mortain and Valognes:
- Guillaume de la Haye was captain of the castle of Valognes,
- Olivier de Mauny, captain of the fortress of Carentan,
- Guillaume de Manneville, captain of the Château de Chanteloup,
- Baudet de Saint Paul, captain of the Bastide des Ponts d'Ouve, replaced in 1363 by Guillaume aux Epaules, who then became captain of the town and castle of Gavray.

Guerrilla warfare persists and insecurity reigns everywhere. In 1364, Louis, another brother  of Charles II, stayed in Gavray with his men and Pierre Clémence, the treasurer notes that 8 quarters of wheat "were lost at the mill of Quetreville by the English who took it". (17)

In 1366, it was necessary to "vuider" other forts, and the bishop of Avranches was again at Gavray:

The Peninsular War, to which the Companies under the command of Bertrand DuGuesclin were sent, did not resolve the issue, since in 1367-1368, new bands were rampant in the region. Bretons settled in Champeaux and Genêts, and ransomed the country. As if to fight against the Companies a few years earlier, Monseigneur d'Avranches settled in Gavray. Guillaume Le Marié, guard of the garrisons of the chastel of Gavray, had to deliver foodstuffs:

This struggle was very expensive, as evidenced by the accounts: additional soldiers had to be paid, troops had to be maintained, etc. so much so that, as G. Dupont remarks  : "fifteen years later, the financial implications of the operation had only just been liquidated... ». (20) If the castle is put in a state of defence, so is the town of Gavray. This is, a priori, the only period (1366 to 1369) in which the presence of a military leader is reported in each of the places:

In the summer of 1368:

In September, the Captal

In October, he recruited new men-at-arms:

In 1369, he stayed in Cherbourg  "with his commons" from August to December

In 1370, he remained in Cherbourg,

Deeds attest to the king's presence at Gavray  on 1 October 1370 on his return from a trip to England to prepare  a treaty with Edward III, a treaty refused by the Prince of Wales (the Black Prince).

Turning to the King of France, he concluded peace in March 1371. The captains of certain Norman places which he had pledged to cede refused to abandon them. (28)

A deed signed on 24 April 1371 is the last trace of the king's visit to Gavray. (29)

The castle during the Navarra occupation

The Defense of the Castle

The number of people in charge of the defence of the castle is not known for all periods, but in addition to the captain and the guard of the garrisons, the following figures can be found:
- in 1369 at the beginning of August: under the command of Jehannico Ruiz d'Ayvar 3 men-at-arms and 18 servants,
- end of August: 2 men-at-arms and 20 servants and a constable for the town of Gavray.
- in 1370: 3 men-at-arms and 20 servants (30).

These figures may vary in times of crisis, but they are in line with those of other strongholds in the region, of the same size, only Cherbourg had 45 servants but only 3 men-at-arms. The guard of the castle was reinforced by adding the following services:

To be useful, this service had to warn the men-at-arms and the population as soon as possible, which is why the castle was equipped with a bell:

Stewardship

 To prevent any siege, each castle had a "garrison" duly supplied and whose accounts were closely monitored. Here is what the garrison of the castle consisted of when Guillaume Le Marié, guard of the garrisons of the chastel of Gavray, took over from Jean Latour:

To which will be added each year foodstuffs from

The beverage, on the other hand, can be found in the regular supplies. At the end of the same account, we find:

There was no shortage of wine, it was transported through the port of Regnéville. As for cider, it is believed that it was introduced by the Navarrese people.

Finally, as far as domesticity is concerned, which is numerous during the visits of the "greats", under the orders of the Monseigneur's master dostel, the offices of: paneterie, deschanconnerie, cuisine, sausserie, etc. "I am not sure (34)

These accounts to which we referred stop in 1371 and we know no more about the castle until 1378, date of its reconquest by the king of France, except the name of its captain in 1377: Loppe Gil.

The French Reconquest

The reconquest led by Charles V, with the help of Du Guesclin,  continued.

Large subsidies voted by the States of Normandy made it possible to assemble a large army and a strong artillery made in Saint-Lô and Caen, partly with iron from the Norman mines. The place surrendered for compensation on 3 July 1375 and the English re-embarked at Carteret. (35)

It is now a question of attacking and defeating the Navarrese fortresses.
P. Contamine sums up the circumstances of the French reconquest as follows: "In March 1378, the arrest of a familiar of the King of Navarre revealed his plan to poison Charles V. His intrigues with the King of England and the Duke of Brittany were revealed. Immediately, an army was assembled under the command of the Duke of Burgundy, who seized the fortresses of Charles the Bad without much resistance. (36)

This is where the episode of the heroic resistance of Gavray takes place, which gave rise to many more or less disputed versions, including those of
 C. de Gerville: "les abbayes et anciens châteaux de la Manche" pages 322-323
G. Renault: "Annuaire...  page 80
L. Delisle: "fragments of an unpublished chronicle relating to military events in Normandy from 1353 to 1389, Annuaire de la Manche, Saint-Lô 1895
"Chronique du Mont-St-Michel", published by Siméon Luce, Paris 1879 tome I page 11
Jean d'Orronville dit Cabaret:  "La chronique du bon duc Loys de Bourbon" Ed. 1876 of which we publish the extract in appendix.

The Siege of Gavray

Ferrando d'Ayens was considered sometimes as counsellor to the king of Navarre, sometimes as governor of his lands in Normandy. A heroic soldier, he showed  unfailing loyalty and devotion to Charles the Bad. On the approach  of Du Guesclin, he left Evreux to shut himself up in the castle of Gavray. He knew that this fortress contained his master's treasures and everything that was most dear to his heart. Finally, and this was to be considered, Gavray was considered to be "the most beautiful castle in Normandy" and  "to be impregnable from the assault of men-at-arms, all artillery and all machines".

The siege began at the beginning of May, led  by Bertrand Du Guesclin accompanied by the Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Bourbon. It seems that  Charles of Navarre'  s son, Charles, was part of the expedition, to urge the captains not to resist, but there is no evidence of his presence. (37)

Du Guesclin had bastides (entrenched camps) built on either side of the castle, to finally send to Caen to fetch a bricole (catapult) unless it was a cannon since it was made precisely in Caen. (38) The transport required three days and several wagons of 6 horses each and carts of 4 horses. (39)

On 7 May, the Duke of Burgundy granted two soldiers a remission in front of Gavray. (40) On 12 May, eight squires were received at Gavray. (41) They were added to the troops already present: at least thirty crossbowmen. (42)

It is after this that the episode so celebrated by local historians takes place: the heroic resistance of Gavray, which owed its fall only to an unfortunate accident that happened to its governor, Ferrando d'Ayens. The latter, while visiting a tower where the powder was stored, is said to have caused a terrible explosion with his torch, hastening the surrender of the Navarrese garrison of the castle.

On May 31, the castle fell

On 1 June, Du Guesclin granted letters of remission to all Navarrese in the castle's garrison, a copy of which can be found at the end of manuscript 3141 of the Arsenal. These letters had been promised to them at the time of the capitulation. The defenders of the castle had obtained what we now call the honours of war, a preferential treatment justified in every respect both by their courage and by the importance of the walls which sheltered them and made them invulnerable.

The king appointed Jehan de Couvran, governor of the castle, then of Beauté-sur-Marne, who instructed

On the same day, we have a mandate from Bertrand Du Guesclin to Fouquet Tribout to pay 15,300 gold francs  to Symon Paien "for the finance in cash gold of the tower of the castle of Gavray, according to the treaty made with him at the time of the surrender of Gavray ". (44) On the 1st of June, the sum was given to Simon Paien at the castle of Gavray.

The following month, by a deed dated 14 July 1378, Charles V ordered the demolition of the fortresses taken from the Navarrese people: Pont-Audemer, Orbec, Breteuil, Rugles, Mortain, Avranches and Gavray. It was probably at this time that the round tower (the foundations of which were found next to the current keep) was destroyed, as well as part of the surrounding wall and a number of buildings.

In 1390, troops commanded by Thomas Graffart, on behalf of the King of France, razed what remained of the fortifications and everything that could contribute to the defense of the castle. In the comments of his unpublished chronicle of the fourteenth century published in 1895, Léopold Delisle shows the extent to which the Norman nobility was divided between the King of France and the King of Navarre:

"Gavray was besieged during the month of May. On the 31st of this month, Charles V, King of France, made 600 gold francs pay 600 gold francs to 6 knights: Guillaume Paisnel, Sire de Hambye, Alain de la Houssaie, Alain de Beaumont, Perceval d'Esneval, Raoul de Beauchamp and Hervé de Mauny, as a reward for their services in front of the chastel of Gavray.

Appendix

Extract relating to the capture of the castle of Gavray from the disputed chronicle of  "Du bon duc Loys de Bourbon" by Jean d'Orronville dit Cabaret published by the Société de l'Histoire de France by A.M. CHAZAUD on April 4, 1876.

* Mortagne au perche (Orne)
** Evreux (Eure)
***Gavray (Manche)
**** Regnéville (Manche)

Précédent