The Saucy Castle

Between Rouen and Paris are the ruins of the Chateau Gaillard, one of the most picturesque and remarkable castles in Normandy. It was built by Richard Coeur de Lion, who is said to have been his own architect, and it was erected in one year, with walls 14 feet thick, as a defence of the Seine in this part of the Dukedom. Richard called it his "Saucy Castle," as it was built in defiance of Philip Augustus, King of France. When the King saw the castle he swore, by all the saints, "I will take it, were it made of iron," to which Richard replied, "And I will hold it, were it made of butter." After Richard's death, Philip took the castle by siege, but the garrison surrendered only at the point of starvation. Henry V. of England retook the castle after a siege of sixteen months, when the ropes were worn out with which the besieged drew water from the well. The Chateau Gaillard, the pet creation of Richard Coeur de Lion, was considered the most magnificent specimen of military architecture in Europe; it remained intact until 1604, when Henry IV. of France (Henry of Navarre) dismantled it, after twelve years of labor, with many other feudal castles in Normandy, lest a stronger than he might again turn these castles into strongholds. The castle has its historic memories. Margaret of Burgundy, the frail Queen of Louis X., was imprisoned here and strangled with her own hair by the order of her husband, the King; David Bruce resided here during his exile from Scotland.