Montjoie Castle

Montjoie Castle, locally known as Château de Montjoie-le-Château, lies above the hamlet of the same name in the Doubs department in France.

Montjoie Castle was probably built during the early 13th century. It was built by the Glère family, most probably Richard I of Glère. It was built on a spur overlooking a village and was meant to control traffic through the Doubs valley.

The castle was besieged unsuccessfully by Jean de Thierstein, bailiff of Ferrette, in 1428. Imperial troops laid siege in 1444 and took it. Another siege took place during the Burgundian Wars, by troops of the Old Swiss Confederacy, in 1475.

In 1635, during the Ten Years' War, a Lorraine captain being pursued by Jacques-Nompar de Caumont, who was a Marshal of France and future Duc de La Force, took refuge in Montjoie, with no less than 500 of his soldiers. A 3-week siege of the castle followed. The castle suffered over 200 volleys of cannon before submitting and opening its doors. The French troops then destroyed the castle.

What remains today of the castle are bits and pieces of walls and foundations, the ruined keep and the castle chapel, which is still in service.

At present the ruin of Montjoie Castle is freely accessible over small unmarked paths. The site is rather overgrown but that can add to the sense of discovery. Architecturally it is not very spectacular.

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