Château de Flumet
The Château de Flumet, also known locally as the Château des Faucigny, was a 12th-century fortified site located in the. Now disappeared, it stood above the commune of Flumet in the Savoie department, within the Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes region. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, it served as the seat of a châtellenie.
Location
Flumet is located on the southern boundary of the seigneury of Faucigny, adjacent to the County of Savoy. The castle controlled access to the upper from the, particularly from the direction of Ugine. The castle or keep was constructed on a rocky hill overlooking the confluence of the Arly and the Arondine.History
The castle was likely constructed in the mid-12th century, shortly before the development of the fortified town, which is mentioned in the 1151 foundation charter of the. Under Baron, in the early 13th century, a fortified settlement formed around the site. The first known reference to the castle dates to 1228, when the town received a charter of liberties.In the 13th century, the castle and seigneury were held by the lords of Faucigny before passing to the House of Savoy. Peter of Savoy married Agnès of Faucigny, the sole heiress of Baron Aymon II, in 1234. After Aymon II’s death in 1253, Pierre of Savoy reorganized the barony of Faucigny into several châtellenies.
Peter of Savoy had the castle strengthened prior to 1263, the year he inherited the comital throne of Savoy.
His daughter Beatrice subsequently inherited the title and the lands associated with the baronies of Faucigny and Beaufortain, including the Val d’Arly and the Château de Flumet, in accordance with her grandfather’s directives.
By the late 13th century, the castle served as the center of one of the nine châtellenies within the bailiwick of Faucigny.
In 1339, the Dauphin, then ruler of Faucigny, levied a toll at Flumet.
The castle had fallen into ruin by the 15th century. After a major fire struck the town of Flumet in June 1679, the inhabitants were authorized by Marie-Jeanne Baptiste, regent of the Duchy of Savoy, to reuse materials from the castle for reconstruction.
Description
According to the “delphinal” inquiry of April 1339, the Château de Flumet consisted of a square central tower and a second tower positioned above the entrance. The complex was enclosed by a surrounding wall that included residential buildings. The fortification wall was higher on the Savoy-facing side to the southwest.Châtellenie of Flumet
Organization
The Château de Flumet served as the center of a châtellenie, or mandement, within Faucigny from the 13th century onward. By the late 12th century, Faucigny was organized into nine châtellenies, with Flumet listed in ninth position in the order of precedence according to the 1431 inventory of Faucigny’s titles, as later cited by Canon.During the delphinal period, Faucigny was reorganized between 1342 and 1343 into fifteen châtellenies, one of which was Flumet.
After Faucigny became part of the domains of the —who also held the titles of baron of Faucigny and of Beaufort—the châtellenie of Flumet was reclassified as a vice-châtellenie and placed under the authority of the châtellenie of the Châtelet du Crédoz.
| Commune | Name | Type |
| Demi-Quartier | Châtelard of Demi-Quartier | small castle |
| Flumet | Flumet | fortified castle |
| Flumet | fortified house of Riddes | fortified castle |
| Flumet | Tour des Bieux | fortified castle |
| La Giettaz | Châtelard of La Giettaz | small castle |
| La Giettaz | Châtelard of the Aravis | small castle |
| Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe | Châtellet of Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe | castle |
| Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe | Châtellet of Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe | small castle |
| Praz-sur-Arly | Château of Praz-sur-Arly | castle |
During the early 14th century, the barony of Faucigny underwent another administrative reorganization, resulting in seventeen châtellenies.
In the 17th century, the arms of the mandement were described as three red pales on a gold field.
Châtelains
In the County of Savoy, the châtelain was an appointed officer serving for a fixed, revocable term. His duties included administering the châtellenie, collecting its fiscal revenues, and overseeing the maintenance of the castle.In a 1988 presentation at the 32nd, Bernard Ducretet discussed the functions of châtelains, drawing on Étienne Dullin’s 1911 thesis Les châtelains dans les domaines de la Maison de Savoie en deçà des Alpes. He noted that until the mid-16th century, these officers acted as intermediaries between the local communities of their châtellenie and the prince’s court, regularly reporting on administration and conveying the population’s requests and grievances.
From its integration into the Savoyard domain in 1355, the châtelain’s military role declined. The office, once a personal responsibility, became a hereditary position, with day-to-day administration managed by a lieutenant. The châtellenie was later incorporated into the apanage of Genevois, which included Faucigny and the barony of Beaufort.
Faucigny, Dauphiné, and French Administration
Châtelains and Revenue Farmers of the Mandement
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