Château de Caen

About this place

The Château de Caen is a castle in the Norman city of Caen in the Calvados département. It has been officially classed as a Monument historique since 1997. The castle was built around 1060 by William the Conqueror, who successfully conquered England in 1066. His son Henry I then built the Saint George's church, a keep and a large hall for the ducal Court. On Christmas 1182, a royal court celebration for Christmas in the Aula of Caen Castle brought together Henry II and his sons, the future kings of England Richard the Lionheart and John Lackland, receiving more than a thousand knights. Caen Castle, along with all of Normandy, was recaptured by the French Crown in 1204. Look at the entrances, walls and surrounding terrain together. Their relationship helps explain how the site controlled movement and protected its occupants, while later alterations can reveal the shift from military stronghold to residence or monument.