Derval (Loire-Atlantique)

Geography

Derval is located at the north of the Loire Atlantique, on the expressway (axis of the Estuaries)

to 30 mn of Nantes and Rennes

to 20 mn of Chateaubriant

and to 30 mn of Redon

History

The baronnie of Derval

The parish of Derval is several times mentioned at the 9th century in the charters of the " cartulaire of Redon" , but it is only at the 12th century that appear the lords de Derval. At that time lived Bonabes Ier de Derval. Then followed one another of 1203 to 1274, Guillaume Ier, II, III of Derval. Guillaume Ier is present at the States of Brittany with Vannes in 1203. One knows the seals of Bonabes II (which were lord of Derval in 1275) and of his oldest son: they are reproduced in the Preuves of the History of Brittany of Dom Morice.

BONABES II having lost his/her son left to the seigniory of Derval, with its death, with its grandson Olivier IV, lord de Rougé. This one inherited at the same time the seigniories of Rougé and Derval. Its descendants being called in turn Bonabes and Jean, were lords of Derval during the 14th century. They took the party of Charles of Blois (and not the party of France as it is often known as) during the war of succession of Brittany: the duke of Brittany Jean de Montfort consequently confiscated the castle of Derval and gave it to the English knight Robert KNOLLES who preserved this place until 1380, date on which it had to return it to Jean de Rougé.

The seigniory of Derval passes by alliance, in 1427, in the house of MALESTROIT: Jean of MALESTROIT obtained in 1435 the erection of Derval in baronnie and took the name of Jean de Derval. It was his/her small niece, Francoise de Rieux, marries of François of Laval, baron of Châteaubriant, which inherited it in 1482. As from this time, Derval followed the fortune of Chateaubriant and belonged to the made donation, in 1539, by Jean of Laval baron de Châteaubriant with the Anne constable of MONTMORENCY. In April 1554, this last obtained from the king the union of the seigniory of Derval to Baronnie de Châteaubriant. Consequently it there have more baron de Derval, but the ground seigneuriale of this name became the property of the dukes of Montmorency, then princes of Condé, successively barons de Châteaubriant.

(Drawn from the files of L.A.)

The castle

The history rather often mentions Derval, especially of its castle, which was one of the strongest places of Brittany: it was located at one half-league in the North of the borough, was flanked new turns, large as small, and was as well surrounded by ditches and a pond filled with a running water, as it was retained or that one let run by small locks. It had moreover two walls which hid it: the first was little of things; but the second was trained by buildings which had to be crossed to arrive at the third bridge, where the principal entry was. He belonged in 1373 to Robert Knolles which was besieged there by the constable Bertrand of Guesclin, and Bonabes IV of Red of Derval, with the head of four hundred Breton gentlemen. (It only should be recalled that Of Guesclin, charged to reduce all the strong castles of Brittany, succeeds about. Two only fortresses resisted to him, Brest and… Derval). Besieged strongly defended themselves during some time, but finally they capitulated, obtained a time, and gave hostages for pledges of their word. The expired term, the duke of Anjou went itself in front of the castle, and sent a herald to summon the garrison to go. Knolles, which had had time to repair its fortifications and to be put in defense, answered that he had authorized only in spite of him to the treaty, and that he would not return his place that by the force of the weapons.

The informed duke of the answer of besieged, made them say that, if the castle were not returned to him at the moment, it was going to make cut the head to the hostages that one had given him, Knolle, transported anger, retorted that these threats could not intimidate it, but that, if they were carried out, it would use of reprisals. One was unaware of the means of revenge which it could have, and the hostages were brought to the sight of the castle, where the head was sliced to them. They was two knights and a rider. Knolle seen this execution and was avenged as he had said. It made place a species of scaffold on the highest window of the castle, and made there in its turn take off three knights and a rider whom it held captive; their heads fell into the ditches. To this bloody spectacle the duke and the constable raised the seat.

The year 1590, the troops of the duke of Mercœur besieged and took the castle of Derval; and, in 1593, it was besieged and taken, for the last time by the troops of Henri IV, who made some demolish all the fortifications, which one sees only the ruins today.

(Extracts of the Dictionary of Brittany of Ogée)

Lords of Derval

It is at the 12th century that the lords appear bearing the name of Derval. The notoriety of Derval appears mainly with the arrival of the lords de Rougé, of the Maison of Red, successively men-at-arms and ambassadors of high ranking.

In 1341, the war for the succession with the Duchy of Brittany bursts. The lords of Derval and Red choose the camp of Charles of Blois against that of the other claiming Jean of MONTFORT combined to the English.

1356 - BONABES of RED and Derval is combined to king de France Jean the Good and it is made prisoner with him by Prince Noir.

1364 - Charles of BLOIS is killed with the battle of AURAY. BONABES of Derval, overcome, is dispossessed of its castle by the treaty of GUERANDE. Jean of MONTFORT becomes duke of Brittany and fact gift of the castle of Derval to his ally and friendly Robert KNOLLES, who makes a true fortress of it.

1373 - DUGUESCLIN comes to put the seat at the castle of Derval. The attacks were if violent one and so forts that the commander of the place was constrained to sign an agreement: “So in 40 days the place was not helped interior, it was to be returned”. 3 hostages were given like pledge. But KNOLLES, educated of that, came to be contained in its castle and repudiated the treaty.

DUGUESCLIN then made decapitate the three hostages. What indicator, KNOLLES made slice the head with four prisoners that it held, DUGUESCLIN was constrained of raising the seat.

1450 - Jean de Derval married Helene of Laval, grand-daughter of the duke of Brittany Jean V. It is made baron in 1451. It is with him that one owes the very first History of Brittany.

1482 - Died of Jean de Derval, Baronnie falls to his/her small Francoise niece of RIEUX, which married François of Laval, baron de Chateaubriant. Their son, Jean of Laval becomes the only heir to the baronnies to Derval and Chateaubriant.

The currency of the lords of Derval was " WITHOUT PLUS".

Administration

|- | align=right| 1937 - ||Henri-Joseph Hay de Slade||align=" center" | || |- | align=right| 1989 - 2001 ||Michel Hunault ||align=" center" | ||

Demography

Places and monuments

Personalities related to the commune

Bonabes IV, lord de Rougé and of Derval, man of war to the Middle Ages, during the War of succession of Brittany.

Armorial bearings

The armorial bearings of the town of Derval come from the original weapons of the lords of Derval (probably resulting from a puîné son of the dukes of Brittany), and hermines of Brittany. These hermines has two reasons to be:

family ties between the lords of Derval (primarily resulting from the house of Red to the Middle Ages) and the princes of Brittany.
in 1332, the duke Jean III of Brittany grants Jean I of Rougé, lord of Derval, the right to quarter its weapons with the weapons full with Brittany .écartelé, into 1 and 3, Of hermines full (Brittany), in 2 and 4, money , to two fasces of mouth. (old Derval)

See too

List of the Common lords of Derval
of the Loire-Atlantique

External bonds

Official site of the Community of communes of the Sector of Derval
Derval on the site of the national geographical Institute
Derval on the site of INSEE
Derval on the site of Quid
Localization of Derval on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Derval on Mapquest
a Web TV on Internet with many reports of the area on the local events. A new report every week

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