Brie-Comte-Robert

Brie-Comte-Robert takes its name from Robert of Dreux, brother of the French king Louis VII, who built a castle here around 1160. Its regular enclosure and towers protected a lordly residence in the Brie countryside. The castle later passed through the hands of members of the royal family, making the town a frequent setting for their affairs.

During the Hundred Years' War Charles of Orléans inherited Brie, but was captured at Agincourt in 1415. Two companions of Joan of Arc recovered the castle in 1429; English forces expelled them the following year, damaging the fortress and plundering the town. Charles regained his property after returning from captivity in 1440. His son, the future Louis XII, inherited Brie as a child, and his mother Marie of Cleves administered it for him.