Château-Gontier

Château-Gontier grew beside a crossing of the River Mayenne, around a castle established by the counts of Anjou. Religious houses and parish churches developed on both banks, and the river connected the town with the Loire and the markets of the surrounding country. Its position also brought armies through the town when western France was at war.

In September 1568 Huguenot forces entered Château-Gontier during the Wars of Religion and plundered the town and its neighbourhood. More than two centuries later, in 1793, the Vendéan army crossed the Mayenne during its campaign north of the Loire and advanced on the town, driving back the local garrison. The river crossing that had helped the town prosper thus became a point of passage for opposing forces.