Mayenne

Mayenne stands beside the river that bears its name, overlooked by a castle whose walls preserve parts of an early medieval residence. The lords of Mayenne turned it into a fortress, and the town developed around the river crossing and the stronghold. Its position in Maine exposed it to the campaigns of the Hundred Years' War. English forces occupied Mayenne from 1361 to 1364 and again from 1425; in 1448 an agreement provided for its return. The castle later passed through further changes as military needs and the life of its owners evolved.