Châtelet du Crédoz

The toponym is recorded in historical documents in several forms, including Crêt-d’Ot, Crêt-d’Ost, Crêt-d’Oz, Credoz, Credu, and Credo;^[1] the variant Crédo (Castelleti de Credo) also appears.^[2][3] According to local historian Lucien Guy [fr], the original spelling was likely Crêt-d’Ot or Crêt-d’Ost, a name referring to the gathering place of vassals before military campaigns in the Middle Ages, known as the ost.^[4]

In medieval terminology, the word châtelet designated a fortified site used for defense or surveillance,^[4] as opposed to a castle, which served as a center of authority and residence.

The Châtelet du Crédoz is situated in the commune of Cornier, in the French department of Haute-Savoie. It occupies an isolated rocky outcrop northwest of the village, at an elevation of 509 meters, in the Plaine des Rocailles [fr] between Reignier and La Roche-sur-Foron.^[1] Located on the left bank of the Arve,^{[ReG 1]} it oversaw the route linking La Roche to Bonne, which passed near the Château de Boringe (Reignier) and Nangy.^[4]

The Châtelet du Crédoz is first mentioned in an arbitration ruling dated 10 May 1225 between Count [fr] William II of Geneva and Baron Aymon II of Faucigny [fr].^{[ReG 2]} Some historians consider that it was established shortly before this date^[5] and that it initially depended on the lords of Faucigny.^{[ReG 1]} According to Guy Gavard, it belonged to the Counts of Geneva^[2] as an enclave within Faucigny territory, as suggested by the 1225 ruling.^{[ReG 2][4]} The fief nevertheless appears to have come under Faucigny control shortly thereafter.^[4]

In 1263, Agnès of Faucigny, who had inherited the site from her father, indicated that her husband, Count Peter II of Savoy, had fortified it at considerable expense^{[5][ReG 3]} and had built a circular keep around 1260.^[6] Béatrice of Faucigny, their daughter, pledged the fortress in 1269^{[ReG 4]} while held captive by her aunt, and it was pledged again the following year to her uncle, Count Philip I.^{[ReG 5]} In May 1293, Béatrice transferred it to her cousin, Count Amadeus V of Savoy.^{[6][ReG 6][ReG 7]} The following month, the Grande Dauphine rendered homage to the Count of Savoy for the castle.^{[ReG 8]} Under the peace treaty concluded in August 1308 between the Count of Savoy and the Grande Dauphine Béatrice, the castles of Faucigny, Bonne, Monthoux, Bonneville, Châtelet du Crédoz, Alinge-le-Vieux [fr], and Lullin, together with their jurisdictions, remained fiefs of the Count of Savoy.^{[5][ReG 9]}

At the beginning of the 14th century,^[6] the castle contained war machines such as ballistae, and projectiles were produced there for use against the walls of Geneva and the Château de Ville-la-Grand. Crédoz also served as the departure point for troops engaged in sieges of nearby castles, including Monthoux (Vétraz-Monthoux), Allinges (Château-Vieux and Château-Neuf [fr]), Montforchier [fr] (Lullin), and Beaufort [fr].

The 1339 Vatican survey lists six noble households with fortified residences equipped with “towers and other defenses” under the jurisdiction of the Châtelet du Crédoz.^[7]

Following the annexation of Faucigny in 1355 and the acquisition of the County of Geneva in 1401,^[6] the Châtelet du Crédoz lost its strategic importance and, no longer maintained, gradually fell into ruin.

In 1435 and 1437, it was granted in fief to Amédée de Viry [fr] and Jean du Clos, who sold it in 1441 to Philip of Savoy, Count of Genevois.^[5]

In 1514, the castle passed to the Nemours [fr] branch, which held it until 1659,^[8] when it returned to the domain of the Dukes of Savoy.

In her will dated 6 October 1675, Marie, the last heir of the Genève-Lullin [fr] family, transferred all her rights and possessions—including the castles of Crédoz, La Roche, Monnetier, and Mornex—to Christine of France, Duchess of Savoy.^[9][10] These fiefs were subsequently granted and elevated to a marquisate by Duke Victor Amadeus II on 21 February 1682, in favor of President Thomas Granery (Act of 10 March 1682), Count of Mercenasque and General Superintendent of Finances of Savoy.^[9][11][12] The lordship of Crédoz was formally established as a marquisate in 1700.^[6] Charles-Emmanuel Graneri, his elder brother and Count of Mercenasco, also held the Marquisate of La Roche (La Roche-sur-Foron), while their uncle, Marc-Antoine Graneri, served as Abbot of Entremont. The last member of this Turinese family, Henriette Graneri (Enrichetta Graneri de La Roche), died in 1843. She was the wife of Count Joseph de Gerbaix de Sonnaz [fr] (1784–1863) and bequeathed the castle to her nephew, Charles-Albert Aimé de Gerbais de Sonnaz.^[6]

The Châtelet du Crédoz currently consists of a roughly triangular fortified enclosure occupying the entire upper section of the rocky outcrop.^[1] The site was protected by two defensive enclosures, one situated higher and the other lower.^[1]

A curtain wall, reinforced at its center by a small round tower, connects two square towers. The tower at the northeast corner, measuring 8 meters per side, adjoined a large hall, or aula, 21 meters in length. This tower may have served as the original keep prior to the construction of a circular keep on the northwest side, built by Peter of Savoy in the mid-13th century.^[5] The circular keep, which faced the likely direction of attack and included a barbican, has walls 2.80 meters thick and a diameter of 7.68 meters, with a preserved height of 14 meters. Access was originally through a door located 6 meters above ground level.

A moated enclosure, dating from the mid-13th century and supplied with water from a nearby pond,^{[Note 2]} surrounded the settlement that developed at the base of the castle.

• Medieval fortification
• Castle
• Fortification