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| One
of the defences built onto granite |
Mont
Orgueil
When
King Philippe Augustus invaded Normandy in the 13th century, King John
of England ordered that money was raised to defend the islands.
The castle
was built at Mont Orgueil because of the prime position of the site. Sea
and cliffs protected the castle on three sides.
Also,the
granite that the castle was built on meant that it was virtually impossible
to undermine.
New
Weaponry
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| The
lower level of Mont Orgueil |
By
the 16th century, Mont Orgueil was out of date. New weapons were introduced,
meaning that Mont Orgueil was now susceptible to attack from ship-mounted
guns.
A
new castle needed to be built that was out of the range of new weapons
like cannons and gunpowder.
Elizabeth
Castle
Work began
on Elizabeth Castle during the 1550's, when a gun platform was built on
the highest part of the islet.
40 years
later, Queen Elizabeth sent her military engineer over to construct a
new castle.
Throughout
the 17th and 18th centuries the castle developed and grew in size. By
the 1640's the castle had been extended twice.
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| Elizabeth
Castle |
Decommissioned
Mont
Orgueil remained the island's secondary defence until 1907, when it was
given to the people of Jersey as an historic monument.
Elizabeth
Castle was bought by the States of Jersey in 1923, also for use as an
historic monument.
They
have both continued in this capacity, except for a few years during the
occupation when the Germans refortified both castles.
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