Château de Mancapan
Origin of the name Château de Mancapan
A deed of 1354-1355 gives the form «Mancapan». Another, in 1440, speaks of the tower «cui dicitur Mankapan». In 1574 Simler writes «Mangepana» or «Mancapana arx», and the old Siegfried map shows «Mangepan». The name seems to be of Italian origin. An old explanation reads it as «mange pane», «bread-eater», referring to tyrannical lords, but it belongs to legend. The link with an ox head eating wheat, once ascribed to the arms of Mörel, is rejected: a seal of 1277 shows different arms.[1]
Founding of Château de Mancapan
The castle stands on a rocky ridge north-west of Mörel, about 300 m above the village and ten minutes' walk from Ried-Mörel. The lords of Mörel lived here and at Dirrenberg Castle. They held their fief from the bishop of Sion under Savoyard overlordship, and had succeeded the lords of Granges. The oldest part, a small square watchtower, is thought to date from the early 12th century. Who had it built is unknown. The site now lies in the municipality of Riederalp.[1][2][5]
History of Château de Mancapan
12th century. A small square watchtower is thought to have been raised on the ridge early in the century.[1]
1224. Conrad and William appear as the first known counts of Mörel.[1]
1260. Count Peter II of Savoy has the castles of Mancapan and Dirrenberg destroyed, for unknown reasons. On 5 September he demands the return of the county of Mörel.[1][2]
1261. Count Conrad sells his rights over the men of Mörel to the bishop of Sion.[1]
1277. A seal from this year shows the arms of the lords of Mörel.[1]
1354-1355. During the civil war the castle is ruined again. It has been a ruin since the middle of the 14th century.[1]
1440. A deed still mentions the tower called «Mankapan».[1]
1574. Simler mentions the castle and seems to be the first to blame Savoy for its destruction.[1]
1812. Schiner links the castle's name to the victory of Peter of Savoy. The «bread-eater» explanation seems to come from him.[1]
1963. Josef Guntern publishes the legend of the peasants' capture of the castle in his «Walliser Sagen».[3]
Remains in Château de Mancapan
Castle ruin. Two towers survive on the ridge. The smaller one measures about 4.03 m by 3.50 m, with walls 0.65 m thick. The large residential tower reaches 10.30 m from north to south and 9 to 10 m from east to west, with walls more than 2 m thick. An enclosure follows the ridge, with a courtyard of about 30 m by 20 m to the west and a ditch between the enclosures. In the mid-20th century, bushes covered the foundations on the summit and part of the site was sown with wheat.[1][4]
Legends of Château de Mancapan
The capture of Mangepan. According to tradition, robber knights lived at Mangepan and oppressed the people. A secret tunnel is said to have led from the castle to a mountain path where they robbed travellers. Every household owed them grain and the best cut of meat, and young brides had to spend three days at the castle. One day the lord tried to carry off a bride. The groom pretended to agree and first invited him to the wedding feast, where he gripped his hand so hard that blood spurted from under his fingernails. Threatened with death by the peasants, the knight revealed how to take the castle: build a giant crossbow from a large larch and hurl heavy wooden blocks at the walls. The third shot breached the wall. The peasants took the castle, destroyed it and drove out the last lords.[3]
Sources
- Louis Blondel, « Le château de Mancapan sur Morel (avec une note sur le château de Dirrenberg) », RERO DOC
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Mörel » (Arthur Fibicher, version du 04.01.2017)
- Märchenstiftung Mutabor, base de données des contes, « Mangepan » (d'après Josef Guntern, Walliser Sagen, Olten, 1963)
- Commune de Mörel-Filet, « Geschichtliches über Mörel-Filet »
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (Burgruine Mancapan)
Other villages near Château de Mancapan
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