A short history
Leynes is first mentionned in the year 875, thanks to a Royal Charter by which Charles the Bald, grandson of Charlemagne, gave - among other things- the region of Leynes to the monks of Noirmoutier, who had fled the Norman invasions.
From that time, Leynes entered the history books. The Abbot of Tournus send monks there to found a priory.
At times, a support base for pillaging lords, several times besieged and set alight, the castle experienced many trials and tribulations.
In the 13th century, the Jew Jocenius seized the castle and settled there.
in the 14th century, the castle was fortified to serve as a refuge for villagers against gangs of outlaws.
Between 1423- 1432, the castle was occupied by the Burgundians and recaptured by the Armagnacs.
In 1471, the Mâconnais region was invaded by the troops of Louis XI, who set fire to the castle.
From 1562, the fiefdom of Leynes was bought and sold.
The 16th century saw the Wars of Religion, and in 1593 the castle was looted by the lord of Nogent.
For more than a century, the castle remained in a state of ruin.
In 1708, the castle was returned to the Abbey of Tournus.
In 1716, the most urgent restoration works were carried out.
After the Revolution of 1789, the land and the fiefdom sold off in small parcels.
