 The design was a standard trapezoidal layout, with four towers and a keep surrounding an inner courtyard, upgraded in the 14th century.It was sold to Jean de Bazoches in 1284 and successively owned by the Chastellux, Montmorillon and La Perrière families; in 1570, Jacques Le Prestre de Vauban acquired it when he married Françoise de la Perrière, an illegitimate daughter of the Count de Bazoches.In 1675, Jacques Le Prestre's grandson, the military engineer Vauban, purchased the property from his cousin with money awarded by Louis XIV for his role in the capture of Maastricht in 1673 and it was extensively upgraded.