The first half of the XVI century was for the Savoy State one of their darkest periods.
Chieri was often involved in wars: occupied by the French and then by the Imperial Forces, it was recaptured in 1551 by French troops led by General Brissac, who reinforced the walls, the bastions and the “Rocchetta del Gialdo”. He transformed the latter into a fortress where in fact the French remained for 11 years, long after the Cateau Cambrésis peace treaty of 1559.