Bande noire
Encyclopedia
La bande noire were speculative, asset-stripping syndicates in the 1820s that bought ancient castles and abbeys at knockdown prices in the wake of the French Revolution
, only to demolish them and sell off the building materials. These speculators also bought the works of art of all kinds which they contained, and then broke up the surrounding landed estates into small and often unviable parcels of land.
Their dramatic name was invented by the Romantic
writers. The ruin of such ornamented and "ancient" structures played to the Romantic focus on scenic locales and tragic histories.
La bande noire is also the title of a well-known poem by Victor Hugo
, written in 1823 and published in his Nouvelles Odes, also about such speculation.
Among the famous château
x destroyed were:
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, only to demolish them and sell off the building materials. These speculators also bought the works of art of all kinds which they contained, and then broke up the surrounding landed estates into small and often unviable parcels of land.
Their dramatic name was invented by the Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
writers. The ruin of such ornamented and "ancient" structures played to the Romantic focus on scenic locales and tragic histories.
La bande noire is also the title of a well-known poem by Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, written in 1823 and published in his Nouvelles Odes, also about such speculation.
Among the famous château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
x destroyed were:
- château des Ormes (PoitouPoitouPoitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
), - château de Chanteloup
- château de Leugny
- château de Courmenant