Château de Taillebourg
Encyclopedia
The Château de Taillebourg is a ruin from the medieval era. It is built on a rocky outcrop, overlooking the village of Taillebourg
and the valley of the Charente River
, in the Charente-Maritime
department of France
. It commanded a very strategic position and was therefore the focus of much conflict throughout the medieval era.
It featured in several episodes of the Hundred Years' War
and the Saintonge War
before that.
The previous castle on the site was shelter for Louis VII of France
and Eleanor of Aquitaine
on the day after their wedding, in 1137.
Richard Coeur de Lion
destroyed this château, in 1194. Geoffrey III of Rancon, master of the house, died in this action. Richard had fought against his father in alliance with his brothers and the King of France, Louis. This uprising had failed, and as a result, Richard was stripped of his powers of duke of the land of Aquitaine
. In a second campaign, Richard again fought the rebellious barons of his old dukedom, who were now under the full control of his father. This conflict lasted five years, ending in the victory of Richard and his destruction of the supposedly impregnable fortress of Taillebourg. This castle was inaccessible on three sides, protected by mountains, and the fourth side was heavily fortified. Richard knew that the overthrow of Taillebourg would lead to the immediate surrender of the barons, and captured the stronghold in his first great military victory.
The current chàteau was the base for Louis IX of France
(Saint Louis), as a guest of Geoffrey IV of Rancon
, before the Battle of Taillebourg
in 1242.
The Château de Taillebourg, has today been converted to a public garden, where one can view the machicolation
s, the 18th-century battlements and the underground rooms of the old castle. The site's geographical position affords a viewpoint of the valley of the Charente.
Taillebourg
Taillebourg may refer to:* Taillebourg, Charente-Maritime, a French commune* Taillebourg, Lot-et-Garonne, a French commune of the Lot-et-Garonne department* Battle of Taillebourg* Château de Taillebourg...
and the valley of the Charente River
Charente River
The Charente is a 381 km long river in southwestern France.Its source is in the Haute-Vienne département at Chéronnac, a small village near Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime...
, in the Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It commanded a very strategic position and was therefore the focus of much conflict throughout the medieval era.
It featured in several episodes of the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
and the Saintonge War
Saintonge War
The Saintonge War was a feudal dynastic encounter that occurred in 1242 between forces of Louis IX of France and those of Henry III of England. Saintonge is the region around Saintes in the center-west of France. The conflict arose because some vassals of Louis were displeased with accession of his...
before that.
The previous castle on the site was shelter for Louis VII of France
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
and Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
on the day after their wedding, in 1137.
Richard Coeur de Lion
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
destroyed this château, in 1194. Geoffrey III of Rancon, master of the house, died in this action. Richard had fought against his father in alliance with his brothers and the King of France, Louis. This uprising had failed, and as a result, Richard was stripped of his powers of duke of the land of Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
. In a second campaign, Richard again fought the rebellious barons of his old dukedom, who were now under the full control of his father. This conflict lasted five years, ending in the victory of Richard and his destruction of the supposedly impregnable fortress of Taillebourg. This castle was inaccessible on three sides, protected by mountains, and the fourth side was heavily fortified. Richard knew that the overthrow of Taillebourg would lead to the immediate surrender of the barons, and captured the stronghold in his first great military victory.
The current chàteau was the base for Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
(Saint Louis), as a guest of Geoffrey IV of Rancon
Isabella of Angoulême
Isabella of Angoulême was queen consort of England as the second wife of King John from 1200 until John's death in 1216. They had five children by the king including his heir, later Henry III...
, before the Battle of Taillebourg
Battle of Taillebourg
There were three military confrontations called the Battle of Taillebourg, site of strategic importance on the route between Northern and Southern France, via the bridge built over the Charente River. The first one was that which saw the victory of Charlemagne, in 808, over the Saracens...
in 1242.
The Château de Taillebourg, has today been converted to a public garden, where one can view the machicolation
Machicolation
A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...
s, the 18th-century battlements and the underground rooms of the old castle. The site's geographical position affords a viewpoint of the valley of the Charente.
External links
- Taillebourg.net (in French)