Mighty mediaeval castles don't come much mightier than this. So
magnificent was Castelnaud, that it became one of the few castles
that Simon de Montfort took, but did not knock down. It was
to here that Edward 1 repaired after declaring the mighty - Castelnau
Bretenoux upriver in Lot, too small!
Castelnaud was held by the English for most of the 100 Years War,
most notably by Raymond de Sort who was its military governor for
some 25 years. So successful was the English dominance of this part
of the Dordogne and for so long (except for La
Roque Gageac, that is) it is, today, mildly surprising that
the French around here do not speak English! The Wars of Religion
brought with it, the usual strife to Castelnaud and a story straight
out of of a pre-war Hollywood movie. A
story so full of, treachery, greed and intrigue that we retell it
here - click this link.
Having been picked apart stone by stone by the newly enfranchised
post revolution citizenry, thankfully Castelnaud is now nearing
the end of its long period of restoration.
