These first three photos show views of the Château de Beynac. The Cadogan guide for the region says that the Beynac family, a line of local barons, were "every bit as fierce and daunting as their castle appears." It says that the English king Richard the Lionhearted decided to give their castle to one of his close allies in about 1190, not very long after it was built. The Beynacs forged an alliance with another local clan of barons who held a grudge against Richard and, working together, they succeeded in killing him in the battle of Châlus (50 or 60 miles farther north) in 1199. Then the Beynacs had Richard's friend, who had been given the château, assassinated. Fun times...
The next two photo show views of the Château de Castelnaud, just 1.5 miles upriver from Beynac. It was first built in the 1200s. Cadogan says that Castelnaud and Beynac were constantly at war with each other during the Hundred Years' War of the 14th and early 15th centuries.
Just ten miles down the river by boat — five miles as the crow flies — is the Château de Montfort, which, according to the Wikipédia article, was destroyed and rebuilt five times between the years 1214 and 1606. It was first mentioned in historical documents in the year 866.
Your photos of your escapade in the Dordogne are very good.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, Beynac is the better known of the three. I tried, without success, to find why Montfort was so called. I only found that it was destroyed by Simon de Montfort, the 6th Earl of Leicester's notorious father.
Wikipédia says: Le château est cité en 866 sous le nom de « Castrum de Monte Forti ». Cadogan thinks it took it's name from Simon de Montfort, much later. I'm enjoying working with the photos and learning a lot as I put together these blog posts.
DeleteYes, so do I as far as learning is concerned! Great!
DeleteI am really impressed by the trouble you took to take your photos it must have taken river crossing and a deal of walking. I suppose these days a drone would be used by a professional. Of course, I love the area as it was our 'home patch' for 14 years.
ReplyDeleteWe did quite a bit of walking. I've thought about getting a drone but I'm not sure I want to get involved in all that at my age. Thanks for your nice comment.
DeleteMy brother got involved with computers in his eighties.
DeleteDrones are not actually an indoor activity.
DeleteAh! You and Walt are actually showing related items, I realize, because (most of) Richard the Lionheart is buried at Fontevraud, which Walt has been showing, the last few days.
ReplyDeleteI think Richard's "lion heart" is in an urn in the cathedral at Rouen.
DeleteWas Fontevraud the site of Richard the Lionheart's and Philippe-Auguste's alleged trysts?
DeleteMaybe the alleged trysts, but we'll probably never know the real story.
DeleteMany people, these days, were à voile et à vapeur.
DeleteI just read this.
DeleteGreat photos. We visited in April of 2001. Little did we know then that 9/11 was coming and then a Pandemic...
ReplyDeleteWe're still waiting for the government to announce a decision on a third lock-down for France.
DeleteLet that be a lesson to all of us. Don’t give away a castle that doesn’t belong to you! Great photos and information, Ken.
ReplyDeleteI do wish somebody would give me one... er, no, maybe not.
DeleteNote to self: Do not get on the bad side of the Beynacs.
ReplyDeleteTerrific pictures, thank you.
According to Wikipedia, the de Beynac family "went extinct in the male line" in 1753.
DeleteGiven their approach to interpersonal relations, it's no wonder they're extinct. And probably a good thing, too.
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