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Key figures

Origin and history

The Rudel Castle, located in Blaye, is one of the few medieval remains preserved during the construction of the citadel in the seventeenth century. Built in the 12th and 13th centuries on a rocky spur overlooking the Gironde estuary, it was used to protect the city from enemy incursions. Its ruins, now protected, testify to its strategic role in defending the region.

The site was fortified from ancient times, with a castrum mentioned in the fourth century by Ausone. In the 10th century, the Counts of Angoulême, the Rudel, took over. Jaufré Rudel, an emblematic troubadour born around 1113, composes poems like luenh's amor, dedicated to an Oriental princess. Died in 1148 during a crusade, he remained associated with the history of the castle.

In the 12th century, the seigneury of Blaye passed to Geoffroy II and then to his son Geoffroy III (died 1245). The castle was then administered by Anglo-Gascon lords until the integration of the Aquitaine into the Kingdom of France. Assieged during the wars of religion, he was consolidated under Louis XIII before becoming part of the Citadel of Vauban in 1685, becoming the home of the military governors.

In 1814, the walls of the castle were partially razed against the English threat. Abandoned, it fell into ruins until the 1950s, where elements such as a 17th century oak door were preserved. Ranked a historic monument in 2009 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is part of the Vauban Major Sites Network.

Atypical triangular architecture, the castle consisted of six towers (including a dungeon), a chapel Saint-Nicolas and courtines. The 1959 excavations revealed remains exposed to the Blaye Archaeological Museum. Today, its ruins offer a glimpse of medieval castral art in Aquitaine.

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