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Origin and history

The Château des Baux-de-Provence is a castle in ruins, erected in the 11th century for the lords of Baux. Located in the Bouches-du-Rhône, it became a strategic place of medieval Provence, marked by the Baussenque wars (1142–1162) for the succession of the county. The fortress, semi-troglodytic, includes a 13th century dungeon, rooms dug into the rock, and towers such as Sarrazine or Paravelle. His history was linked to the powerful Baux family, then to Raymond de Turenne (1372–1399), whose conflicts with the Papacy of Avignon and the County of Provence culminated in the siege of 1393, led by 6,000 men under Jean de Vienne.

In 1393, the siege of the Baux mobilized Provencal, Arlesian and Pontifical troops against Raymond de Turenne, accused of ravaging the region. Despite wooden bastilles and a blockade, the siege failed, and Turenne was saved by his alliance with the court of France through the marriage of his daughter Antoinette with Marshal Boucicaut (23 December 1393). This marriage, celebrated in the castral chapel, seals a truce and strengthens the ties between the Rogers of Beaufort and the French monarchy. The castle, attached to Provence in 1426, still suffered the wars of Religion (1562–198) before its dismantling in 1632.

The site, occupied since the Neolithic, preserves exceptional remains: outer enclosure, chapel Sainte-Catherine, and reconstructed siege equipment (trebuchet, ram). Ranked a historic monument in 1875 and 1904, it offers a panorama of the Alpilles and the Mediterranean. The archaeological excavations, initiated in 1991, reveal its role as refuge and stronghold, from the Iron Age to the Renaissance. The Quiqueran hospital, a rare example of Provencal hospital architecture, completes this heritage.

The Baussenque Wars (12th century) opposed the Lords of Baux to the Counts of Provence for territorial control. These conflicts, coupled with rivalries with the papacy of Avignon, weaken the region. In the 15th century, the castle lost its military role after joining Provence County (1426) and France (1486). Its decline accelerated with the wars of Religion, where it was damaged before its definitive abandonment in the seventeenth century.

The architecture of the castle combines troglodytism (rooms dug in the rock) and medieval fortifications. The rectangular dungeon, the towers (Bannes, Sarrazine), and the remains of the chapel illustrate its evolution between the 10th and 13th centuries. Exposed siege devices (balistic, scum) recall military techniques of the time. The site, today touristic, symbolizes the feudal power of Provence and its decline against the royal state.

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