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Origin and history

The castle of Aussac is a 13th century castle, located in Aussac in the Tarn (Occitanie). Built after the crusade against the Albigois, it was divided in 1257-1258 between the chapter of Albi and the Viscount of Lautrec, Pierre II, under the residual authority of the Montforts. This division divides the village and the châtellenia into two distinct parts, managed jointly but separately.

Aussac's coseigneuria is part of a fragmented feudal system. From 1273, Albi's chapter paid tribute to the lords of Castres, a relationship that lasted until the 15th century. In 1344 Gui de Comminges illegally seized the castle, before being forced by Pope Clement VI to return it. The fortifications of the village, mentioned as dilapidated in the 15th century, leave doubts about the state of the castle at that time.

In the 17th century, the family of Landes de Saint-Palais, including Bishop Maurice de Saint-Palais, inherited the castle, shared with the chapter of Albi. After the French Revolution (1790), the castle was confiscated as national property and sold, ending centuries of seigneurial transmission. Today, it preserves two circular towers, vestiges of its medieval past, while others have probably been damaged over the centuries.

The history of the castle of Aussac illustrates the typical power conflicts of the Middle Ages in Occitanie, between noble families, religious institutions and Comtal authorities. Its architecture, although partially altered, still bears witness to its defensive and symbolic role in the region.

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