Frespech Castle dans le Lot-et-Garonne

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Origin and history

The castle of Frespech, mentioned in 1279 as the castrum of Fessopodio, was built by the family of Durfort, vassal of the kings of England. Arnaud de Durfort, lord of the place in the thirteenth century, fortified the village and entered into conflict with the ecclesiastical authorities for tithes, before obtaining their restitution. His descendants, like Augier de Puybarsac, claimed inherited judicial rights, while Arnaud de Durfort received the land of Labourd as a reward for his loyalty to Edward III in 1352. The castle, confiscated and then returned, was besieged in 1354 by Count Armagnac, illustrating tensions between local factions and royal powers.

In the 15th century, the seigneury passed to the Montferrands by the will of Mabille d'Abbret (1388). Bertrand I of Montferrand, faithful to the English, modernized the defences to resist firearms. Frespech, alternately occupied by the French and the English, became a strategic issue until 1453. The Montferrands, like Charles I (died 1548), served in the wars of Flanders and Italy, while Charles II, the governor of Bordeaux, sold Frespech in 1572 before being killed in a siege. The castle, occupied by Protestants in 1575, resisted Blaise de Monluc.

In the 17th century, Frespech changed hands several times: sold in 1594 to François de Montferrand, then transmitted by marriage to Jean-Paul de Gourdon in 1642. Acquired in 1681 by the Duke of Roquelaure, he was sold in 1707 to Jean de Raigniac. The Revolution marked its feudal end: the last lord, Gaston-Jean-Baptiste de Raigniac, was guillotined in 1794, and the castle, sold as a national good, lost its monumental staircase in 1848. Ranked a historic monument in 1925, it today bears witness to these centuries of changing conflicts and allegiances.

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