Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Segonzac, located in the Dordogne, is a noble den mentioned from the thirteenth century. He was the fief of the family Bardon de Segonzac, a line of nobility of extraction that appeared in Périgord at the end of the Middle Ages. This castle, inherited by Raymond de Bardon after his marriage to the heir of the Viguier in 1584, became a barony in 1623 thanks to the military services rendered by Marc de Bardon under Louis XIII. The royal letters patent, registered in Bordeaux, formalized this title as a reward for his actions during the sieges of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, Clairac, and other conflicts against Protestants.

Bardon's family, originally from the Migofolquier (or Viregogue) den near Saint-Cyprien, was illustrated by alliances with local chivalry lines such as Marqueyssac or Carbonnières. Guillaume de Bardon, an ancestor known in the 15th century, married Géraude de Mercat, heiress of the Folquier, an influential family that had owned Migofolquier from 1307. This den, now in ruins, still carries the sculpted weapons of the Bardon, symbols of their past power. The descendants, like Louis-Joseph de Bardon, served the kings of France until the Restoration.

In the 20th century, René de Segonzac (1867–1962), a military and explorer, perpetuated family prestige. Close to Marshal Lyautey and the Father of Foucauld, he embodied the adventurous and loyalist heritage of this dynasty. The castle of Segonzac, located 13 km from Ribérac, remains a testimony of this history, while the ruins of Viregogue, with their dismantled dungeon, evoke the medieval cradle of the Bardons. These sites reflect the power struggles and marital strategies that marked the Périgord between the Middle Ages and the modern era.

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