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Key figures

Origin and history

Barry Fort, built around 1200, was a medieval castle two kilometres north of Bollène, in the Vaucluse. It belonged to several co-teachers at the end of the 12th century, including the powerful family of Adhémar, lords of Montélimar, and the Baux, princes of Orange. This system of co-seigneury reflected the complex alliances and power-sharing typical of the Middle Ages in this region.

In 1228, Giraud Adhémar, lord of Monteil, sold his share of the castle for 3,000 Viennese soils to the prior of Bollène, dependent on the Abbey of Barbe Island. This transaction was in a context marked by the crusade of the Albigeois (1209–129), during which King Louis VIII and the Holy See sought to eliminate the dens of the cathars. Despite the Treaty of Paris of 1229 ordering its destruction, the fort remained, as evidenced by the subsequent tributes of the Adhémar and the Baux.

The castle gradually lost its importance after the 14th century, especially after the devastation caused by the armed bands of Raimond de Turenne. In 1386 Raimond des Baux sold his share to Cardinal de Saluces, prior of Bollène, reducing Barry to a simple hamlet. The ruins of the fort, witnesses to this turbulent history, were finally inscribed in historical monuments in 1927.

Historical sources, such as the work of Louis Fillet or Charles-Laurent Salch, highlight his role in regional conflicts and seigneurial strategies. The triple murderers of the castle, studied by Louis d'Alauzier, also illustrate its defensive architecture characteristic of the Middle Ages.

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