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Origin and history

The enclosure of the duke of Epernon at Angoulême was built between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, by order of the duke of Epernon, then governor of Angoumois. This project was triggered by an attempted assassination or kidnapping by Ligueurs. The aim was to strengthen the city's protection by combining Renaissance-inspired fortification techniques with subsequent innovations, such as those observed in Brouage a few decades later. The enclosure, partially preserved over about two hundred meters, is now integrated into the urban fabric, with visible traces of Marengo street and its surroundings.

The structure is distinguished by its defensive architecture, including a stone slope of ten to twenty meters high, topped by a protruding cord serving as the basis for a vertical trimming. The structure was punctuated by two spurs, which were cut to shape, while a system of casemates, partly preserved, linked these elements. At the western end, two circular towers remain, vestiges of an initial star plan designed to surround the old castle. These characteristics illustrate a transition between medieval fortifications and bastioned walls of the modern era, marking the evolution of military strategies.

Ranked among the Historical Monuments since 1972, this forum bears witness to the political and religious tensions of the end of the Wars of Religion in France. Its construction reflects both the personal ambitions of the Duke d'Epernon, a powerful figure in the court of Henry III and Henry IV, and the security needs of a strategic city in Angoumois. Today, the remains of the enclosure, though fragmentary, offer a rare glimpse of the fortification techniques of this pivotal period, between medieval tradition and Renaissance innovations.

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