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Origin and history

The ramparts of Monpazier were built to strengthen the 13th century bastide on Mons Pacerius, a strategic site between Quercy, Périgord and Agenais. The initial project, launched by the King of England Edward I (also Duke of Aquitaine) and the Lord of Biron through a trimming contract in 1284, aimed to control this border area. Construction of the ramparts and ditches began before 1289, when Edward I ordered the inhabitants to complete their houses under penalty of a fine to finance the enclosure. The city, designed according to an orthogonal plan, was surrounded by walls pierced with six main and two secondary doors, flanked by eight gate towers and eight round towers.

The bastide of Monpazier was built on lands ceded by Aymeri de Montferrand in 1285, replacing an aborted project in Pepibou (1274). Jean de Grailly, Senechal of the Périgord for the King of England, supervised the works, drawing on his experience of fortifications in the Holy Land. The defensive system included a fortified mill to the north, while the east and west ramparts were reinforced by flanking towers. As early as 1289, the archives mentioned the urgency of closing the city, suggesting a gradual but rapid construction to secure this commercial and military crossroads.

In the 18th century, the ramparts, although still standing, were left to abandon. In 1770, a decree prohibited the inhabitants from taking stones, but five years later, they were used to build the hospital and the Charitable House. The remains of the ramparts East, registered in 1961, today bear witness to this medieval defensive architecture. The bastide, classified as Grand Site National in 1991, retains three of its original doors, protected since 1936. Its regular layout and fortifications make it an emblematic example of the English bastides in Aquitaine.

The geopolitical context of the Monpazier foundation is marked by tensions between the kings of France and England after the Treaty of Paris (1259). The creation of bastides such as Monpazier, Lalinde or Beaumont was in response to Edward I's desire to consolidate his authority over the Southern Périgord and the Agenese, territories transferred by Philip III the Hardi to the Treaty of Amiens (1279). These new cities, often built on seigneurial lands (here Biron's), combined economic development and military control, with ramparts designed to resist the recurrent conflicts of the region.

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