The history of the castle

- Beginning of the 13th c.
- 1259-1261
- 1337
- 1442
- 1489
- 1543
- 1832
- 1965
- 1985
- Nowadays...
The first castle
Having been built only a few years ago, Castelnaud Castle (or more accurately, the New Castle) belonged to the Cathar Lord and Vassal of the Count of Toulouse, Bernard de Casnac. In 1214, Simon de Montfort, leader of the “Albigensian Crusade” against the Cathars, took the fortress. Although the castle was taken back by Bernard de Casnac, it was burnt down in 1215 by the Archbishop of Bordeaux. ©Simon de Montfort, Grand recueil La Clayette, fin XIII s, BNF, manuscrit, NAF,13521, fol. 337The Hundred Years’ War
When the Hundred Years’ War began, the castle, through the marriage of its sole heiress, Magne de Castelnaud, to Nompar de Caumont, passed into the hands of the English-supporting Caumont family. During a century of conflict, the castle’s allegiance changed many times, each change depending on alliances or personal gain.
The siege of Castelnaud
The king of France, Charles VII, ordered the recapture of the castle, at the time held by supporters of the king of England. Following a three-week siege, Castelnaud Castle was sold for 400 gold coins. It was definitively taken back by the French,when won the war eleven years later.
A new castle for a new era
At the end of the Middle Ages, the Caumont family built the Chateau des Milandes. They desired a more pleasant and comfortable home in keeping with the architecture and design of the era. From then on, Castelnaud was only inhabited by a few soldiers and their captain in the new living quarters of the east and south castle wings.
The Wars of Religion
Geoffroy de Vivans, a Huguenot captain, was born in the village at the foot of the castle. Known as “The Warrior”, he safeguarded the stronghold for the devout protestant Caumont family and spread fear throughout the Périgord. That terror, along with additional fortifications protecting the castle (the bastion and the artillery tower), meant no one dared take Castelnaud, despite the intensity of the conflict in the Périgord.