This Béarnaise fortress from the end of the 13th century consists of an irregular quadrilateral reinforced by seven towers, linked to the fortified house built in 1281. It was remodelled during the 14th century. The castle was burned down by Louis XIII in 1620 to prevent it being used by Protestants.
At the end of the 13th century, Bellocq was at the frontier with English controlled Guyenne. Gaston VII Moncade de Béarn built the castle on the Gave de Pau, the main river access to Béarn, to fortify his territory. Construction took place between 1250 and 1280. From the beginning, the castle was intended to house a large garrison. The simple plan of an irregular quadrilateral without a keep had four round towers, a semicircular tower and two square towers, one of which formed the main entrance. The curtain walls were pierced with cruciform arrow slits.
A year after completion of the castle, Gaston VII built a bastide close by and this, as well as the fortified church of Bellocq, became integral parts of the complex.
In 1370, Gaston Fébus reinforced the castle and built new strong points in order to preserve his territory's independence from the powerful kingdoms of France, England and Navarre.
In 1542, Henri II d'Albret (Henry II of Navarre) repaired the castle, in case of a Spanish invasion. From this date, the kings of Navarre sometimes left their castle at Pau for the country of Bellocq. Jeanne d'Albret stayed there regularly in the 16th century while she took the waters at Salies-de-Béarn.
In 1568, the French king Charles IX sent the baron of Terride to subjugate and govern the Béarn, then largely Protestant. Terride's troops occupied the region and re-established the Catholic hierarchy. The following year, Jeanne d'Albret asked count Gabriel de Montgomery to form an army of resistance - the castle at Bellocq passed into Catholic hands. It resisted a short siege by Montgomery. In 1620, the Béarn Protestants once again gaining power, Louis XIII had the castle burned down to prevent it being of use to them in the future.
From 1620, the castle played no further role in the history of the region and fell into disrepair. In 1925, the ruins were declared a monument historique and in 1997 they were classed as a Monument de France by the French Ministry of Culture.[1]
château, bellocq, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, july, 201. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Chateau de Bellocq news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2015 Learn how and when to remove this message The ruins of the Chateau de Bellocq are in the commune of Bellocq in the Pyrenees Atlantiques departement of France 1 Chateau de Bellocq This Bearnaise fortress from the end of the 13th century consists of an irregular quadrilateral reinforced by seven towers linked to the fortified house built in 1281 It was remodelled during the 14th century The castle was burned down by Louis XIII in 1620 to prevent it being used by Protestants Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory editAt the end of the 13th century Bellocq was at the frontier with English controlled Guyenne Gaston VII Moncade de Bearn built the castle on the Gave de Pau the main river access to Bearn to fortify his territory Construction took place between 1250 and 1280 From the beginning the castle was intended to house a large garrison The simple plan of an irregular quadrilateral without a keep had four round towers a semicircular tower and two square towers one of which formed the main entrance The curtain walls were pierced with cruciform arrow slits A year after completion of the castle Gaston VII built a bastide close by and this as well as the fortified church of Bellocq became integral parts of the complex In 1370 Gaston Febus reinforced the castle and built new strong points in order to preserve his territory s independence from the powerful kingdoms of France England and Navarre In 1542 Henri II d Albret Henry II of Navarre repaired the castle in case of a Spanish invasion From this date the kings of Navarre sometimes left their castle at Pau for the country of Bellocq Jeanne d Albret stayed there regularly in the 16th century while she took the waters at Salies de Bearn In 1568 the French king Charles IX sent the baron of Terride to subjugate and govern the Bearn then largely Protestant Terride s troops occupied the region and re established the Catholic hierarchy The following year Jeanne d Albret asked count Gabriel de Montgomery to form an army of resistance the castle at Bellocq passed into Catholic hands It resisted a short siege by Montgomery In 1620 the Bearn Protestants once again gaining power Louis XIII had the castle burned down to prevent it being of use to them in the future From 1620 the castle played no further role in the history of the region and fell into disrepair In 1925 the ruins were declared a monument historique and in 1997 they were classed as a Monument de France by the French Ministry of Culture 1 See also editList of castles in FranceReferences edit a b Base Merimee Chateau de Bellocq Ministere francais de la Culture in French External links editBase Merimee Chateau de Bellocq Ministere francais de la Culture in French Chateau de Bellocq 43 31 3 N 0 54 51 W 43 51750 N 0 91417 W 43 51750 0 91417 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chateau de Bellocq amp oldid 1191463061, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
