La Brède Castle
The Château de La Brède from the 11th to the 16th century.
“I would be overjoyed to take you to my country estate at La Brède, where you will discover a truly Gothic chateau […]” (Montesquieu to Abbot Guasco, 3 July 1744).
The Château de la Brède is not an easy edifice to date. The first mentions of a lord of La Brède can be found in the tale of a duel in 1079 between the lord of La Lande (or Lalande), who was lord of La Brède, and Hernandes, the champion of the army of Navarre. At that time there must have been a fortified feudal castle, built on an artificial mound created with the earth dug out from the moats. It was probably a wooden structure, in common with most buildings of the aristocracy in Roman times.
In 1283, the castle was more than likely destroyed as a result of an attack. It was rebuilt in 1285, the date of the first document which mentions the Château de La Brède. The structure of the chateau gradually developed as the moats were enlarged. The original area of the Roman mound remained and a large square courtyard was created, surrounded by moats. These were joined together to allow for circulation of the water.
Chateaulabrede.com
Website:http://www.chateaulabrede.com/
