::''Alternative name: Château d' Armagnac. Not to be confused with

Château de Termes The Château de Termes (Languedocien dialect, Languedocien: ''Castèl de Tèrme'') is a ruined castle near the village of Termes, Aude, Termes in the Aude ''département'' of France. It is one of the so-called Cathar castles. History Built on a ...

in Aude.'' The Château de Thibault de Termes was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the French town and '' commune'' of Termes-d'Armagnac, in the

Gers Gers (; or , ) is a departments of France, department in the regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southwestern France. Gers is bordered by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques to ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

''. The

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

(''La Tour de Termes-d'Armagnac'') is the only vestige. Construction of the castle dates from the end of the 13th century and start of the 14th century for Jean, Count of

Armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac (region), Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni ...

. The keep is 36 m (~118 ft) high and includes six levels. Strategically built on a hill which dominates the valleys of the

Adour The Adour (; ; ) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High- Bigorre ( Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean ( Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. is known as the ' ...

and the Arros, it allowed the d'Armagnac family to keep watch over the frontiers of the province of Armagnac.Description
on La Tour de Termes d'Armagnac website. Its most famous inhabitant was the founder's son,

Thibault d'Armagnac Thibault is a French personal name and surname, a form of Theobald, a Germanic name composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". Surname * Arthur Thibault (19141983), Canadian farmer and political figure in Saskatchewan * ...

, who fought alongside

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

. He gave evidence on her behalf at her trial. The castle belonged to the Armagnac-Termes family until the French Revolution, when it was declared a national asset and sold. Various people owned it until it was bought by the commune in the 1960s. The main building having been demolished, the stone of what remained was used to build the railway line between Port Saint Marie à Riscle. The keep became overgrown until it was bought by the ''commune'' in the 1960s and, under the Association du Pays vert de d’Artagnan, restored and turned into a museum. Classed as a ''

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' (historic monument) by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

in 1962, the tower now houses a museum of Gascon life with exhibits on regional history and culture.

References

External links

*
Official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thibault de Termes Castles in Gers Monuments historiques of Gers Buildings and structures in Gers Museums in Occitania (administrative region)

See also

References

External links