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

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

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 late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the French town and ''

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of

Termes-d'Armagnac Termes-d'Armagnac ( Gascon: ''Tèrmis d’Armanhac'') is a commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune ...

, in the

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

''. The

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') 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 c ...

(''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 in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...

. 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 (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) 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. i ...

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, who fought alongside

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 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 coronati ...

. He gave evidence on her behalf at her trial. The castle belonged to the Armagnac-Termes family until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, 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 ''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 coll ...

'' (historic monument) by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...

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 Museums in Gers

See also

References

External links