Between

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

Brive Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of oc, Briva la Galharda) is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the agglomeration was 75 ...

and

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a communes of France, commune in the Dordogne departments of France, department, in the administrative regions of France, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux i ...

, the viscounts of Limoges (), also called viscounts of Ségur created a small principality, whose last heir was Henry IV. Ségur was the main home of these viscounts, in the heart of their domain. The viscounty went from the Limoges-Ségur family to the

House of Montfort House of Montfort was a medieval French noble house that eventually found its way to the Kingdom of England and originated the famous Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester; although his father Simon de Monfort the Elder, leader of the French ...

in Brittany, then to the Albrets and eventually to the Bourbons.

Territory

Their territory included the castles of Ségur, Excideuil, Aixe-su-Vienne, Auberoche and Nontron.

Ségur Castle

Built in a shingle of the Auvézère River, at the borders of Saint-Eloi, Saint Julien, Payzac and Beyssenac parishes, the place is naturally defensive. The Ségur (headquarters of the castle garrison) was home to the Pérusse family (future dukes of the Cars), Bonneval family (future marquises of Bonneval;

Claude Alexandre de Bonneval Claude Alexandre, Comte de Bonneval (14 July 1675 – 23 March 1747), was a French army officer who later went into the service of the Ottoman Empire, eventually converting to Islam and becoming known as Humbaracı Ahmet Paşa. Life He was the ...

became a famous Ottoman Empire pasha), and Prévot family (later du Mas family, future marquises of Paysac). The upper castle is in ruins. Today, the only remaining part is the Pérusse hotel, in the . There are no tours .

Excideuil Castle

Only two large towers remain, joined together by a screen wall that used to be the aula pinion. The main home (16th or 17th century?) was doubled in width at the beginning of the 20th century. The outward gate of the castle garrison's is a Renaissance door.

Aixe Castle

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

was recorded as being at the confluence of the river. The (or Jeanne d'Albret Tower) was constructed in the 13th century in

Aixe-sur-Vienne Aixe-sur-Vienne (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. History A merovingian ''castrum'' was recorded as being at the confluence of the river. The Château d'Aixe (or "Tour Jeanne d'Al ...

, controlled by the viscounts of Limoges. It was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century.

Thiviers Castle

Auberoche Castle

Probably around 1037 or 1059, the successor of Bishop Frotaire (the founder) is said to have given to the Viscount of Limoges, in order to get the protection of this secular lord against the

Count of Périgord Count of Périgord ( Fr.: ''comte de Périgord'') is a noble title in the peerage of France. Originally known as "The sovereign house of the Counts of Périgord, princes by the grace of God" The first recorded sovereign Count was Emenon, who was a ...

. The Viscount of Limoges acknowledged the

bishop of Périgueux A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

as his suzerain, in relation to Auberoche, as early as the last third of the 12th century (1154–1157). By this submission, the viscount extended his domination up to the Périgord episcopal and county headquarters gates. Therefore, the viscounts of Limoges could maintain and use their political and economic power at the gates of Périgueux. The castle became a chaplain center which included 16 parishes (in 1365) and controlled two main, convergent traffic streams towards Périgueux city, through the Auvézère and Manoir valleys. Confirmed as soon as September 1257, the judicial and administrative power was enforced in the whole district area by a provost, the agent of the viscount of Limoges.

References

{{reflist History of Limousin