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Contents of the page : the actors - Agenais history - foundation of French and English bastides - later wars
The
lower Dropt valley, in the English Guyenne, is going through a stable period
during the XIIIth century.
Meanwhile,
the higher Dropt valley, which belongs to the Agenais, is a source of conflict
between the king of France on the one hand, and on the other hand the Count of
Toulouse then the king of England.
The
actors :
-
the Counts of
Toulouse : Raymond VII then Alphonse of Poitiers
-
the kings of
France : Louis IX (Saint-Louis) then Philippe III le Hardi
-
the kings of England : Henry III then Edward I
Raymond
VII, by his mother and Henry III, by his father, are both nephews of Richard
Lion Heart ; and Alphonse of Poitiers – Raymond VII’s son in law – is also
Louis IX’s brother…
Great dates of the Agenais history in the XIIIth century:
1229
: consequently to the Crusade
against the Albigeois,
the Meaux treaty between Louis IX and Raymond VII seals the decline of
the powerful Counts of Toulouse. Raymond VII recognizes the king of France’s
suzerainty and gives his daughter Jeanne in marriage to the king’s brother,
Alphonse of Poitiers. The Agenais remains the Count of Toulouse’s stronghold.
1249 : Death
of Raymond VII. Alphonse of Poitiers, successor by marriage of Raymond VII,
inherits the County of Toulouse (including the Agenais).
1259 : Paris Treaty between Louis IX and
Henry III, king of England. Saint Louis, in compensation for territorial
advantages (Henry III must pay tribute to the Capetian for the Limousin, the Périgord
and the Quercy), accepts to give up the Agenais to the British crown if Jeanne
of Toulouse dies childless.
1270
: Death of Saint Louis. His son Philippe III le Hardi succeeds him.
1271
: Death of Alphonse de Poitiers and Jeanne de Toulouse, without any
descendants. The king of France, Philippe III le Hardi seizes the Agenais,
spurning the clauses of the 1259 Paris Treaty.
1274
: Philippe III is compelled to respect the 1259 Paris Treaty clauses, and
returns the Agenais to the king of England.
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Foundation of the French "bastides" of the Dropt valley :
In 1249, at Raymond VII’s death, Alphonse de Poitiers takes possession of the
County of Toulouse. At that time, the Dropt is a natural frontier between the
County of Toulouse and the kingdom of France, exceptional position in
History for a river ; position that has been compared to that of the Rhine
(Newspaper Le Monde – boxed text in a page on the Rhine, taken from the series
“Great rivers”).
Alphonse
de Poitiers’s policy is to build “new towns”, the “bastides”, mostly
along the Dropt valley : Villeréal (1267), Castillonnès (1259), Eymet
(1270).
These three “bastides”, although situated at the borderline of the county,
do not have a military vocation ; without defences, they are “open towns”.
In this enterprise, Alphonse of Poitiers is seeking political and economic
advantages : legal and administrative control of groups of populations taken
from the unruly and fickle barons of the Agenais (often in favour of the
English), exploitation of this region.
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of the page
Foundation of the
Enblish "bastides" of the Dropt valley :
In 1274, the Dropt valley becomes an English possession. Edward I, in order to
protect his frontiers, creates new “bastides”, now with a military vocation
: Monpazier (1284), Miramont (1286) on the Dourdenne.
In the lower part of the Dropt, to Monségur (1265) founded
by Henry III’s wife, Sauveterre (1283) on the Vignague is added, founded by
Henry III to protect the right hillside of his province.
At the edges of the Dropt basin, the French “bastides” of Monflanquin
(1256) and Villefranche (1261) and the English “bastide” of Beaumont
(1272) are founded during the same period.
The Dropt region, English from 1274, at the threshold of the kingdom of France,
changes sovereign (at the same time as the Agenais) according to the fortune of
arms.
In
1293, a conflict arises between Philippe le Bel, king of France, and Edward I,
king of England. A new Treaty of Paris (1303) returns the Agenais to the king of
France.
In
1324, yet another conflict ; the Agenais comes back to the king of England in
1327.
Then,
roughly from 1350 to 1450, the Hundred Years War takes place : more misfortunes.
In this way, during two centuries of conflicts, the “bastides” are pillaged,
burnt, even razed, as often by the French as by the English. Monpazier changes
hands five times, Castillonnès seven times, etc. …
Bibliography: Bastides, villes nouvelles du Moyen Age - Ed.Milan