Château des Rudel

It was above all in the 17th century that the destiny of Blaye, in the Gironde, changed profoundly. From 1630 the King's engineers considerably strengthened the defences on the north-east front of the site, around the old castle of the Rudel family.

In 1652 a new campaign of work concerned the main front of the fortress. The restructuring of the stronghold was accompanied by a marked increase in the garrison, which led to the civilian population being sent to the outskirts beyond the ramparts: in five years 240 and then 20 more houses were demolished and their occupants expropriated. The fortified town had become a citadel.

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