Histoire de Hautefort

From the Antiquity on, the site of Hautefort has always attracted men of war. The origin of the ancient fortress goes back to the early Middle Ages. The first text reporting its existence dates from 987. At that time, one speaks of a mighty fortress, called "impregnable" which, in living memory, would always have existed!

House of Guy de Lastours, who distinguished himself in the First Crusade, the castle became, then, the property of the famous troubadour Bertran de Born, whose escapades, temperament and "sirventès" (songs) took him into many adventures. Dante, moreover, immortalized him, by representing him in “The Divine Comedy ", roaming in hell, with his head in his hand.

At the foot of the castle, the village, first, underwent weak development. In the XVIIth century, when Marquis Jacques-François de Hautefort transformed the old castle to make it a pure jewel of classical Renaissance architecture, the village came out of sleep

The construction, by the Marquis, of a hospice to house the poor and give them some education, is probably not unrelated to the development of the village. Subsequently, Baron Maxence de Damas helped forge close links with the population. Each year, he gave a feast to which all inhabitants were invited and during which they were offered magnificent gifts. 
Today, this commitment to the castle remains. It is, also, reflected in local history.
During the revolution, the inhabitants of a neighbouring town created a militia to come and destroy Hautefort; Hautefort people got wind of the plot, melted their bronze and their brass to make weapons and face this project.

Some places experience a period of splendour  and then, gradually, fall back into anonymity. In  Hautefort, history has never ceased to live. From the Middle Ages to our days, from Bertran de Born to Eugene Le Roy, Hautefort continues-every day-to make its history!