Description:

Ever wondered why the French Revolution happened?  Then you really have to look no further than the Poitou Charentes region of France for a reason.  Vienne and Deux Sevres in particular, but not forgetting their neighbours a little further north.  Every village and town abounds with chateaux and mansions of wealth – some in decay today, some turned into museums or hotels, others belonging to private individuals.  Thouars is no exception to this rule, the chateau there is now a college, with the stables housing museums.  But the history of Thouars is much, much older.

 

Thouars is a town in the northern Deux Sevres region of France – not far from the Vienne border.  It nestles in a crook of the beautiful, meandering river Thouet.  In fact if you look at a map of the town, the old medieval quarter, along with its chateau is almost encircled by the river.

 

The history of the town goes way, way back to prehistoric times – evidence of which can be found at the Toarcian geological sites between the communes of St Verge and St Ragonde just outside of Thouars.  These two ancient quarries, of great importance to geologists today, contain many and varied fossils.

 

First signs of human habitation at Thouars is some 5000 years ago, later however it became a Gaillic settlement and of course it was not long before the Romans decided to make camp.  First records of a fortified town are in 762 AD when a fortress was built on the site of the present chateau.  This fortress was later destroyed by the great Charlemagne and his father Pepin the Short.

 

During its time the town of Thouars has been home to Viscounts, and to the English following the french defeat at Poitiers during the Hundred Years war. It has housed Kings and Dukes, Revolutionaires and the Germans, and even Royalty from Scotland.

 

The lords of Thouars were powerful, shrewd and feared.  They often fought on opposing sides – so sometimes for the French, at others for the English.  The great Dugesclin however bought them to heal for the king.  In 1397 the dynasty passed to the Amboise family, by 1480 it had passed to King Louis XI.  Louis later gave the viscountcy to the Tremoille family, who were later made dukes and peers of the realm in 1595 for services rendered to the King.  The result was a tremendous boost for the town making it extremely important – socially, economically and politically.

 

During the revolution the town of Thouars fought on the republican side.  However the Vendeen Royalist rebels, known as Chouans, later took the town wreaking havoc as they went.  Later wars did not leave Thouars unscathed – the Franco-Prussian, and the First and Second World Wars all provided a tumultous time for the town.  The town and the local region is particularly famous for its part in the resistance movement of the 2^nd World War.  In the words of the Tourist office guide ‘Thouars has known both hardship and heroism’.

 

 

Story written by Anji Weston who runs a B&B Le Grand Saule in Moncontour, Vienne

 

 

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