Carcassonne: A General Overview

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CarcassonneA General Overview

• Travis Cianciulli

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What is Carcassonne?

• Carcassonne is a famous fortified city built on a
  hilltop in southern France.
• It was originally built by Romans, but has
  changed hands over the course of history several
  times.
• Because much of the city has been restored,
  Carcassonne is an excellent model of medieval
  architecture and history.

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Where is Carcassonne?
An overview of France, showing Carcassonne in the
South.
A more detailed map of Carcassonne in the Aude
departement of the province of Languedoc.
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Carcassonne From Above
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The Layout of Carcassonne
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Early History

• The area of present-day Carcassonne was thought
  to have been settled as early as 3500 BC.
• Being strategically important between the
  Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, the Romans
  first fortified the hilltop around 100 BC.
• After Roman rule, Carcassonne was taken over by
  the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe.
• The Visigoths were later conquered by the
  Saracens in 725, but Pepin the Short of France
  expelled the Saracens in 759.

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Legend of Dame Carcas
While Pepin the Short conquered much of Southern
France, he was unable to seize Carcassonne. As
Pepin was trying to starve the occupants of
Carcassonne with his army, a clever woman named
Dame Carcas decided to feed what little grain the
town had to a pig to fatten it. The citizens
then launched the pig at Pepins army. The
disheartened army decided to leave as they
thought that the city must have plenty of grain
if they could sacrifice a fattened pig.
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More History

• Carcassonne later fell into the hands of the
  wealthy Trencavel family in 1067.
• The Chateau Comtal and the Basilica of
  Saint-Nazaire were built.
• French Cathars used Carcassonne as a stronghold,
  but Simon de Montfort killed Trencavel and
  claimed the city, fortifying the hill further.
• In 1247, Carcassonne fell under rule of the King
  of France, Louis IX. He had an outer rampart
  built around the city.
• In 1659, the Treaty of Pyrenees extended the
  southern border of France and lessened the need
  for a military fortification.

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Restoration
A decree was made by the French government in
1849 to destroy Carcassonne because of its need
of repair, but this was extremely unpopular to
the citizens.
Architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc was hired to
renovate Carcassonne. As a result, the outer
ramparts were repaired in addition to 53 towers.
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View of Carcassonne from outside the city walls
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Carcassonne Today
One section of the city of Carcassonne
manufactures shoes, rubber, and textiles, but
most revenue comes from tourism. Around 3 million
people visit Carcassonne every year.
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Bibliography
Deveze, Lily. Carcassonne. Casa Editrice
Bonechi. Florence, Italy. 1997.
www.lechappeebelle.co.uk www.lesmarronniers.co.uk
www.lescompagnons.ca www.cathie.over-blog.com www
.francemonthly.com www.midi-life.com/Carcassonne/c
arcassonnehistory.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcas
sonne