The 11th and 12th century correspond to a period of change, first in the political, religious and economic sphere, and also in architecture. During these two centuries, nearly two hundred castles were built on the territory of present-day Poitou-Charentes. Around thirty stone constructions subsist today, at Chauvigny, La Roche-Posay, Moncontour and Niort in the Vienne and Deux-Sèvres region, Marthon and Montignac, Pons and Saint-Sornin (Tower of Broue) in Charente and Charente-Maritime.


The castles are testimony to the political, social and territorial organization of the Romanesque period. Poitou-Charentes was then divided into three main counties (Poitou, Angoumois, Saintonge) and castellanies. It was ruled over by a suzerain lord, the Count of Poitou, who was also the Duke of Aquitaine. However, some lords refused to be under his tutelage and attempted to extend their territory through combat. They had castles built without obtaining prior consent from the Count, and thereby affirmed their presence and prepared their defense.


As a place of defense, of power and sometimes of daily life, castles usually included a surrounding earthen wall bordered by a moat which delimitated the elevated site of the castle.
The fortified sites often included a circular earthen mound, sometimes surrounded by a second wall, and a courtyard of varying size. The main tower, the « dungeon », which often rose two or three stories high, was usually built on the mound. The ground floor was often windowless ; the entrance door was at the level of the first floor. The courtyard sheltered one or many houses, stables, workshops and sometimes a chapel…


The wealth and power of the lords, as well as the defensive and/or symbolic role of the buildings, determined the importance of the castles. Castles could house the lords’ families or shelter a garrison.


Romanesque castles, built of wood or stone, suffered a lot throughout the centuries. The mounds were often lowered, even levelled, the courtyards and the dungeons dismantled…But they left traces in the landscape, some modest some spectacular, which tell us a lot about the life of the lords and knights.

In the kingdom of the Franks, the 11th and 12th century corresponds to the strengthening of the feudal system. The fall of the royal power structure, in the 10th century, enabled the development of the great noble families who controlled territories of varying size. They created fiefdoms by often conceding these lands to lower-ranking lords. These vassals, who promised their loyalty in return, were often turbulent and questioned the authority of their suzerains.


The Guillaume family dynasty - which included the Counts of Poitou and the Dukes of Aquitaine and which progressively extended its domination over the areas of Angoumois and Saintonge - was contested by some vassals, such as the Lusignan family, the Counts of Marche, the Sires of Pons…
The lords expressed their power through the construction of castles ; over two hundred castles were built in the region. They were often built on mounds and were composed of a main tower (the dungeon) and an inner courtyard. The entire structure was protected by moats and earthen walls. The castles could be used for defensive purposes, or as a residence for the lord, as a hunting lodge…


The lords resided in the dungeons or in a dwelling in the courtyard. From there, they ruled over their fiefdoms. They would also organize celebrations there, with jugglers and musiciens, engage in chess games…They regularly trained for battle, organizing tournaments and hunting outings, one of their favorite hobbies.


They had peasants work the land they owned. In exchange for their protection, the lords required the peasants to serve in the armed forces and perform tasks. They also imposed a tax, as well as fees for the use of the mills and ovens.


At the heart of feudal society, the Lords also had the duty to defend the Church – the clergymen as well as its properties and holdings. They also had to respect the values of the Church and contend for the faith.


The paintings and sculptures of Romanesque churches are precious testimony to the life of the Lords : clothing, furnishings, weapons, musical instruments, games…

In the Romanesque era (11th and 12th century), the present-day region of Poitou-Charentes was divided into three main counties, whose borders often changed : Poitou, Angoumois and Saintonge. The Counts of Poitou, who were also the Dukes of Aquitaine, progressively came to rule over these territories. They constituted one of the greatest families of the Frankish kingdom.


Their power dates back to the Carolingian era, when Charlemagne created a new territorial administration to rule over his empire, organizing it into Counties and Duchies. He appointed Counts and Dukes to rule over these territories - like Abbon, in 778, for the county of Poitiers. He granted them full authority to ensure peace, render justice and collect taxes within their respective territories.


In the 9th and 10th century, Viking invasions and political troubles stemming from the division of the empire (in 843) led to the fall of the central power. Thus, the Counts, Dukes and other noble families conquered vast territories, which they often conceded to vassal lords. Starting in the 10th century, the Counts and Dukes began bestowing on their descendants rights which had previously been granted by the king or emperor.


In this way, the Guillaume family progressively took over the County of Poitou and the Duchy of Aquitaine, the counties of Limousin, Saintonge and Angoumois (despite fierce resistance from the Counts of Angoulême). And it reigned over these territories for more than two centuries. The last representative of this family is Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 ? – 1204), who married the King of France and later the King of England. Among the other famous members of this dynasty are Guillaume V (995-1030), who met with the Emperor of Germany and the Kings of France, Italy and England. He was « admirable for his wisdom, full of a liberal generosity, a defender of the poor, a builder of sanctuaries » (Adémar de Chabannes). And William IX The Troubadour (1071-1126), who invented courtly poetry : « All the joy in the world is ours, lady, if we love each other ».

The Church was made up of a regular clergy, where monks and nuns lived in the monasteries, and of a secular clergy, where the bishops and priests worked within their diocese and their parishes (the network of parish churches was established in the 11th century).


Throughout the 11th and 12th century, the Church’s former power was diminished by feudal battles. Pope Gregory VII (pope from 1073-1095) undertook vast reforms within the Church. The Pope became the sole leader of the Church and of Christianity, and he named the Bishops. The clergy had to adopt a more rigorous lifestyle and the lords had to restitute the Church belongings they had seized…


In the monasteries, the Rule of Life had to be strictly observed. The most common rule was the Rule of Saint Benedict, who divided time between manual work, spiritual work (reading and meditating on the scriptures) and group prayer. The monasteries played a major economic role in the development of the land : clearing land, drying up marshes, developing salt marshes, establishing vineyards…In this context of reforms, the Cistercian order, among others, was founded with Bernard de Clairvaux (1090-1153) as its main spiritual leader.


In the parishes, the priests accompanied the worshippers throughout their life : from their baptism to their religious marriage – a custom which gradually established itself - to their burial. The Gregorian reforms rendered celibacy and teachings obligatory for the priests ; they also prohibited them from selling indulgences (to buy back sins).


The reformed clergy propagated the Christian values that were to structure civilian society. The numerous constructions of stone churches that followed the reforms also participated in spreading these values through paintings and sculptures.


The small parish churches, great monasteries, cathedrals and pilgrimage churches where the relics of the saints were worshipped… all contributed to developing the power of the Church throughout the Romanesque period.

The two centuries (11th and 12th) that cover the Romanesque period coincide with a period of economic and demographic expansion, and with cultural developments that were strongly tied to developments in religion and feudality. Society was then organized into three groups : the lords, the Church and the peasants, artisans and merchants.


The third group of feudal society included a class of workers. The workers were mainly peasants who worked the land of their secular or religious lord, in exchange for his protection. New agricultural techniques developed, like the triennial rotation of cultivated land and fallow land, the pulling harness and the shoulder brace for plow animals. Farmed lands expanded and production increased so as to meet the increasing needs of society. Mills flourished ; used in agriculture, they were also used for textiles and metallurgy.


Economic activity did not derive solely from agriculture. Artisans and merchants worked in the newly developed cities…The progressive pacification of feudal society facilitated trade and commerce, which created wealth. Cities played a greater and greater role and their residents (the « bourgeois ») obtained rights and privileges. The township charters were created in 1175 for La Rochelle and Poitiers by Henry II, King of England, husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the Countess of Poitou and Duchess of Aquitaine, who confirmed the charters in 1199.


Previously not well known, the living conditions of the population in the Romanesque period are better documented today, especially thanks to archaeological digs. Romanesque paintings and sculptures bear testimony to the activities of daily life.