Château de Montbrun

The Château de Montbrun is located in the Haute-Vienne. The first chateau built on the site was by the knight Aimery Brun on his return from the Second Crusade in 1178.

The fortification was built on the orders of Henry II, King of England, to defend the borders of the Duchy of Aquitaine, then in his possession.

This first fortress was called Trados, after the ancient Roman name of the domain. All that remains of this structure is the high square keep, topped with machicolations, parts of the curtain wall and a well. In 1199, during a siege of the neighbouring chateau of Chalus, Richard the Lionheart, King of England and son of Henry II, was wounded by a crossbow and died 12 days later, probably in the chateau of Montbrun.

In 1366 the Brun family changed their name to Montbrun, hence the present name of the chateau. They remained loyal to the English during the Hundred Years War. The castle changed hands several times during the war and at the end of the century it was partially destroyed by the English forces. In the 1430s, the original square towers were replaced by round ones and the castle took on its present form.

The castle was damaged again during the Wars of Religion by the Protestant Huguenots. It was sold to the Lambertie family in the 17th century. Until the Revolution, it belonged to several other families through marriage or inheritance. The building was looted and destroyed during the French Revolution and the archives were burnt.

The chateau was restored by the de la Bonne family at the end of the 19th century but it suffered a serious fire during World War I. At the end of the 20th century, Maarten Lamers bought the property and restored the castle to its former splendor.