Château-Vieux

The castle's origins lie in a Roman castrum that once housed the garrison and administration of the Lapurdum region. From the late 11th century, the Viscounts of Labourd began constructing their own residence around the three Roman towers and city walls. With the inheritance of the Duchy of Aquitaine by the English Crown, the castle came into English possession. After a French occupation in 1294, an English force led by John St John besieged the city. On January 1, 1295, the citizens of Bayonne drove the French garrison into the castle and opened the city gates to St John. The French castle garrison surrendered after an eleven-day siege. In the 15th century, King Charles VII of France had a new castle built in Petit-Bayonne to oversee the city he had recaptured from the English.