Here we circle around the isle toward the "Old Château". This island has been the object of invasions and conquest from time immemorial. The old fort we see here was likely first built to fend off the Vikings in the 800's. Its first recorded use was in the days of the Hundred Years' War when the "English" tried to lay claim to the French throne. As you may have gathered by now, the "English" nobles were actually the dukes of Normandy and Aquitaine. Their language and culture were hardly British at all. We've already seen a bit of that with Richard the Lion Hearted and his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine. This island is but another example of a long and complicated history.
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This page last updated on 6/19/2003 9:11:25 PM.