The village of Montcuq, located in the Lot department, southwest France, sits home to the ruins of the Château de Montcuq. This castle served as a stronghold for the Cathars before it was captured by Simon de Montfort on 1 June 1212. At the time of its capture, the fortress had been deserted by its defenders.
The castle was granted to the Crusader Beaudouin, who was the half-brother of the Cathar Raymond, Count of Toulouse. However, Beaudouin's tenure was brief - he was arrested by Ratier de Castelnau on 17 February 1214 and, after a period of captivity, was taken to Montauban and hanged at his brother's command.
After the Treaty of Meaux in 1229, the French rebuilt the walls of both the town and castle. The site was retaken several times by the English and French during the Hundred Years' War and was later plundered by the Huguenots in the 16th century. Today, only the tower keep of the castle remains.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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