The Château de Gavaudun on the river Lède. It was built on a rocky spur and overhangs the river. The lofty 13th century keep rises 25m above the level of the rock. The castle was built during the 12th and the 13th centuries, on the main road between Périgord and Agenais. The bishop of Périgueux besieged it and destroyed it for the first time in 1165.
During the Hundred Years' War it was of central importance in the conflict between England and France. In the 15th century, the castle changed families through a marriage. It was recovered by the town of Gavaudun in 1796 in poor condition. Today, the donjon tower of the castle has been protected and listed since 1862.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.