The Château de Nérac is a castle in the Lot-et-Garonne département in southwest France. An edifice of the French Renaissance style, it was finished during the reign of Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre, daughter of Marguerite d'Angoulème who was also Marguerite de Navarre by her marriage to Henry II of Navarre.
A stately home belonging to Arsieu of Albian is mentioned in 1088 but the first mention of a castle on the site is that belonging to Amanieu VI of Albret (Labrit) in 1259. The castle was rebuilt between the 15th and 16th centuries by the House of Albret. The House of Albret became linked to the Kingdom of Navarre after his marriage to Queen Catherine of Navarre (Lescar, 1486) and his crowning jure uxoris as King Jean III of Navarre. The castle was the location of a vibrant court during the life of Jeanne d'Albret, Queen Jeanne III of Navarre, and the youth of Henry III of Navarre, the future Henry IV of France. In 1560, Queen Jeanne III and her court converted to reformed religion after the meeting of Theodore de Bèze, and they welcomed a number of artists, such as Clément Marot.
After the coronation of Henry III of Navarre as King Henry IV of France, the castle was deserted. It was partially destroyed in 1651 by Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, after the town revolted against king Louis XIII of France and then dismantled during the French Revolution, excepting the northern part, which is now a museum.
References:The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.