Châteaux, pouvoirs et habitats en Vivarais, Xe-XIIIe siècles

Castles, powers and settlement in vivarais, 10th-13th centuries

• Auteur / Autrice : Pierre-Yves Laffont
• Direction : Marie-Thérèse Lorcin
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Art et archéologie
• Date : Soutenance en 1998
• Etablissement(s) : Lyon 2

Résumé

Le vivarais forme, au nord du languedoc, le rebord oriental du massif central. Au xe s. , les hommes s'y repartissent de facon dispersee dans les zones occupees depuis l'antiquite. En parallele, s'amorce la conquete des regions les plus montueuses. A la fin du siecle, des changements de contexte politique, economique et social entrainent un developpement de la violence sociale et un effacement de l'autorite publique. Cela se traduit par la multiplication des chateaux aux xie et xiie s. Ils symbolisent l'etablissement de la seigneurie banale ; l'aristocratie issue des familles de latifundistes carolingiens y reside desormais. Les chateaux sont modestes. Leur defense, surtout passive, repose largement sur l'usage des potentialites du relief. On ne rencontre pas ici de motte castrale mais des roccoe ou motte rupestre. Les batiments utilisent la pierre. La fin du xie s. Voit l'amorce du phenomene d'incastellamento, ne de la convergence du besoin de securite des populations et du desir des chatelains d'accroitre leurs revenus. L'association du chateau et de l'habitat forme desormais le castrum. La plupart des castra s'etablissent en surplomb des terroirs preexistants. Certains regroupent de facon inorganique quelques maisons, mais un grand nombre presente une taille plus importante et possede des structures collectives, enceintes et lieux de culte (souvent de simples chapelles). Les eglises paroissiales restent hors des castra a l'emplacement des eglises du haut moyen age. Les castra ne rassemblent pas tous les hommes : l'habitat disperse reste important et le bourg ecclesial fait concurrence au castrum. Les chateaux des xiie-xiiie s. S'organisent autour d'un donjon, non logeable, et d'une enceinte. La fin de la periode voit quelques ameliorations des aspects defensifs et residentiels. La seigneurie utile des chateaux est encore aux mains des lignages locaux. Le xiiie s. Marque le retour des princes territoriaux, mais leur autorite reste limitee.

The vivarais is the oriental border of the massif central in the north of the languedoc. In the 10th century human settlements are scattered in the areas occupied since the antiquity. At the same time start the conquest of the higher areas. At the end of the century, we notice an increase of social violence and an erosion of the public authority due to political, economical and social changes. Consequently, during the xith and xiith centuries castles grow in number. They symbolize the banal seigniory. Therefore the carolingian aristocratic landowners are living in the castles. These are modest. Their defenses take place according to the opportunities of the relief. In vivarais, they are no moated sites but roccae. Castles are build of stone. At the end of the xith century start the ''incastellamento'' due to population's security need and to lord's desires for increasing seigniorial revenues. Then the combination of the houses and the castle compose the castrum. Most of the castra are up to old human settlements. A few are organised in a scattered way, however most of them are biggest and are characterized by collective structures : surroundig wall and places of cult (most of the time chapels). The parish churchs are built out of the castra, where the early middle age's churches used to be. Nevertheless some people leave out of the castra : scattered settlements are still important in number, furthermore ecclesiatic villages and castra are in competition. Castles of the xiith and xiiith centuries are composed of a dungeon and a surroundig wall. At the end of the century an improvement in the defensive and residential shapes can be noticed. The castle's lords are issued from local aristocratic families. At the xiii's century princes come back, however their authority is still limited.