The vestige of a fortress
The tour Blanche is the name of Issoudun’s big keep, who was part of a big fortified castle, in the past.
The tradition says Richard Lionheart raised it in the 12th century. So, it belonged to the English!
English and French who fought again and again… until the French get back the city. Then, king Philippe Augustus completed the tower Blanche.
They named it after the queen Blanche: after Richard Lionheart’s death, this keep fell to the kingdom of France.
And king Louis VIII married Blanche… of Castile! King saint Louis’ mum.
We even meet a noble lady, here… who? Agnes Sorel! Her royal lover, king of France Charles VII, gave her castle of Issoudun, after the birth of their 3d daughter!
Agnes became ″lady of Issoudun″… During the Middle Ages, the tower was transformed into a jail.
The visit
We have here a cylindrical tower raised on a clod: hey, after all, Issoudun comes from the Celtic word dun, which designates a fortress on a hill!
The keep is 27 metres high. Don’t miss the panoramic view!