The castle | ©Groumfy69 / Public domainThe Golden Fleece in the castle
In 1180, Roche-Nolay castle was raised by Alexandre of Burgundy. Destroyed in the 13th century, Régnier Pot owned it in 1403. This man was pretty important! Yes: chamberlain of the duke of Burgundy, knight of the Golden Fleece... This powerful lord added a big tower to his castle and dug a well (that cost him more than the castle itself!) in the courtyard.
Sultan Bajazet's challenge
One fine day, goodbye Burgundy! He went to the Crusades against Turkish sultan Bajazet. He embarked with the future duke of Burgundy John the Fearless, to wage battle in Nicopolis (current Nikopol, Bulgaria), in 1396. His mates were slaughtered there and Régnier was taken prisoner. He, a prisoner!
Damned… oh, but don’t worry: the sultan actually liked him, because of his bravery. So, instead of killing him, he proposed his sister’s hand. Régnier refused: he already had a wife in Burgundy! Bajazet, furious, said: “Ah, if that’s how it is, I’ll challenge you, tomorrow morning, in a deadly battle…”
Régnier Pot and the lion's legend
Then Régnier went to sleep, not stressed at all! He dreamt about the Virgin Mary. She just muttered to him: “Hit it as lower as you can!” On the next morning, they took Régnier in the amphitheatre, with a sword. In front of him… a huge lion!
Without loosing his countenance, Régnier just cut the beast’s forelegs! And killed it… Completely amazed, the sultan set Régnier free. Then he came back in Burgundy and owned the Roche-Nolay. We can see the legend of the lion in a stained-glass windows in Notre-Dame church in Dijon.