Château Mouton-Rothschild: The Return of the French
Although under English rule during the early years of the 15th century, the seigneurie of Moton came in 1451 to Jean de Dunois (1402 – 1468), the illegitimate son of Louis I (1372 – 1407), Duc d’Orléans and more colourfully known as the Bâtard d’Orléans. The arrival of this new tenant surely reflected waning English influence in the region. Although the Battle of Castillon in 1453 is widely regarded as the final conflict of the Hundred Years’ War, in fact the region largely reverted to French rule in 1451, following a significant French victory in which Dunois saw action.
In view of his role it is perhaps no surprise that he should take possession of an estate such as this; indeed, perhaps he saw his new dominion as a prize? He settled down to his new role as lord of the manor, and lived out his years here. His family took on the estate after his death, remaining at the property until the end of the 15th century at which time it was acquired by Jean de Foix (1414 – 1485), Comte de Benauges, apparently given directly to the family by the crown. One can only assume that the Dunois descendants, seemingly out of favour, were forced to pack up and leave.
Jean de Foix
Jean de Foix had already lived an eventful life before coming to Moton. He hailed from the little kingdom of Foix, which lay between Toulouse and the Pyrenees. The noble house of Foix were more likely to show allegiance with the kingdom of Navarre, or even England, than with France. Thus Jean de Foix had fought alongside the English for many years. He knew the land around Bordeaux well, having held the seigneurie of St-Laurent for many years (he also crops up in my profile of Château La Tour-Carnet, in which I profile the Foix family in more detail). In 1453 he went with John Talbot on behalf of Henry VI to retake the region for the English crown. John Talbot met his end at the aforementioned Battle of Castillon, but Jean de Foix was captured and held prisoner. He remained incarcerated for seven years, before eventually agreeing to pay a huge fee to secure his release.
