BORDEAUX HISTORY
A Brief History of Bordeaux
Part 4: Bordeaux and The Centuries
of Turmoil
In 276, Burdigala and its region encounters the first of
the barbarian invasions and the Bordeaux takes refuge behind
the castrum parapet constructing a high wall surmounted
by fifty towers. The Roman way of life persists within
the ramparts and the Bordeaux continues to shine for more
than a century. In this period lived Ausonius – University
professor, vine-grower and poet who has left us precious
testimonies of the relaxed rhythm of life in Bordeaux at
this time.
This peace was not to last and following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Bordeaux encountered successive invasions and hundreds of years of strife, chaos and plunder ensued. The city was claimed by the Vandals in 409, the Visigoths in 414, the Francs in 498, the Vikings in 848 and the Normans in the 10th century.
Throughout this period the Roman Catholic Church and its
monastic communities developed. During the seventh century
the foundations were laid for the churches of Saint-Rémy,
Saint-Pierre and Saint-Siméon. By the eleventh century,
the era of the first crusades, churches, abbeys and villages
were being built in the area surrounding Bordeaux and pilgrims
would stop here on their way to Santiago de Compostella in
Spain.
