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The castles of Queen Margot
7 châteaux listed
7 places where Marguerite de Valois took refuge, lived or passed through, from the Garonne to the Auvergne.
Marguerite de Valois, known as Queen Margot, was the daughter of Catherine de’ Medici and queen of Navarre. During the Wars of Religion she passed through the château of Lafox, in the Lot-et-Garonne, with Charles IX and her mother, and was a guest of the La Rochefoucauld family at Verteuil, in the Charente. At Nérac, the Albret château, she lived for some ten years with her husband Henry of Navarre, the future Henri IV; the Allée des 3000 pas, in the Garenne park along the Baïse, is her creation.
In 1585, on the run, she spent a night at the château of Saint-Projet, in the Tarn-et-Garonne. The room she slept in was walled up after she left and found again, furniture and all, in 1990. She then went on to Carlat, in the Cantal, seat of the viscounty of Carladès, where she stayed for almost a year.
From 1586 she was held under watch at Usson, a fortress with three rings of walls at 633 metres in the Puy-de-Dôme. There she wrote her Memoirs. Usson was razed on Richelieu’s orders in 1634, Carlat dismantled on Henry IV’s orders early in the 17th century: what remains of both is mostly the site itself.
Each link comes from the French Ministry of Culture’s Mérimée records, the website of the château of Nérac or our own château pages. Several of these places are ruins or private property: the page says what can be seen at each one, and the price where there is one.
The places, one by one
From the best known to the most discreet. Prices are for one adult; the season comes from the opening periods each place publishes.
Château d'Usson (Usson Castle)
Usson, Puy-de-Dôme
Held here under watch from 1586, she wrote her Memoirs here.
Season not published
Château de Nérac (Nérac Castle)
Nérac, Lot-et-Garonne
She lived here for some ten years with Henry of Navarre; the Allée des 3000 pas along the Baïse is her creation.
Adult admission: €5Open May to May
Hours to be confirmed
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Castel of Carlat
Carlat, Cantal
She stayed here for almost a year before moving on to Usson.
Season not published
Château de Saint Projet
Saint-Projet, Tarn-et-Garonne
She took refuge here for one night in 1585; her walled-up room was found in 1990.
Season not published
Château de Verteuil (Verteuil Castle)
Verteuil-sur-Charente, Charente
The queen of Navarre, Catherine de’ Medici’s daughter, was a guest here, as was her mother.
Season not published
Château de Lafox (Lafox Castle)
Lafox, Lot-et-Garonne
She passed through with Charles IX and Catherine de’ Medici during the Wars of Religion.
Season not published
Château de la Muette (Muette Castle)
16e arrondissement de Paris, Paris
A royal hunting lodge given to Queen Margot; the present building is not open to visitors.
Season not published
The map
The 7 places on this page. Tap a point to open its page.
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The route
Three days on the road roughly follow her flight: Nérac and Lafox, on either side of Agen, Saint-Projet, between the Garonne and the Aveyron, then Carlat on its Cantal plateau and Usson above the plain of Issoire. Wear good shoes: Carlat is reached by a staircase cut into the rock.
| Stop | From the previous stop |
|---|---|
| 1.Château de Nérac (Nérac Castle) · Nérac | |
| 2.Château de Lafox (Lafox Castle) · Lafox | 28 km |
| 3.Château de Saint Projet · Saint-Projet | 89 km |
| 4.Castel of Carlat · Carlat | 89 km |
| 5.Château d'Usson (Usson Castle) · Usson | 94 km |
300 km in a straight line overall
Frequently asked questions
- Where did Queen Margot write her Memoirs?
- At the château of Usson, in the Puy-de-Dôme, where she was held from 1586. The castle was razed on Richelieu’s orders in 1634; a fortified gate and stretches of wall remain.
- Queen Margot castles: which ones are open all year?
- None is listed as open all year in the opening periods we have collected. Check each page before you go.