Château de Ranton
Introduction


[thumb\|](/wiki/File:Ranton-Summer-2006.jpg "Ranton-Summer-2006.jpg")

The **Château de Ranton** is a small fortified [castle](/wiki/Castle "Castle") in the village of [Ranton](/wiki/Ranton%2C_Vienne "Ranton, Vienne"), in the Department of the [Vienne](/wiki/Vienne_%28department%29 "Vienne (department)") just west of [Loudun](/wiki/Loudun "Loudun"), and south of the [Loire](/wiki/Loire "Loire"). It was one of the front line of fortresses which were built to defend the royal city of Loundun at the beginning of the [Hundred Years' War](/wiki/Hundred_Years%27_War "Hundred Years' War") in 1340–1345\. It played this military role until 1372\. It then became a [feudal](/wiki/Feudal "Feudal") manor and one of the estates of [aristocratic](/wiki/Aristocracy_%28class%29 "Aristocracy (class)") families associated with the Courts of the French Kings and the Dukes of Anjou.

The buildings inside the main rampart wall were rebuilt in the 16th century in the [Renaissance](/wiki/Renaissance "Renaissance") style, as the home of a series of [Protestant](/wiki/Protestant "Protestant") families in the [French Wars of Religion](/wiki/French_Wars_of_Religion "French Wars of Religion"). It escaped destruction both by Cardinal Richelieu in the early 17th century and again in the [French Revolution](/wiki/French_Revolution "French Revolution"), but was little more than a ruin by the 1940s.

It has been restored in three phases since 1950, and now is one of the most complete fortresses of the 14th century.


How did the Château de Ranton change in function after 1372?