Bordeaux History

Bordeaux history is steeped in corruption, controversy, and clairet-flowing decadence. In the 12th century, Eleanor of Aquitane annulled her marriage to the passionless French King Louis VII. Soon after, she uprooted his reign by marrying his richest rival (and soon-to-be crowned British king) Henry Plantagenet. The controversial marriage merged Eleanor's French landholdings in the southwest with Henry's in the northwest, forging a property alliance that both catered to the British wine-quaffing market and controlled half of the French kingdom. Britain and France battled for control over the rich wine region for the next 300 years. With numerous ports and waterways to transport the wine, Bordeaux and it's fertile vineyards gained wealth and a spirit of independence that was unrivaled and still holds true today.

The Battle of Castillon ended the longest war in history on July 7, 1453, which lasted 116 years. The Hundred Year war was actually a long series of ongoing campaigns carried out in several phases by many rulers.

The French regard the Hundred Years War as a far more significant part of their national history than do the English. Some consider this war as more of a series of French provincial battles with England acting as a province, or a group of provinces, within the Anglo-French unit. The war was fought largely in France, and much of the physical evidence in castles and walled towns still stand today as reminders. After the Hundred Years War, Bordeaux fell under French rule. In 1462, Louis XIV gave the city of Bordeaux official recognition as a part of France.
Golden Age
From 1648 to 1653, the city participated in a series of urban revolts known as Les Frondes resulting in Louis XIV entering the city in 1653 and effectively annexing Bordeaux to the Kingdom of France. Further defense fortresses were built to watch over Bordeaux but it was a newfound trading opportunity that shifted the focus of the Bordelais away from rebellion and ignited The Golden Age. Things settled down in the 18th century as a result of its wine trade with the UK, Germany and the West Indies. Many of the city’s buildings (around 5,000 of them) were built during this period and they still stand today. Although the French government withdrew to Bordeaux during the wars of 1870, WWI and WWII, the city has never really attained a defining character apart from its role as a global wine trader for the region.

French Revolution
Like most cities in France, Bordeaux was hit by the French Revolution and its consequences of Terror and the Empire. Trade suffered and did not get back into full swing until the middle of the 19th century with the sale of groundnuts. Once again Bordeaux became a commercial and industrial centre. Unfortunately, phylloxera, a disease which infects vines, had devastating consequences on Bordeaux's vineyards. At the beginning of the 20th century, the town experienced resurgence as a result of weaponry.
The French government withdrew to the city during the wars of 1870, WW I and WW II . At the end of World War II, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, the radical socialist MP from Gironde, became the mayor of Bordeaux in 1947 and remained in the position until the town elections of 1995, when Alain Juppe succeeded him. Jaques Chaban Delmas was mayor of the town for almost 50 years.