Bastides, or fortified villages built in the Middle Ages, were constructed in the 13th century by local lords to assert the authority of the King of France. The Bastide d'Armagnac was founded in 1221 on the initiative of the Count of Armagnac. It was a new concept in town planning, with buildings arranged arounda large central square, the heart of the town. King Henry IV liked to visit La Bastide, where he stayed in a house overlooking the Place Royale, where, as tradition would have it, one of his mistresses lived: La maison Malartic. Legend has it that he used this square as inspiration for the construction of the Place des Vosges in Paris.
