Moulins, capital of the Dukes of Bourbon

The town probably owes its name to the numerous mills dotted throughout the region – both windmills and water-mills along the Allier river, but legend has it that Archambaud, lord of Bourbon, lost his way during a hunting trip and took refuge in a mill for the night. He fell in love with the pretty young miller’s daughter and built a hunting lodge nearby. The hunting lodge expanded to become a castle, and the town rose up around it.

 It was in 990 that Moulins was first mentioned, in the deed of sale of the Chapel of St Pierre “situated in villa Molinis". The real importance of the town as an economic centre dates from 1232 when Archambaud the Eighth granted a charter of liberties to the inhabitants. From a village, Moulins grew to a town with a population of a thousand by the middle of the 13th century.

In 1327, King Charles the Fair made the Bourbonnais area a dukedom. Louis Ist became the first Duke of Bourbon. The ducal officials, the duke’s steward, the seneschal, the chancellor, the secretaries and their clerks set up their quarters in Moulins. The prestige of the dukedom grew during the reign of Louis II (1337-1410) on his return from captivity in England. He rebuilt and enlarged the castle, turning it into a pleasant residence, reorganised the administration by establishing a Chamber of Accounts modelled on that of Paris and raised the standing of the ducal chapel to a collegiate.

The dukes reigned in succession and by the end of the 15th century Moulins headed what was now virtually a state, consolidated by Duke Pierre II to encompass the regions of Bourbonnais, Beaujolais, Forez and Auvergne. This was the city’s golden age, on the artistic and cultural level. The court of Pierre II and his wife, Anne of France, eldest daughter of Louis XI, teemed with artists. Painters, architects and musicians contributed to the artistic, religious and cultural wealth of the city.

But the power of this state was fragile and Charles of Bourbon, Pierre II’s son-in-law, soon became the target of King François Premier’s jealousy. Charles of Bourbon found refuge at the court of Charles V, an enemy of the king. In 1532, all his lands and property were confiscated and the duchy was incorporated in the kingdom of France.

On 16 October 1540, Henry II and Catherine de Medici were in the chapel of Moulins castle at the wedding of Jeanne d'Albret and Antoine de Bourbon, king of Navarre. Their son was the first of the Bourbon dynasty to accede to the French throne under the name of Henri IV in 1589. His descendants were to reign for two centuries until the death of Louis XVI during the French Revolution. After the Revolution, Moulins became a Prefecture and has thus maintained its importance as an administrative centre until today.

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