Forcalquier

Forcalquier stands beneath the hilltop castle of its counts in the uplands of Provence. Their county once possessed its own rulers and coinage, stretching across a considerable part of the region. In 1481 the town resisted its incorporation into the French king's lands and endured a siege that badly damaged the castle. What remained of the fortress was demolished on Henry IV's orders in 1601, leaving the height above the town without its old stronghold.