Another for my 'Cathar castle' project. It's a shame there is so little left, because of all the Cathar castles Termes has one of the most interesting histories. It was owned by a Cathar lord and was one of the first castles to be attacked during the Crusade. It fell after a 4 month seige in 1210 - the defenders succumbing to disease and trying to sneak out at night, were captured and killed. Retaken later, it ended up in the hands of the French king after the ultimate Cathar defeat. It then formed an important part of the defence of the Southern border of France, until that border with Spain was moved South in the 17th Century to its current position. The castle became redundant and was used as a hideout by a band of outlaws, so the French king ordered that it be systematically destroyed by gunpowder in 1653.
The castle is defended by deep ravines on three sides, and the only decent photo that I have seen of it was when these ravines were filled with mist, the ruined castle rising above the cloud.
If you want to see the other photos in my project so far, click on the tag tims-cathar-castles
Interesting history lesson too.