Around the year 1100, there was only one castle in Uzès, owned by Elzéar I, a vassal of the Count of Toulouse.
In the 12th century, due to inheritance divisions, the estate was split into three co-lordships, which led to the construction of three towers.
In the 13th century, the Bishops of Uzès acquired one of the co-lordships, followed by King Charles VIII in 1493, who acquired another. This explains the current names: the King’s Tower and the Bishop’s Tower.
The bishops turned their domain into a court (the court of temporal jurisdiction) and a prison. The King used his part as a garrison for his troops. In July 1629, King Louis XIII stayed there for four days during the Peace of Alès, which marked the submission of Protestant strongholds.
Visitors today can explore a prison site that was in use for five centuries, where moving graffiti still remains.
During the French Revolution of 1789, all these properties were nationalized and turned into a district prison. The Uzès jail, of which two cells remain, was in operation from 1795 to 1926.
Since 1995, this historic site has become the Medieval Garden and its towers, managed by the association In Situ.
