The Château de La Rochepot owes both its name and its entire architecture to two lords: Régnier Pot and his grandson Philippe Pot, two powerful vassals of the Dukes of Burgundy and Knights of the Golden Fleece.

In 1403, Régnier Pot, chamberlain to the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold, bought the castle, then called La Roche Nolay. This valiant knight, on his return from the Holy Land, wished to make it his home. To this end, he undertook to enlarge the castle and to make it more liveable by adding new fortifications and towers. But it was Philippe who was to make the Pot family name even more renowned.

Born within the castle's walls Philippe Pot was said to be "the most accomplished knight of his time. " A private adviser to the Dukes of Burgundy, Philip the Good and Charles the Fearless, he became their head chamberlain and ambassador to London. When Burgundy was finally annexed to the French crown in 1477, Philippe Pot rallied to the French kings Louis XI and Charles VII. He became the Grand Seneshal of Burgundy and was entrusted with the role of representing the king in his own province. Involved in all major political matters of his time, he distinguished himself as a skilled diplomat, a fine negotiator, and a brilliant speaker.

The castle of Châteauneuf-en-Auxois was another of his possessions in the region, and he carried out the construction and enlargement of both fortresses at the same time. Upon his death in 1493, his sculpted tomb was already made: today this remarkable work of art is on display at the Louvre.

The Pot family transformed this rocky peak into an impregnable fortress which would valiantly resist the assaults of time.

Changing Hands