Les Médiévales de Tiffauges

The Tiffauges Medieval Festival: two days in the heart of the Vendée Middle Ages

In the heart of the Vendée bocage, the Château de Tiffauges has stood its ramparts since the 11th century on a rocky spur overlooking the Crûme river. This medieval fortress, intimately linked to the troubled figure of Gilles de Rais — the legendary «Bluebeard» —, provides the ideal setting for the Tiffauges Medieval Festival, a historical reenactment event that has become, over the editions, one of the unmissable events in Western France.

Nearly 500 reenactors from all over Europe

Each edition brings together nearly 500 reenactors from all over Europe, who set up their camps, stalls, and historical reenactments across the three hectares of the site. Armored knights, archers, crossbowmen, artisans, clerics, peasants, and itinerant merchants bring the 14th and 15th centuries back to life, meticulously recreating the daily and warlike life of the late Middle Ages.

Battles, sieges, and war machines

The highlights of the Medieval Festival are the full-scale battle and siege reenactments. The castle houses one of the most important collections of medieval war machines in Europe — trebuchets, couillards, mangonels, ballistas — recreated to real scale and put into action during spectacular demonstrations illustrating the techniques of siege warfare.

Artisans and medieval crafts

Throughout the two days, a vast medieval artisan village sets up in the castle courtyards. Blacksmiths, weavers, illuminators, potters, tanners, and herbalists recreate their workshops and demonstrate their ancestral know-how. Introductions to medieval crafts are offered to visitors, both young and old.

Music and live performances

The cultural and artistic dimension of the Medieval Festival is carried by a musical and scenic program: troubadours, period musicians, jugglers, and jesters animate the alleys of the recreated camp and wander among visitors to the rhythm of parades and choreographed battles.

The Château de Tiffauges: a Historic Monument steeped in history

Classified as a Historic Monument and owned by the Département de la Vendée, the Château de Tiffauges is one of the best-preserved medieval sites in Vendée. Its keep, lord's dwelling, chapel, and ramparts date from the 11th to the 15th centuries. A visit to the castle and its war machine park perfectly complements the medieval immersion offered by the festival.