As part of the Italian Wars and fuelled by the rivalry between Francis 1st and Charles V, Imperial forces invaded Provence in both 1524 and 1536.
Whilst touring the region in 1538, Francis 1st decided to inspect Saint-Paul de Vence’s existing defences. Several of the bastions of the 16th century fortified enclosure bear the names of dignitaries who were most likely present during this historic Royal visit: the Dauphin bastion, named after the son of Francis 1st, the future King Henry II; the D’Annebault bastion, named after Claude d’Annebault, Marshal of France and the Saint-Rémy bastion that bears the name of Jean de Renaud de Saint-Rémy, the engineer who actually designed the enclosure.
