Overview
The origins of Bordeaux date back to the 3rd century BC, when Celtic tribes established a settlement on the left bank of the Garonne and developed a port that controlled the import of tin from the British Isles. Tin was essential for bronze production, and this trade marked the beginning of Bordeaux’s 2,000-year commercial history.
The Celts of Bordeaux chose not to support the revolt of the Gauls under Vercingetorix against Julius Caesar. They valued their trade relationships and wished to maintain peaceful ties — as well as their importation of wine from Campania in southern Italy. Before long, they developed a grape variety well suited to the maritime climate: Biturica. This was the beginning of Bordeaux’s famous wine trade.
Burdigala prospered under the Pax Romana. From the 1st century BC, the Romans laid out the city using their classic urban grid. The cardo (north–south axis) corresponds to today’s rue Ste-Catherine, while the decumanus (east–west axis) corresponds to the Cours du Chapeau Rouge and Cours de l’Intendance. The Forum occupied what is now Place de la Comédie.
In 276 disaster struck: a barbarian fleet from the East destroyed the open, undefended city. Of the 30,000 inhabitants, half perished. Survivors retreated behind hastily built ramparts constructed from the rubble of temples and villas. For the next 700 years, fortified Burdigala endured attacks from Vandals, Visigoths, Franks, Saracens and others.
Medieval and Early Modern Bordeaux
In the 12th century the city’s fortunes changed dramatically. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, married the future King Louis VII. After Louis divorced her, she married Henry Plantagenet. When Henry became King of England (as Henry II), Aquitaine remained under his sovereignty, and Bordeaux flourished through profitable trade with London.
The cornerstone of this Anglo-Aquitanian relationship was wine. Bordeaux enjoyed a total monopoly: a “wine fleet” of 200 ships sailed to England free of import duty. No other wines could depart Bordeaux until after 11 November, giving local merchants a guaranteed market before winter storms. Competitors had to wait until spring, by which time their wine had deteriorated. This advantageous situation lasted until 1776.
The 14th century marked the first Golden Age of Bordeaux. City walls were expanded repeatedly, a strong fishing trade developed, and wealthy merchant families vied for influence. Monasteries and convents multiplied, and the University was founded in 1441.
In 1453, at the end of the Hundred Years’ War, Bordeaux returned to the French Crown. The citizens were not pleased — they preferred the privileges they had enjoyed under a distant English monarch. Charles VII ordered two new fortresses to prevent the return of the English and to ensure local obedience. Although the wine trade suffered temporarily, Bordeaux soon opened new markets: Newfoundland fish, Antillean sugar, English wool, and trade with Nordic, Flemish, Spanish and Portuguese ports.
17th Century Turmoil
High taxation led Bordeaux to rebel in the 17th century. Louis XIV responded by building a new fortress, renovating two others, and ordering surrounding buildings to be demolished. Many Renaissance mansions disappeared, along with the last remains of the Roman Forum.
The 18th Century: A Second Golden Age
Colonial trade with the Caribbean — in sugar, coffee, cotton, indigo and slaves — ushered in a second Golden Age. The city expanded along the river, marshlands were drained (ending devastating malaria outbreaks), and Bordeaux became a centre of wealth, intellect and political influence.
The creation of the Parlement and the founding of the Académie Royale des Sciences, Arts et Belles-Lettres in 1712 elevated Bordeaux to national prominence. Successive Intendants redesigned the city, replacing medieval streets with wide avenues, boulevards and superb townhouses.
Revolution and Aftermath
The French Revolution brought violent upheaval. More than 300 citizens were guillotined in Place Gambetta. The Napoleonic Continental Blockade devastated trade. Although Bordeaux supported the Bourbon Restoration and even gave the heir to the throne the title “Duke of Bordeaux,” the city never regained its former prosperity. Urban renewal progressed slowly: the first bridge over the Garonne, the Pont de Pierre, was built only in 1822.
The 19th century was largely stagnant for Bordeaux. Although the railway arrived and some modernization followed, economic dynamism remained elusive.
Modern Bordeaux
During political crises in 1870, 1914 and 1940, the French government temporarily relocated to Bordeaux. In the later 20th century, the city regained momentum. New suburbs and an Exhibition Centre were developed, historic districts restored, two new bridges constructed and university faculties relocated outside the city centre.
Today Bordeaux has a population of roughly 210,000 and is France’s eighth-largest city. Linked to Paris by the TGV Atlantique — a three-hour, 580 km journey — it presents itself as a prosperous, elegant city with pride in its past and confidence in its future.