Excideuil

Excideuil (Eissiduelh) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.

Geography
Excideuil is located in the Périgord Vert area, on a limestone plateau between the upper courses of the rivers Isle and Auvézère. The river Loue runs through the town. Excideuil is located about 60 km from Limoges, 34 km from Périgueux, 15 km from Hautefort and 12 km from Tourtoirac. Its built-up area continues into the territory of the adjacent communes Saint-Martial-d'Albarède and Saint-Médard-d'Excideuil.

History
The first reference to Excideuil, as Exidolium is found in a will document from Aredius, also known as Yrieix, dated 572. The town has been referred also as Issidor, Excidour and Excideuilh. This name is made of the Celtic word ialo (meaning "clearing, glade", "place of") suffixed to a radical Exito (Gaul name) or Exitus.

Excideuil was attacked in 1182 around Pentecost by Richard I of England, as mentioned in Rerum gallicarum et francicarum scriptores:


 * Richardus, Henrici II filius, a patre Pictavensis Comes institutus, anno 1182 in exercitu Francorum Regis militabat adversus Philippum Flandriae Comitem. Eodem anno, mense julio, pace composita cum Lemovicensi vicecomite, duos ejus filios accepit obsides, et a Petragorico Comite castrum Petragoricum cum propugnaculis solo aequavit. Cum interim tractatum esset cum Engolismensibus et Petragoricensibus, circa Pentecosten Exidolium rediit, et ejusdem castri burgum cepit.

Gui d'Excideuil is an Old French romance, written in the 12th century, whose text is now lost.

Notable persons

 * Thomas Robert Bugeaud (1784–1849), Marshal of France and Governor-General of Algeria
 * Philippe Parrot (1831–1894), painter

Sights

 * Château d'Excideuil, 13th-18th century, national heritage site of France