The historic town of Chinon is on the banks of the Vienne river about 10
kilometres (6 mi) from where it joins the Loire. Settlement in Chinon
dates from prehistoric times, with a pronounced importance for both French and
English history in the Middle Ages. At this period rivers were the main trade
routes, and the Vienne River joins both the fertile regions of the Poitou and
the city of Limoges, and is a tributary of the Loire, which acted as a traffic thoroughfare.
The site was fortified early on, and by the 5th century a Gallo-Roman castrum had been
