At first Beaucaire was called Ugernum, a Roman site controlling the Rhône at the crossing of a primordial road. The rock dominating the Rhone was crowned by a monument traced down through archeologic reasearch. During the period of Toulouse counts, after one millenium, this monument had been transformed into a powerful fortress, which withstood the memorable and distructive thirteen-weeks siege of 1216, at Simon de Montfort's conquest. Since 1226, Beaucaire became a royal fortress, bulwark for Provence ; the kings of France had fortified it in order to became their standard over the river.

The decline occurred in 1632, after the demolition of the defence works looking towards the town, ordered by the royal administration.