Anchored into the cliff-tops of the Hautes Corbières, Peyrepertuse peaks at 800 metres altitude, surrounded by garrigue vegetation, and overlooks the small village of Duilhac. From the high head-land, the view embraces the neighbouring castle of Quéribus, 5 kilometres away.
             The site of Peyrepertuse was first occupied during the Roman period, at the beginning of the 1st century B.C.
              Part of the Marche d'Espagne (future Catalonia), the first mention of the castle goes back to 1020, time when Pérapertusès was under the influence of the Catalan counts of Bésalu. After that, the sovereigns of Peyrepertuse were the Counts of Barcelona followed by the Kings of Aragon towards the middle of the 12th century.
              During the Crusade against the Albigensians, Guillaume de Peyrepertuse, because of his refusal to submit to the Catholic Crusaders, was excommunicated in 1224. Guillaume surrendered after the siege of Carcassonne, and the castle became a French possession in 1240.
             In 1258, the Treaty of Corbeil defined the border between France and Aragon for four centuries : Peyrepertuse became a royal French fortress at the southern border of the kingdom. At the end of the 13th century, it was a very powerful stronghold with strong defences.
             During the winter of 1367-1368, Peyrepertuse was the refuge of Henri de Trastamare, claimant to the crown of Castille. 
           The Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659), by moving the border further south to its present location, diminished the important strategic role of the castle. However, a small garrison was maintained until the French Revolution. In 1950, the first consolidation works started on the monument.