The Château de Montreuil-Bellay is a historical building in the town of Montreuil-Bellay, département of Maine-et-Loire, France, first built on the site of a Gallo-Roman village high on a hill on the banks of the Thouet River. It is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

During the medieval the property, consisting of more than 1,000 acres (4 km²), was part of a group of 32 villages near-by that created the then known as “L’Anjou”. The Mountreil-Bellay fief, first belonged to Gelduin le Danois afterward by regal hereditry passed to Berlay le Vieux whom became the first Sir of Bellay, in 1025 the chateau was seized by Foulque Nerra a Plantagenet making Giraud Berlay his vassal during the second half of the 12th century. After the defeat of the English by Philip II, the fief returned to a descendant of the Berlay le Vieux family Sir of Bellay, Guillaume de Melun, during this period the fief went under a big renovation by the creation of high massive walls construction including 13 interlocking towers, with entry only via a fortified gateway and the name was anglicize from Barley to Balley.

During the French Wars of Religion (1562‑1598) the town of Montreuil-Bellay was ransacked and burned but the sturdy fortress suffered little damage. Ownership of the castle changed several times including, through marriage, to the Cossé-Brissac family. During the French Revolution the castle was seized by the revolutionary government and used as a prison for women suspected of being royalists.

In 1822 the property was acquired by Saumur businessman Adrien Niveleau, who divided the huge property into rental units. In 1860 Niveleau’s daughter undertook occupancy and a major restoration campaign, redoing some of the rooms in the Troubadour style. Descendants of her husband’s nephew are the current owners of the property.

Nowadays, Château de Montreuil-Bellay is also the name of a premium wine made on the property.

Sources Chateau of Montreuil-Bellay & Crédits photos : 98octane, Manfred Heyde, Lieven Smits, Vicens Escobairó Antolin

History of chateau of Montgobert

Montgobert Castle is a castle located on the territory of the namesake town in the département of the Aisne.

It is the subject of a classification as a historic monument since 1978.

It was built in the late eighteenth century. The castle park was designed in the early nineteenth century and taken by Achille Duchene. In 1798, Victoire-Emmanuel Leclerc became the owner of this house. General of the Army, he married the young Pauline Bonaparte, sister of the Emperor Napoleon. Over the years, he became the right arm of the latter, but died in the prime of life during an expedition to Santo Domingo. Widow, Pauline remarried to Prince Camillo Borghese Italian and gradually forsook Montgobert.

The estate passed a few years later at the hands of brothers and sisters of her first husband. Louis Nicolas Davout, husband of Louise Leclerc, was the sole owner of Montgobert 1821. Like his brother died, it was a grand officer of the Empire. Marshal the rank of peer of France, a legend told that he had never beaten … During the following decades, other characters of the great families of the nobility of the Empire lived in Montgobert. Raoul Napoleon Suchet, duc d’Albufera Anna Massena or left their footprints here. It belongs today to the Duke of Albufera and houses a museum of wood and tools. It has recently been opened to private receptions from May to October.

Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA 3.0. Source : Article Château de Montgobert de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits photos : Juliec

History of Chateau of Duras

The first castle dates from the twelfth century Duras, built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the valley Dropt, it took the form of an impregnable fortress when it was acquired by Gaillard Goth, brother of Bertrand de Goth, Pope Clement V.

He provoked a lot of desire of the English and French during the Hundred Years War and during the wars of religion, because it was a bastion of Jeanne d’Albret, who even made his headquarters for some time.

In the seventeenth century, the residence of Durfort, Dukes of Duras. It was then that the castle of Duras is transformed into residence of pleasure and are augmented by French gardens.

In 1969 he was bought by the town of Duras.

It was first registered historic July 7, 1948. It was listed in part 6 November 1970 and February 14, 1989 regarding the castle, the castle and the small courtyard. The decree of May 3, 2002 Castle Class “with all the buildings that compose it, and its progress, and warren terraces and retaining walls.”

In 2002 the castle was classified major site of Aquitaine.

Sources: Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Château de Duras de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits Photos: Père Igor, Dan Sloane

History of Chateau of Saint-Brice

There was already a castle in the fourteenth century, as his lord paid tribute to Black Prince in 1365.

Charles Poussard built the new castle in 1586 which held conferences between Catherine de Medici and Henry of Navarre, the future Henry IV.

The one-story house is surrounded by turrets covered with pepper.

Its slate roof with two slopes this front, as the first floor, five windows partly made on the front and partly in the roof, each with a carved stone pediment.

The terrace overlooks the park, descending to the Charente and the boxwood maze is carved from 19,713 registered Historic Monument.

Sources: Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Château de Saint-Brice de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits Photos: Jack ma, rosier

History of Chateau of Durtal

The Castle is a castle Durtal Angevin. Located in the heart of the town of Durtal, overlooking the Loire Valley to the location where the historic road leading from Paris to Los Angeles crosses the River. High early in the eleventh century by Nerra Fulk, Count of Anjou, Angers to protect the castle was redesigned from the fifteenth to seventeenth century remains to be transformed into pleasure.

Sources: Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Château de Durtal (Anjou) de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits Photos: Manfred Heyde

History of Chateau of Vizille

It was built in the early seventeenth century by François de Bonne (1543-1626), Duke of Lesdiguieres, governor of the province Delphinale, comrade in arms of Henri IV and last Constable of France.

In the late eighteenth century, an enterprising citizen of the region, Claude Perier, bought the abandoned castle to the descendants of Lesdiguieres and installed a printing factory on fabric. 21 July 1788, he agreed to receive in the game room of the old castle palm aristocratic assembly of three levels of province (Meeting of the States General of the Dauphiné), banned from meeting in Grenoble.

Property until 1895 of the influential family Perier known for his political involvement in the liberal bourgeoisie, then the estate passed through several hands before being acquired private state in 1924, according to a national desire. It was saved from dismemberment which had become a mecca for history and tradition Republican honored by visits with family, friends, activists, official or de Lafayette, Casimir Perier, Adolphe Thiers, Sadi Carnot and Jean Jaures. Five Presidents of the Republic stayed there from 1925 to 1960, especially Albert Lebrun and René Coty who spent the summer of 1954 to 1958.

The estate, little used ultimately was transferred to the General Council of Isère in 1973. In 1983, anticipating the celebration of the bicentenary of the French Revolution, the Museum of the French Revolution of Vizille sat in different rooms of the castle.

Sources: Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Château de Vizille de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits Photos: Milky, Pierre Bona

History of chateau of Chateaubriant

The story begins in Chateaubriant early eleventh century when Brient, son of Dame Innogwen erected a fortress on a mound beside the dear, intended to further fortify the border of the Marches of Brittany. A town grew around the castle and was called Chateaubriand.

Lords of Chateaubriant did evolve in the thirteenth century and fourteenth century motte initial to a castle full fitted for its defensive function.

When Mad War, the castle was besieged by Louis II of Trémoille, who sacked (1488).

Francoise de Dinan, former housekeeper of Anne of Brittany gets it compensation for the modification of the medieval castle and the construction of a Renaissance building, the building guards. She died in 1500 without seeing the completion (ca. 1513) This building was connected to the dungeon by a gallery which has disappeared.

It was Jean de Laval-Châteaubriant who became governor of Britain (1531), will complete the construction of a second Renaissance building and a gallery overlooking the castle its present appearance. Died childless in 1543 he refers to Anne de Montmorency heir. This work continues and enhances the park.

When Henri II de Montmorency was beheaded, the barony of Chateaubriant happening to the family of Bourbon-Conde until the revolution.

The buildings are acquired by the General Council of Loire-Atlantique in 1853. The castle became administrative city, housing in particular the Sub-prefecture, the Treasury and the Local Court.

Sources: Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Château de Châteaubriant de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits Photos: KaTeznik

History of Chateau du Plessis-Mace

In the mid-fifteenth century, Louis de Beaumont, lord chamberlain Bressuire and Louis XI began to rebuild the ruined castle in part after the Hundred Years War. This ancient fortress, built in local stone, was used against the invasions of Brittany and Normandy to protect the capital of Anjou.

Around 1450, Louis de Beaumont, transforms this medieval monument in flamboyant gothic style castle. The thick walls are pierced by windows, and towers are topped with pepper and preserved. Balcony, wrought and carved, just decorate the facade of the building. The monument is a remarkable building of the Renaissance.

The castle was also owned by the family of Bellay for almost 170 years.

In 1967, the monument becomes property of the department of Maine-et-Loire.

The Chateau du Plessis-Mace is a place full of festival of Anjou.

Sources: Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Château du Plessis-Macé de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits Photos: Manfred Heyde

History of Chateau of Foix

The castle is mentioned for the first time in a charter in the early eleventh century it was probably built at the end of the previous century. In 1002, it appears in the Will Roger Trencavel I, Count of Carcassonne which bequeathed the castle to his youngest son Bernard. This first castle was typically consists of a single tower, which left their bases in those of Arget and was built on the site naturally the highest of the rocky outcrop. An enclosure protected the top of the rock wall at the edge of cliffs carefully and did little more than raise them. This monument enabled counties to establish their authority and consolidate their presence in the region. Indeed, the noble family ruled the country had moved to this location that allowed them to control access to the upper valley of the Ariege, monitoring of this strategic country down while hiding behind the impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became the chief town of the county of Foix and plays a key role in medieval military history. During the next two centuries, the castle is home of the Earls brilliant personalities who were the soul of the resistance Occitan during the Albigensian Crusade against the county and became a favorite refuge for persecuted Cathars.

From the first dungeon, it perfected the building. The first seal Counts known one, Roger Raymond (1188-1223), Count of Foix in the early thirteenth century, has on one side a very symbolic drawing of the castle of Foix. It included a second round square (current tower in the middle) and a large building that connected the two towers. This building seems to have possessed at least two stages and was certainly very different from what exists today. It may have been the stately room: the place of acceptance and decision-making center of the county. The square is named in turn acts medieval “new tower”, which proves its construction after that of Arget.

The castle had to suffer the attacks of the Crusaders during the crusade against the Albigenses (1208-1249). The county of Foix was relatively unscathed by the crusade which the outcome was fatal for the counts of Toulouse. The Treaty of Meaux-Paris amputated in 1229 the county of Foix on its eastern fringes by isolating a lordship of Mirepoix and occupying positions scattered. In 1241, Roger IV became Count of Foix in the death of his father. Sensing that the situation was unfavorable, he declined for the first time since the beginning of the crusade military support to the Count of Toulouse, in 1242, thus precipitating the failure of his last rebellion. Roger IV stood far from the case of Montsegur.

The late Middle Ages was a time of substantial improvements and are still visible. We surrounded the tower Arget probably a shirt at the time of the conflict between Roger Bernard III and the kings of France and Aragon. We perfected the middle tower, vault ceilings may be at the beginning of the fourteenth century seems to suggest as the seal of Eleanor de Comminges, wife of Gaston II (1315-1342), Count of Foix and mother of Gaston Phoebus, placed on the keystone of the first floor. We also added a barbican and Chatelet access to the outside of the city, near the road to St-Girons. The first gatehouse supervisor ordered two watchtowers rising. The gatehouse and a barbican higher strengthened the defense of lists, first platform inside the castle. The new building combines the limestone rock and brick, which reappears in the fourteenth century in military construction in the region. The two towers were equipped with a gated.

Most importantly, we built a third and final lap in the first half of the fifteenth century. This round tower was immediately seen as a building dedicated to the residence more than the defense is on the ground floor while the military turns know no opening before the first floor, wide open windows, chimneys and ducts Independent on four floors, latrines with flue, vaulted ceilings. The round tower was a work of complex and expensive architecture that was undertaken during the reign of Gaston Phoebus.

In the mid-fifteenth century, the round tower or a portion thereof was used to deposit the archives of counts. The castle was quickly converted into barracks and handed over to himself, which accelerated its degradation. In 1570, there were eight men in garrison in the castle, which can seem low, but understandable in the absence of conflict. Only the chapel was maintained on a regular basis. The already tangled around the rock used for the inhabitants to graze their flocks and spread sheets. The castle was so shabby.

The castle had already served in jail since the Middle Ages the counts of Foix were vigilantes. But a small space at that time was devoted to this function. From the eighteenth century and especially in the early nineteenth century, the castle and its towers were completely transformed in prison. During the Revolution, when creating the department of Ariege, this institution became county. The prison then gathered the people who were accused or prevented, awaiting trial and those who were sentenced to short terms.

The function of prison led to numerous architectural changes to the castle. Grids were placed on the openings, solid cell doors were installed with locks effective. We built new buildings on the land is to house the prison. Prisoners engraved graffiti on the walls of their cells and they can still be observed in different rooms of the round tower which served as dungeons. The conditions of detention were appalling. In addition the prison suffered from a chronic overcrowding and lack of space. In the early nineteenth century, prisoners were a hundred, the number reached nearly 200 in 1859 and the low number of bathroom did not separate them as crimes committed as the law imposed. It ends up building a modern prison in the town of Foix and the prisoners are moved, creating in 1864 and for a short time a workhouse on the site.

The late nineteenth century witnessed in Europe a renewed interest in the Middle Ages and historical heritage. The castle was classified a historical monument and restored under the direction of Paul Boeswillwald friend of Viollet-le-Duc. The restorers tried to return to the medieval monument or more to the idea they had. The castle before our eyes today is the result of this restoration.

Sources: Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Château de Foix de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits Photos: Dodo, Ulysse034, Patrick Castay

History of Chateau of Commercy

1708: Count Charles-Henri de Lorraine Vaudémont (1649 – 1723), natural son of Duke Charles IV of Lorraine, acquired the principality of Commercy. He built this small city in a vast baroque palace by architect Germain Boffrand on the remains of an ancient medieval castle. It drew up the plans and keep the bases of an ancient castle flanked by round towers.

1723: The Count of Vaudémont widower and no surviving children, gives his principality and his castle to his cousin the Duke Leopold I of Lorraine. At his death in 1729, his son Duke Francis III of Lorraine who inherits.

1737: After the War of Polish Succession, Lorraine and Barrois is granted for life to Lesczynski Stanislas, the dethroned king of Poland but stepfather of King Louis XV of France. The Dowager Duchess Elisabeth Charlotte d’Orléans, wife of Duke Leopold I, obtained the sovereignty of the principality. She made the castle his residence until his death in 1744.

1744: After the death of the Dowager Duchess, the castle becomes the property of Duke Stanislas Leszczynski. The former king of Poland is one of his favorite residences. With his court, he made frequent visits to Commercy, where the label is more relaxed at the castle of Luneville. Voltaire, Emilie du Chatelet and Jean-Francois de Saint-Lambert spent the summer of 1748 came to the castle. In 1755, Madeleine Paulmier slept in the castle and, according to legend, gave his name to the famous cakes …

1766: The death of Stan leads the annexation of the duchies of Lorraine and Bar in the Kingdom of France. His step-son and heir, King Louis XV ordered the abandonment of the castle. The surroundings of the castle became a cavalry barracks from 1767 to 1927. Neglected, the gardens are disappearing quickly, former general audience and the Grand Canal are destroyed.

nineteenth century: The castle was cut off from its ancient gardens in the mid 19th century by the construction of the canal from the Marne to the Rhine and the railway line Paris – Strasbourg. It has also built a velodrome. There are still some remnants of decorative gardens on the banks of the Meuse. The castle was left in ruins for a long time.

1940: The castle was used as barracks, stewardship, mobilization center and lodging for non-commissioned officers in the Second World War. 31 August 1944, the castle was heavily damaged by a terrible fire.

1957: The town of Commercy buys the castle ruins in the state to restore it, the work is completed in 1977. Following the damage related to the Second World War, the city side facades have been completely restored giving way to majestic place in the form of a horseshoe. It now houses the services of the town hall, library and various administrations.

Sources: Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Château de Commercy de Wikipédia en français (auteurs) & Crédits Photos: Emmanuel Brunner, Camster2