The castle was founded in the 10th century by Odo I, Count of Blois. In the 15th century, Chateau de Chaumont was rebuilt by Charles I d'Amboise. Protected as a monument historique since 1840, the chateau was given into state ownership in 1938.
Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Chateau De Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Centre-Val De Loire, France. The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is in Loir-et-Cher , on the banks of the Loire , between Amboise and Blois , in France. It is the subject of classifications as historical monuments by the list of 1840 , as well as in 1937 and 1955. Every year, it hosts the International Garden Festival in its gardens . In the 10th century, Eudes i , Count of Blois , had a fortress built to protect the town of Blois against the attacks of the Counts of Anjou . In these fierce struggles, a bold battler of Count Eudes II , Gilduin de Saumur nicknamed the Devil of Saumur, so remarked his zeal in fighting against the Count of Anjou Foulques Nerra , that Eudes II of Blois rewarded him by giving him the Chateau de Chaumont 3 . His great-niece, Denise de Fougères (daughter of Frangalo de Fougères according to genealogies: see the MedLands website [archive ] ) or Pontlevoy , having married Sulpice I of Amboise in 1039 , the château passed into the Amboise family for five centuries. Louis XI ordered in 1465 to burn and raze Chaumont to punish Pierre d'Amboise for having revolted against the royal power during the " League of Public Good ". Back in favor, the Amboise family was authorized to rebuild the castle. It is his son Charles I of Amboisewho undertook it from 1469 to 1481, building in particular the north wing, facing the Loire, which has now disappeared, and the west wing, which still exists. The front door, preceded by a double drawbridge, is enclosed by two large, massive round towers, equipped with battlements and walkways. Contrary to custom, the central keep was abandoned in favor of the west tower, known as the Amboise tower, intended to plant the standard of the lord of the place. Traces in the interior wall of the west wing indicate that a gallery of framework served the rooms of the floor since the stairwell. From 1498 to 1510, Charles II de Chaumont d'Amboise , assisted by his uncle, Cardinal Georges d'Amboise , minister of Louis XII , continued the reconstruction in the Louis XII style already marked by the Renaissance while maintaining the same general look. fortified. It is then that the east and north wings are raised, which close the quadrilateral. On March 31, 1550, Queen Catherine de Medici bought the castle from the Amboise family for the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds 3 . At the end of 1559, shortly after the accidental death of Henri II , Catherine de Médicis, who had owned the château since 1550, exchanged it with her rival Diane de Poitiers , mistress of the late king, for that of Chenonceau . On the death of Charlotte de La Marck , granddaughter of Diane (1594), the château was inherited by her husband, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon , who sold it to a farmer general from the gabelles named Jean Largentier . Taking advantage of Largentier's arrest for fraud and the lineage rights of his wife Isabelle de Limeuil , the Lucquois gentleman Scipion Sardini , becoming baron of the place, then his sons, acquired the castle and kept it from 1600 to 1667 4 . On this date, the castle passes by alliance to the lords of Ruffignac, Perigord family. The Duke of Beauvilliers (who became Duke of Saint-Aignan on the death of his father) bought it from this family in 1699. The castle regained its past splendor and even welcomed the Duke of Anjou in 1700, who was traveling to Spain to sit there on the throne. On the Duke's death, one of his daughters inherited it and brought it to Louis de Rochechouart, Duke of Mortemart , Prince of Tonnay-Charente, her husband. The latter, a great player, contracts debts and must part with them. It was sold in 1740 to a master of ordinary requests of Louis XV , Nicolas Bertin de Vaugyen , who made certain modifications, including the opening onto the Loire, by knocking down the main building which closed the courtyard. In 1750, Chaumont passed to a master of water and forests, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray , future intendant of the Invalides, who founded a famous manufacture of ceramic products there. Benjamin Franklin stays there and even obtains from his host the sending of a ship loaded with ammunition intended for the American separatists. After his death, his son even tried to found, without success, a colony and a city on the banks of the Ohio which had been baptized Chaumont. In 1810, Madame de Stael , exiled, moved to the castle during the adventures of Monsieur Le Ray, son, in the United States. Monsieur Le Ray had made Chaumont a factory, the château became a farm after it was sold in 1829 to a certain Monsieur d'Etchegoyen. Restorations began with the Count of Aramon who acquired it in 1834 (died 1847) and continued with Viscount Walsh who married his widow. Marie Say became the owner in 1875 at the age of 17. She married soon after Amédée de Broglie (son of Albert de Broglie ). They had luxurious stables and an English-style landscaped park built. The construction in 1877 of these sumptuous stables was entrusted to the architect Paul-Ernest Sanson , also charged by Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie and his wife Marie with the complete restoration of the castle. The architect chooses a brick and stone ensemble. The Chaumont stables are representative of what wealthy nobility had built at the end of the 19th century to house their horses. They were considered at the time to be the most luxurious in Europe, benefiting then from electric arc lighting, at the same time as the Opéra Garnier and the Hôtel de ville de Paris . For forty years, the castle experienced a sumptuous period during which the Broglies gave parties and receptions, leading a luxurious life. The "Crosnier crash" of 1905 reduced the income from the Princess's heritage, then widowed in 1917 by Henri Amédée de Broglie, she remarried Prince Louis-Ferdinand of Orléans , Infant of Spain. This fickle and unscrupulous husband ends up squandering the princess's fortune. In 1938 , the Château de Chaumont was sold to the State for 1,800,000 francs, which assigned it to the service of Historic Monuments.
Chaumont
Fleur bleue
Château de Chaumont sur Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley The historic grounds of Chaumont-sur-Loire castle
Day 02 - Loire Valley Mature cedar of Lebanon in the grounds of Chaumont-sur-Loire castle
Day 02 - Loire Valley Chaumont-sur-Loire castle is straight out of a fairytale
Day 02 - Loire Valley Approaching the fairytale Chaumont-sur-Loire castle
Day 02 - Loire Valley On the drawbridge at Chaumont-sur-Loire castle
Day 02 - Loire Valley The chapel at Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire is filled with a whimsical art installation
Day 02 - Loire Valley Fantasy stained glass and suspended mobiles in the chapel at Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley The attic rooms at Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire were an odd combination of storage and art.
Day 02 - Loire Valley I really like these giant balls of wool at Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley
Day 02 - Loire Valley Circling birds at Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley View of River Loire from upper floor at Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley Leaded window at Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley Porcupine overmantle at Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley Purple flowers in the courtyard of Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley Flower oil paintings in Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Day 02 - Loire Valley The chapel again, this time from the ground floor
Les dépendances du château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, sur les bords de la Loire, entre Amboise et Blois, Centre-Val de Loire, en France bâtiments de ferme sont, comme les écuries, en brique et pierre (la brique est utilisée couramment à la fin du 19e dans la construction des palais équins). Le château passa aux mains de la famille Le Ray du 18 au 19e s. Le château passa aux mains de la famille Le Ray du 18 au 19e s. Marie Charlotte Constance Say, héritière des raffineries de sucre Say devient en la dernière propriétaire privée du château. Ayant épousé le prince Amédée de Broglie, le couple vivra au château jusqu'en 1938. C'est eux qui font aménager de luxueuses écuries et un parc paysager à l'anglaise. En 1938, l'état récupère le domaine. Désormais, le château de Chaumont-sur-Loire et le Festival international des jardins sont réunis. Ils forment le Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, propriété de la région Centre-Val de Loire et leurs programmations culturelles deviennent complémentaires ; le parc bénéficie du label Jardin remarquable.
![The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is in Loir-et-Cher , on the banks of the Loire , between Amboise and Blois , in France. It is the subject of classifications as historical monuments by the list of 1840 , as well as in 1937 and 1955.
Every year, it hosts the International Garden Festival in its gardens .
In the 10th century, Eudes i , Count of Blois , had a fortress built to protect the town of Blois against the attacks of the Counts of Anjou . In these fierce struggles, a bold battler of Count Eudes II , Gilduin de Saumur nicknamed the Devil of Saumur, so remarked his zeal in fighting against the Count of Anjou Foulques Nerra , that Eudes II of Blois rewarded him by giving him the Chateau de Chaumont 3 . His great-niece, Denise de Fougères (daughter of Frangalo de Fougères according to genealogies: see the MedLands website [archive ] ) or Pontlevoy , having married Sulpice I of Amboise in 1039 , the château passed into the Amboise family for five centuries.
Louis XI ordered in 1465 to burn and raze Chaumont to punish Pierre d'Amboise for having revolted against the royal power during the " League of Public Good ". Back in favor, the Amboise family was authorized to rebuild the castle. It is his son Charles I of Amboisewho undertook it from 1469 to 1481, building in particular the north wing, facing the Loire, which has now disappeared, and the west wing, which still exists. The front door, preceded by a double drawbridge, is enclosed by two large, massive round towers, equipped with battlements and walkways. Contrary to custom, the central keep was abandoned in favor of the west tower, known as the Amboise tower, intended to plant the standard of the lord of the place. Traces in the interior wall of the west wing indicate that a gallery of framework served the rooms of the floor since the stairwell.
From 1498 to 1510, Charles II de Chaumont d'Amboise , assisted by his uncle, Cardinal Georges d'Amboise , minister of Louis XII , continued the reconstruction in the Louis XII style already marked by the Renaissance while maintaining the same general look. fortified. It is then that the east and north wings are raised, which close the quadrilateral.
On March 31, 1550, Queen Catherine de Medici bought the castle from the Amboise family for the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds 3 .
At the end of 1559, shortly after the accidental death of Henri II , Catherine de Médicis, who had owned the château since 1550, exchanged it with her rival Diane de Poitiers , mistress of the late king, for that of Chenonceau .
On the death of Charlotte de La Marck , granddaughter of Diane (1594), the château was inherited by her husband, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon , who sold it to a farmer general from the gabelles named Jean Largentier .
Taking advantage of Largentier's arrest for fraud and the lineage rights of his wife Isabelle de Limeuil , the Lucquois gentleman Scipion Sardini , becoming baron of the place, then his sons, acquired the castle and kept it from 1600 to 1667 4 .
On this date, the castle passes by alliance to the lords of Ruffignac, Perigord family.
The Duke of Beauvilliers (who became Duke of Saint-Aignan on the death of his father) bought it from this family in 1699. The castle regained its past splendor and even welcomed the Duke of Anjou in 1700, who was traveling to Spain to sit there on the throne.
On the Duke's death, one of his daughters inherited it and brought it to Louis de Rochechouart, Duke of Mortemart , Prince of Tonnay-Charente, her husband. The latter, a great player, contracts debts and must part with them.
It was sold in 1740 to a master of ordinary requests of Louis XV , Nicolas Bertin de Vaugyen , who made certain modifications, including the opening onto the Loire, by knocking down the main building which closed the courtyard.
In 1750, Chaumont passed to a master of water and forests, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray , future intendant of the Invalides, who founded a famous manufacture of ceramic products there. Benjamin Franklin stays there and even obtains from his host the sending of a ship loaded with ammunition intended for the American separatists. After his death, his son even tried to found, without success, a colony and a city on the banks of the Ohio which had been baptized Chaumont. In 1810, Madame de Stael , exiled, moved to the castle during the adventures of Monsieur Le Ray, son, in the United States.
Monsieur Le Ray had made Chaumont a factory, the château became a farm after it was sold in 1829 to a certain Monsieur d'Etchegoyen.
Restorations began with the Count of Aramon who acquired it in 1834 (died 1847) and continued with Viscount Walsh who married his widow.
Marie Say became the owner in 1875 at the age of 17. She married soon after Amédée de Broglie (son of Albert de Broglie ). They had luxurious stables and an English-style landscaped park built.
The construction in 1877 of these sumptuous stables was entrusted to the architect Paul-Ernest Sanson , also charged by Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie and his wife Marie with the complete restoration of the castle. The architect chooses a brick and stone ensemble.
The Chaumont stables are representative of what wealthy nobility had built at the end of the 19th century to house their horses. They were considered at the time to be the most luxurious in Europe, benefiting then from electric arc lighting, at the same time as the Opéra Garnier and the Hôtel de ville de Paris .
For forty years, the castle experienced a sumptuous period during which the Broglies gave parties and receptions, leading a luxurious life. The "Crosnier crash" of 1905 reduced the income from the Princess's heritage, then widowed in 1917 by Henri Amédée de Broglie, she remarried Prince Louis-Ferdinand of Orléans , Infant of Spain. This fickle and unscrupulous husband ends up squandering the princess's fortune. In 1938 , the Château de Chaumont was sold to the State for 1,800,000 francs, which assigned it to the service of Historic Monuments.](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52430393560_a05d3dbfac_b.jpg "Chateau De Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Centre-Val De Loire, France.")
![The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is in Loir-et-Cher , on the banks of the Loire , between Amboise and Blois , in France. It is the subject of classifications as historical monuments by the list of 1840 , as well as in 1937 and 1955.
Every year, it hosts the International Garden Festival in its gardens .
In the 10th century, Eudes i , Count of Blois , had a fortress built to protect the town of Blois against the attacks of the Counts of Anjou . In these fierce struggles, a bold battler of Count Eudes II , Gilduin de Saumur nicknamed the Devil of Saumur, so remarked his zeal in fighting against the Count of Anjou Foulques Nerra , that Eudes II of Blois rewarded him by giving him the Chateau de Chaumont 3 . His great-niece, Denise de Fougères (daughter of Frangalo de Fougères according to genealogies: see the MedLands website [archive ] ) or Pontlevoy , having married Sulpice I of Amboise in 1039 , the château passed into the Amboise family for five centuries.
Louis XI ordered in 1465 to burn and raze Chaumont to punish Pierre d'Amboise for having revolted against the royal power during the " League of Public Good ". Back in favor, the Amboise family was authorized to rebuild the castle. It is his son Charles I of Amboisewho undertook it from 1469 to 1481, building in particular the north wing, facing the Loire, which has now disappeared, and the west wing, which still exists. The front door, preceded by a double drawbridge, is enclosed by two large, massive round towers, equipped with battlements and walkways. Contrary to custom, the central keep was abandoned in favor of the west tower, known as the Amboise tower, intended to plant the standard of the lord of the place. Traces in the interior wall of the west wing indicate that a gallery of framework served the rooms of the floor since the stairwell.
From 1498 to 1510, Charles II de Chaumont d'Amboise , assisted by his uncle, Cardinal Georges d'Amboise , minister of Louis XII , continued the reconstruction in the Louis XII style already marked by the Renaissance while maintaining the same general look. fortified. It is then that the east and north wings are raised, which close the quadrilateral.
On March 31, 1550, Queen Catherine de Medici bought the castle from the Amboise family for the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds 3 .
At the end of 1559, shortly after the accidental death of Henri II , Catherine de Médicis, who had owned the château since 1550, exchanged it with her rival Diane de Poitiers , mistress of the late king, for that of Chenonceau .
On the death of Charlotte de La Marck , granddaughter of Diane (1594), the château was inherited by her husband, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon , who sold it to a farmer general from the gabelles named Jean Largentier .
Taking advantage of Largentier's arrest for fraud and the lineage rights of his wife Isabelle de Limeuil , the Lucquois gentleman Scipion Sardini , becoming baron of the place, then his sons, acquired the castle and kept it from 1600 to 1667 4 .
On this date, the castle passes by alliance to the lords of Ruffignac, Perigord family.
The Duke of Beauvilliers (who became Duke of Saint-Aignan on the death of his father) bought it from this family in 1699. The castle regained its past splendor and even welcomed the Duke of Anjou in 1700, who was traveling to Spain to sit there on the throne.
On the Duke's death, one of his daughters inherited it and brought it to Louis de Rochechouart, Duke of Mortemart , Prince of Tonnay-Charente, her husband. The latter, a great player, contracts debts and must part with them.
It was sold in 1740 to a master of ordinary requests of Louis XV , Nicolas Bertin de Vaugyen , who made certain modifications, including the opening onto the Loire, by knocking down the main building which closed the courtyard.
In 1750, Chaumont passed to a master of water and forests, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray , future intendant of the Invalides, who founded a famous manufacture of ceramic products there. Benjamin Franklin stays there and even obtains from his host the sending of a ship loaded with ammunition intended for the American separatists. After his death, his son even tried to found, without success, a colony and a city on the banks of the Ohio which had been baptized Chaumont. In 1810, Madame de Stael , exiled, moved to the castle during the adventures of Monsieur Le Ray, son, in the United States.
Monsieur Le Ray had made Chaumont a factory, the château became a farm after it was sold in 1829 to a certain Monsieur d'Etchegoyen.
Restorations began with the Count of Aramon who acquired it in 1834 (died 1847) and continued with Viscount Walsh who married his widow.
Marie Say became the owner in 1875 at the age of 17. She married soon after Amédée de Broglie (son of Albert de Broglie ). They had luxurious stables and an English-style landscaped park built.
The construction in 1877 of these sumptuous stables was entrusted to the architect Paul-Ernest Sanson , also charged by Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie and his wife Marie with the complete restoration of the castle. The architect chooses a brick and stone ensemble.
The Chaumont stables are representative of what wealthy nobility had built at the end of the 19th century to house their horses. They were considered at the time to be the most luxurious in Europe, benefiting then from electric arc lighting, at the same time as the Opéra Garnier and the Hôtel de ville de Paris .
For forty years, the castle experienced a sumptuous period during which the Broglies gave parties and receptions, leading a luxurious life. The "Crosnier crash" of 1905 reduced the income from the Princess's heritage, then widowed in 1917 by Henri Amédée de Broglie, she remarried Prince Louis-Ferdinand of Orléans , Infant of Spain. This fickle and unscrupulous husband ends up squandering the princess's fortune. In 1938 , the Château de Chaumont was sold to the State for 1,800,000 francs, which assigned it to the service of Historic Monuments.](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52429939421_9e747f5452_b.jpg "Chateau De Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Centre-Val De Loire, France.")
![The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is in Loir-et-Cher , on the banks of the Loire , between Amboise and Blois , in France. It is the subject of classifications as historical monuments by the list of 1840 , as well as in 1937 and 1955.
Every year, it hosts the International Garden Festival in its gardens .
In the 10th century, Eudes i , Count of Blois , had a fortress built to protect the town of Blois against the attacks of the Counts of Anjou . In these fierce struggles, a bold battler of Count Eudes II , Gilduin de Saumur nicknamed the Devil of Saumur, so remarked his zeal in fighting against the Count of Anjou Foulques Nerra , that Eudes II of Blois rewarded him by giving him the Chateau de Chaumont 3 . His great-niece, Denise de Fougères (daughter of Frangalo de Fougères according to genealogies: see the MedLands website [archive ] ) or Pontlevoy , having married Sulpice I of Amboise in 1039 , the château passed into the Amboise family for five centuries.
Louis XI ordered in 1465 to burn and raze Chaumont to punish Pierre d'Amboise for having revolted against the royal power during the " League of Public Good ". Back in favor, the Amboise family was authorized to rebuild the castle. It is his son Charles I of Amboisewho undertook it from 1469 to 1481, building in particular the north wing, facing the Loire, which has now disappeared, and the west wing, which still exists. The front door, preceded by a double drawbridge, is enclosed by two large, massive round towers, equipped with battlements and walkways. Contrary to custom, the central keep was abandoned in favor of the west tower, known as the Amboise tower, intended to plant the standard of the lord of the place. Traces in the interior wall of the west wing indicate that a gallery of framework served the rooms of the floor since the stairwell.
From 1498 to 1510, Charles II de Chaumont d'Amboise , assisted by his uncle, Cardinal Georges d'Amboise , minister of Louis XII , continued the reconstruction in the Louis XII style already marked by the Renaissance while maintaining the same general look. fortified. It is then that the east and north wings are raised, which close the quadrilateral.
On March 31, 1550, Queen Catherine de Medici bought the castle from the Amboise family for the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds 3 .
At the end of 1559, shortly after the accidental death of Henri II , Catherine de Médicis, who had owned the château since 1550, exchanged it with her rival Diane de Poitiers , mistress of the late king, for that of Chenonceau .
On the death of Charlotte de La Marck , granddaughter of Diane (1594), the château was inherited by her husband, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon , who sold it to a farmer general from the gabelles named Jean Largentier .
Taking advantage of Largentier's arrest for fraud and the lineage rights of his wife Isabelle de Limeuil , the Lucquois gentleman Scipion Sardini , becoming baron of the place, then his sons, acquired the castle and kept it from 1600 to 1667 4 .
On this date, the castle passes by alliance to the lords of Ruffignac, Perigord family.
The Duke of Beauvilliers (who became Duke of Saint-Aignan on the death of his father) bought it from this family in 1699. The castle regained its past splendor and even welcomed the Duke of Anjou in 1700, who was traveling to Spain to sit there on the throne.
On the Duke's death, one of his daughters inherited it and brought it to Louis de Rochechouart, Duke of Mortemart , Prince of Tonnay-Charente, her husband. The latter, a great player, contracts debts and must part with them.
It was sold in 1740 to a master of ordinary requests of Louis XV , Nicolas Bertin de Vaugyen , who made certain modifications, including the opening onto the Loire, by knocking down the main building which closed the courtyard.
In 1750, Chaumont passed to a master of water and forests, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray , future intendant of the Invalides, who founded a famous manufacture of ceramic products there. Benjamin Franklin stays there and even obtains from his host the sending of a ship loaded with ammunition intended for the American separatists. After his death, his son even tried to found, without success, a colony and a city on the banks of the Ohio which had been baptized Chaumont. In 1810, Madame de Stael , exiled, moved to the castle during the adventures of Monsieur Le Ray, son, in the United States.
Monsieur Le Ray had made Chaumont a factory, the château became a farm after it was sold in 1829 to a certain Monsieur d'Etchegoyen.
Restorations began with the Count of Aramon who acquired it in 1834 (died 1847) and continued with Viscount Walsh who married his widow.
Marie Say became the owner in 1875 at the age of 17. She married soon after Amédée de Broglie (son of Albert de Broglie ). They had luxurious stables and an English-style landscaped park built.
The construction in 1877 of these sumptuous stables was entrusted to the architect Paul-Ernest Sanson , also charged by Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie and his wife Marie with the complete restoration of the castle. The architect chooses a brick and stone ensemble.
The Chaumont stables are representative of what wealthy nobility had built at the end of the 19th century to house their horses. They were considered at the time to be the most luxurious in Europe, benefiting then from electric arc lighting, at the same time as the Opéra Garnier and the Hôtel de ville de Paris .
For forty years, the castle experienced a sumptuous period during which the Broglies gave parties and receptions, leading a luxurious life. The "Crosnier crash" of 1905 reduced the income from the Princess's heritage, then widowed in 1917 by Henri Amédée de Broglie, she remarried Prince Louis-Ferdinand of Orléans , Infant of Spain. This fickle and unscrupulous husband ends up squandering the princess's fortune. In 1938 , the Château de Chaumont was sold to the State for 1,800,000 francs, which assigned it to the service of Historic Monuments.](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52430220859_0e1dc870a9_b.jpg "Chateau De Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Centre-Val De Loire, France.")
![The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is in Loir-et-Cher , on the banks of the Loire , between Amboise and Blois , in France. It is the subject of classifications as historical monuments by the list of 1840 , as well as in 1937 and 1955.
Every year, it hosts the International Garden Festival in its gardens .
In the 10th century, Eudes i , Count of Blois , had a fortress built to protect the town of Blois against the attacks of the Counts of Anjou . In these fierce struggles, a bold battler of Count Eudes II , Gilduin de Saumur nicknamed the Devil of Saumur, so remarked his zeal in fighting against the Count of Anjou Foulques Nerra , that Eudes II of Blois rewarded him by giving him the Chateau de Chaumont 3 . His great-niece, Denise de Fougères (daughter of Frangalo de Fougères according to genealogies: see the MedLands website [archive ] ) or Pontlevoy , having married Sulpice I of Amboise in 1039 , the château passed into the Amboise family for five centuries.
Louis XI ordered in 1465 to burn and raze Chaumont to punish Pierre d'Amboise for having revolted against the royal power during the " League of Public Good ". Back in favor, the Amboise family was authorized to rebuild the castle. It is his son Charles I of Amboisewho undertook it from 1469 to 1481, building in particular the north wing, facing the Loire, which has now disappeared, and the west wing, which still exists. The front door, preceded by a double drawbridge, is enclosed by two large, massive round towers, equipped with battlements and walkways. Contrary to custom, the central keep was abandoned in favor of the west tower, known as the Amboise tower, intended to plant the standard of the lord of the place. Traces in the interior wall of the west wing indicate that a gallery of framework served the rooms of the floor since the stairwell.
From 1498 to 1510, Charles II de Chaumont d'Amboise , assisted by his uncle, Cardinal Georges d'Amboise , minister of Louis XII , continued the reconstruction in the Louis XII style already marked by the Renaissance while maintaining the same general look. fortified. It is then that the east and north wings are raised, which close the quadrilateral.
On March 31, 1550, Queen Catherine de Medici bought the castle from the Amboise family for the sum of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds 3 .
At the end of 1559, shortly after the accidental death of Henri II , Catherine de Médicis, who had owned the château since 1550, exchanged it with her rival Diane de Poitiers , mistress of the late king, for that of Chenonceau .
On the death of Charlotte de La Marck , granddaughter of Diane (1594), the château was inherited by her husband, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon , who sold it to a farmer general from the gabelles named Jean Largentier .
Taking advantage of Largentier's arrest for fraud and the lineage rights of his wife Isabelle de Limeuil , the Lucquois gentleman Scipion Sardini , becoming baron of the place, then his sons, acquired the castle and kept it from 1600 to 1667 4 .
On this date, the castle passes by alliance to the lords of Ruffignac, Perigord family.
The Duke of Beauvilliers (who became Duke of Saint-Aignan on the death of his father) bought it from this family in 1699. The castle regained its past splendor and even welcomed the Duke of Anjou in 1700, who was traveling to Spain to sit there on the throne.
On the Duke's death, one of his daughters inherited it and brought it to Louis de Rochechouart, Duke of Mortemart , Prince of Tonnay-Charente, her husband. The latter, a great player, contracts debts and must part with them.
It was sold in 1740 to a master of ordinary requests of Louis XV , Nicolas Bertin de Vaugyen , who made certain modifications, including the opening onto the Loire, by knocking down the main building which closed the courtyard.
In 1750, Chaumont passed to a master of water and forests, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray , future intendant of the Invalides, who founded a famous manufacture of ceramic products there. Benjamin Franklin stays there and even obtains from his host the sending of a ship loaded with ammunition intended for the American separatists. After his death, his son even tried to found, without success, a colony and a city on the banks of the Ohio which had been baptized Chaumont. In 1810, Madame de Stael , exiled, moved to the castle during the adventures of Monsieur Le Ray, son, in the United States.
Monsieur Le Ray had made Chaumont a factory, the château became a farm after it was sold in 1829 to a certain Monsieur d'Etchegoyen.
Restorations began with the Count of Aramon who acquired it in 1834 (died 1847) and continued with Viscount Walsh who married his widow.
Marie Say became the owner in 1875 at the age of 17. She married soon after Amédée de Broglie (son of Albert de Broglie ). They had luxurious stables and an English-style landscaped park built.
The construction in 1877 of these sumptuous stables was entrusted to the architect Paul-Ernest Sanson , also charged by Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie and his wife Marie with the complete restoration of the castle. The architect chooses a brick and stone ensemble.
The Chaumont stables are representative of what wealthy nobility had built at the end of the 19th century to house their horses. They were considered at the time to be the most luxurious in Europe, benefiting then from electric arc lighting, at the same time as the Opéra Garnier and the Hôtel de ville de Paris .
For forty years, the castle experienced a sumptuous period during which the Broglies gave parties and receptions, leading a luxurious life. The "Crosnier crash" of 1905 reduced the income from the Princess's heritage, then widowed in 1917 by Henri Amédée de Broglie, she remarried Prince Louis-Ferdinand of Orléans , Infant of Spain. This fickle and unscrupulous husband ends up squandering the princess's fortune. In 1938 , the Château de Chaumont was sold to the State for 1,800,000 francs, which assigned it to the service of Historic Monuments.](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52430220754_d5b0298865_b.jpg "Chateau De Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Chaumont-Sur-Loire, Centre-Val De Loire, France.")
