Royal château of Amboise : the cradle of French Renaissance
Châteaux
of the Loire Valley by car : build your own chronological tour.
We suggest to start this tour with the western region
of Touraine, in Chinon for example. Then if you go to the east of Loire
Valley, you will progressively leave the Middle Ages and discover the
French Renaissance.
This itinerary is suitable for historians.
We put forward the names of the most famous historical personalities,
who left their mark on the history of the Loire Châteaux.
THE MIDDLE AGES
In the 11th century :
Keep of Loches, keep of Langeais : Fulk Nerra (count
of Anjou),
In the 12th century :
Fortress of Chinon and royal abbey of Fontevraud : Henri II Plantagenêt
(Henry II of England) and Eleanor of Aquitaine,
Richard the Lionheart,
Keep of Loches : Richard the Lionheart,
Keep of Villandry : Henri II Plantagenêt
(Henry II of England) and Philippe-Auguste (king of France)
In the 15th century :
Fortress of Chinon, logis royal of Loches : Joan of Arc (first meeting with Charles VII at Chinon castle in 1429)
Castle of Langeais : Louis XI, Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany (marriage at Langeais castle in 1491)
Royal castle of Amboise : Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany (death of Charles VIII after he accidentally hit his
head on the lintel of a door in 1498)
FRENCH RENAISSANCE
In the 16th century :
Castle of Blois : Louis XII and Anne of Brittany, Francis I and Claude of France, Catherine de' Medici, Henri III
Châteaux
of the Loire Valley by car : build your own chronological tour.