!!!Chateaux of the Loire Valley 3

by Stas Sedov and Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

12 July 2017

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The origins of the Loire castles are strongly connected to the history
of France itself. The Château de Langeais in Indre-et-Loire department
is considered to be the earliest known medieval stone fortress in
France. It was founded in the 10th century by Fulk Nerra, Count of
Anjou, the founder of the House of Plantagenet and also named "Fulk the
Black". Built on the top of a rock above the Loire Valley, the castle
was initially designed to be a military defensive fortress. In the 12th
century it was enlarged by Richard the Lion's Heart — the offspring of
Fulk Nerra.

In the course of time the Château de Langeais had been changing the
owners and constantly rebuilt. The most ancient part of the castle is
the facade of the main tower, called "Donjon of Fulk the Black"; the
main part of the castle appeared only in the 15th century during the
reign of King Louis XI.

[{Image src='01_Chateau de Langeais.jpg' caption='Château de Langeais' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

On December 16, 1491 the Château de Langeais became the scene for a very
remarkable event, which is also a crucial milestone in the history. On
that day the marriage of King Charles VIII to Anne of Brittany took
place, and that event made a permanent union of Brittany and France.
This marriage shocked all the political society of that time as both the
betrothed had already been married to other royals. According to
historical documents, all the details were kept in secret till the last
moment; in order to conclude the ceremony discreetly, the bride was
delivered to the castle in the night.

[{Image src='02_Near the Chateau de Montrésor.jpg' caption='Near the Château de Montrésor' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

The marriage was initiated by the regent Anne of Beaujeu, who was
looking for the way to annex Brittany, and her plan worked out. Now this
castle is an important landmark of the country that attracts a lot of
tourists.

[{Image src='03_Chateau de Montresor. Planet.jpg' caption='Château de Montrésor. Planet' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

There is one more castle built in the beginning of the 11th century by
the order of Fulk Nerra: the Château de Montrésor. It is located in
Touraine (the province, once existed in France). With the start of the
15th century, the royal court began spending more and more time here.
Soon it was bought by Imbert de Batarnay — an influential councillor and
chamberlain to four kings of France at the same time: along with Louis
XI, such kings as Charles VIII, Louis XI and Francis I availed
themselves of his services. His long service at the court was rare and
unique at the time: he managed to do it due to his skilfulness and
talents. Actually, he was the person responsible for arranging the
legendary marriage, sealing the joining of the Duchy of Brittany to the
French kingdom.

[{Image src='04_Chateau de Montresor.jpg' caption='Château de Montrésor' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='358'}]

During the following centuries the castle was constantly changing its
owners. At the time of the French Revolution the castle started
declining, but in 1849 it began a new life thanks to a new owner —
Xavier Branicki, a rich Polish count and a friend of the emperor
Napoleon III. Nowadays Branicki's descendants still own the Château de
Montrésor and sometimes they open it to arrange excursions.

[{Image src='05_Chateau du Moulin.jpg' caption='Château du Moulin' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

In 1490 the Château du Moulin, located in the western department
Loir-et-Cher and being not even finished, was given by King Charles VIII
to his friend Philippe du Moulin as an expression of gratitude for
saving the King's life in the battle of Fornovo. The castle had ditches,
towers with embrasures and other features of a military fortress, but
the quality of building materials and thin walls reveal that it was only
a tribute to history and architectural style of that time. In the 17th
century during the reign of Louis XIII the castle was reconstructed and
now it is one of the most popular touristic landmarks of France. Several
times the interiors of this castle became the scene for movies about
intrigues of the French throne.

[{Image src='06_Chateau de Langeais.jpg' caption='Château de Langeais' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='434'}]

Welcome to have a breathtaking tour over these fascinating historical
places!


\\ \\
[8 Panoramas of Chateaux of the Loire Valley 3|Geography/Europe/France/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Chateaux_of_the_Loire_Valley_3]










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