Château Royal de Blois

Favorite residence of the Kings of France. A residence for the Counts of Blois, the Dukes of Orleans, the Kings and Queens of France, and several princes in exile, the Royal Château of Blois is haunted by the memory of all the illustrious hosts lived here. Among these renowned figures are several counts of Blois who led the Crusades and the prince poet Charles d’Orléans. In 1429, Joan of Arc came in the château to have her banner blessed.

Beginning with Louis XII, who was born in Blois in 1462, the château became the favorite residence of the kings of France for more than a century. Blois was the first construction undertaken by François I and his successors often resided here. François II spent half of his brief reign at the château and Henri III twice summoned the Estates General of the kingdom here in an attempt to end the Wars of Religion (1576 and 1588) twice.

It was for this occasion that the château of Blois became the setting for the assassination of the Duke of Guise, ordered by the king on December 23, 1588.

The 16th century in Blois was also the century of the Queens: Anne de Bretagne, whose remarriage with Louis XII allowed the return of Brittany to France, followed by Claude of France, who gave her name to a variety of plums (« Reine Claude » that she cultivated in the gardens of Blois. After the brief reign of Mary Stuart, Catherine de Medicis often resided here before dying in her apartments. The memory of the two wives of Henri IV still lingers in Blois: Marguerite de Valois, the so-called Reine Margot, and Marie de Médicis, who escaped from the château in 1619.

During the 17th century, the Château was a haven for princes and princesses in exil : Marie de Médicis, Gaston d’Orléans, Marie-Casimire de Pologne… The château became a barracks just prior to the French Revolution. It was classified a national historical monument in 1840 and consequently renovated by Félix Duban, who restored its former splendour. The Château also became a cultural institution housing several museums.