The Château de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley in France is a haven of art and glamour and formal gardens. It’s also a place rich in history, and its history is dominated by women. The site as we know it was constructed under the watchful eye of Katherine Briçonnet starting in 1513, and since then the castle has been the site of forbidden romance, revenge, intellectual and artistic growth, and rebellion.
The château has such a rich and amazing history that I’m just going to mention some highlights, ones that might fit quite nicely into a romance novel or novel of historical fiction. Behold some of the different faces of the Château de Chenonceau:
- The Love Triangle Château
Henry II was madly in love with his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Not content to woo her with flowers and candy, he gave her the château in 1535. Since Henry’s wife, Catherine de Medici, wanted it for herself, this was incredibly tactless, but when it came to Diane, Henry was not a tactful guy. Diane was a pivotal figure in the chateau’s history. She ordered its famous bridge to be built across the Cern River and oversaw the planting of the gardens and orchards.
When Henry II died in 1559, he left behind his very annoyed widow, Catherine, who is rumored to have had the motto “Hate and Wait.” She seized the castle from Diane, although she gave Diane a different one (under the circumstances, that seems generous of her, although apparently Diane was not fond of her new place).
Catherine loved the château and she liked outdoing her romantic rival. She funded a huge expansion of the buildings and gardens and hosted France’s first fireworks display there. As Queen, Catherine had had very little power, but as Queen Regent after Henry’s death, she became incredibly powerful, and notorious, in the political life of Europe.
- The Haunted Gothic Castle of The White-Robed Tragic Heroine
I haven’t actually heard that the castle is haunted, but I’m sure it is, based on the fact that it was owned for quite some time by Louise of Lorraine, Catherine de Medici’s daughter-in-law. [Note: in the case of The Château de Chenonceau, the words ‘castle’ and ‘château’ seem to be used interchangeably depending on who is writing about the location].
Louise had the suckiest life that a person could have and still be rich. Her parents died when she was a baby and she was an unloved orphan who was told to stay out of the way. Henry III proposed to her because she looked like Henry’s recently dead true love, Marie de Clèves. She wasn’t interested in politics and she couldn’t have children, which led to immense depression and stress for her. She did seem genuinely fond of her husband, however.
In 1589, Henry III was assassinated. Louise spent the rest of her days wearing white, the traditional mourning color for French queens. “The White Queen” wandered the halls of Château de Chenonceau, which she draped with black tapestries embroidered with bones. If the idea of an emotionally wrenching, white-clad tragic figure wandering castle hallways between black skeleton tapestries doesn’t scream “HAUNTING” I don’t know what does.
- The Château of Very Smart People
The château changed hands a few times before being sold to Claude Dupin in 1733. His wife, Louise Dupin, used the estate to host literary salons. These salons attracted all the great thinkers of the Enlightenment including authors, philosophers, and naturalists. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was Louise’s secretary, and Voltaire was a frequent guest.
During the French Revolution, Louise saved the château by pointing out that the bridge was the only bridge across the Cher River for many miles and thus was indispensable.
- The Castle of WWI Nursing and WWII Resistance
During WWI, the castle was owned by the Menier family, who had built a hugely successful chocolate business. During WWI, they turned the castle into a hospital. If you are thinking of writing a romance about a sexy WWI nurse and her sexy patient, here’s your setting.
In WWII, the line between Nazi Occupied France and Free France ran along the Cher River – the river that the castle is built on. Part of the castle was in German territory but the end of the gallery was in Free France.
German guards patrolled the castle grounds, but Simone Menier smuggled Jewish and French people through the castle to safety. The château was bombed by Germans in 1940 and Allies in 1944.
Today you can visit the château and take a variety of tours including a night walk of the illuminated gardens. You can also explore the hedge maze, and for a fee you can take any number of tours inside the buildings.
These links have details, and so many photos!
Two in France.com.au