Château de Chaumont

The castle of Chaumont, like much of Loire château, owes part of its beauty with the splendid site which it occupies. It dominates the river over left bank, at the point where the calcareous slope is most abrupt. Vis-a-vis the Loire, the castle is drawn up at the end of a landscape park to English which constitutes a genuine bosky bower. With its feet, over bank, the village is spread out.

The castle has from now on the shape of “U”. In front of the drawbridge is the Southern wing on the left, the wing Is on the right which frames the châtelet of entry and which 2 turns confine. The vault is at the end of the wing Is, vis-a-vis the Loire.While being held vis-a-vis the Loire in the interior court of the castle, one outside locates the Western wing, flanked on the right by the tower of Amboise (in South-west), vis-a-vis the park. On the left, the wing rises is confined by the Saint Nicolas's Day tower with the North-eastern angle, vis-a-vis the park.

In X-th century, Eudes 1st, count de Blois, established a fortress to protect Blois from the ceaseless attacks of Foulques Néra, count d' Anjou.The Norman knight Guelduin accepted Chaumont and made consolidate the fortress.His/her small niece, Denise de Fougères, having married Sulpice d' Amboise, the castle passes in the family of Amboise for five centuries.Louis XI made burn and shave Chaumont in 1465 to punish Pierre d' Amboise to have revolted against the royal capacity at the time of the “League of the public property”.A little later its grounds were restored.This one then his/her son, Charles 1st of Amboise undertook the rebuilding of the castle of 1465 to 1475 by building the Northern wing (vis-a-vis the Loire), now disappeared.They continued work by the Western wing, the gross tower of Amboise and the first contiguous span of the Southern wing in the Gothic and defensive style of XVè century with: covered way, machicolation (openings practised in the ground in overhang of the fortifications and allowing to launch projectiles to the attackers), and dry ditches surrounding the castle.From 1498 to 1510, Charles II of Chaumont d' Amboise, helped of his uncle the cardinal George d' Amboise, continued the rebuilding in a style already marked by the Rebirth while preserving the same strengthened general pace: southern wing, châtelet of entry, wing East, coupled with the Southern wing).The introduction of the italianizing reasons on the châtelet and the monumental staircase is particularly early.The vault is at the end of the wing Is, vis-a-vis the Loire.Become widowed in 1559, Catherine de Médicis buys Chaumont in 1560 and constrained Diane of Poitiers to accept it in exchange of Chenonceau. The favorite one of Henri II builds the covered way to machicolation of the châtelet of entry and the Eastern wing, remained unfinished in 1510, by affixing its figures and its emblems there: Interlaced, arcs and quiver, hunting horns, delta and crescents.

With the destruction of the Northern wing in 1739 per Nicolas Berthin de Vauguyen, Master of the Requests at the Parliament of Paris, the castle loses his pace of strong castle partly and becomes residence of approval. In 1750, Jacques Donatien Ray, future intendant of the Invalids, buys Chaumont, it installs there in 1770 a glassmaking and a manufacture of ground medallions, directed by the Italian engraver Jean-baptiste Nini. He succeeds in preserving the castle of the revolutionary upheaval by bequeathing all his goods to his son of American nationality. In 1810, Madam de Staël remains there, surrounded by a true court of opponents with Napoleon among whom appear then Benjamin Constant and Mrs Récamier.The count of Aramon acquires it in 1883 and carries out important repairs, continued by the Viscount of Walsh since 1847.In 1875, Marie-Charlotte Say, grand-daughter of the financier and sugar Louis Say, buy Chaumont.The same year, it marries prince de Broglie who gives again with the castle a glare without precedent.The husbands call upon the architect Paul-Ernest Sanson who restores the castle.Many elements of external and interior decorations are restored in the néo-Rebirth spirit: grounds, woodworks, chimneys, stained glasses in which are included old stained glasses.Sanson made build important stables which profit from very modern installations (running water and electricity in particular), with the measurement of the luxury of Broglie.In 1884, Prince de Broglie entrusts the realization of a landscape park to English to the landscape designer of reputation Henri Duchêne.With this intention, of the decayed houses, encumbering the accesses of the castle, are destroyed and their inhabitants rehoused on the edges of the Loire. The old church also undergoes the same fate as well as the cemetery which will be moved.During forty years, the castle will know one sumptuous time, during which Broglie will give dazzling festivals and receptions, by carrying out a life worthy of a royal house. Unfortunately reverses of fortune will oblige the princess of Broglie to sell Chaumont in 1938 in the State which will assign it to the service Historic buildings.