Tags: france (99 pics) Château de Chaumont The Château de Chaumont is a French castle. It was the first château at Chaumont-sur-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, France. It was built by Eudes II, Count of Blois, in the 10th century with the purpose of serving as a fortress to protect Blois from attacks. The castle was burned to the ground in 1465 (554 years ago) in accordance with Louis XI's orders and was later rebuilt by Charles I d'Amboise from 1465-1475 and then finished by his son, Charles II d'Amboise de Chaumont from 1498-1510, with help from his uncle, Georges d'Amboise. Château Chaumont was later purchased by Catherine de Medici in 1560 (459 years ago), a year after her late husband Henry II's death. She entertained numerous astrologers there, among them Nostradamus. After a short while, she forced Diane de Poitiers, Henry II's long-term mistress, to exchange the Château de Chenonceau for the Château de Chaumont. Diane de Poitiers only lived there for a short while. In 1750 (269 years ago), Jacques-Donatien Le Ray purchased the castle as a country home where he established a glassmaking and pottery factory. He was considered the French "Father of the American Revolution" because he loved America. Benjamin Franklin was at some point a guest at the castle. However, in 1789 (230 years ago), the new French Revolutionary Government seized Le Ray's assets, including his beloved Château de Chaumont. Madame de Staël later acquired the château in 1810 (209 years ago) and then Marie-Charlotte Say, heiress to the Say sugar fortune, acquired Chaumont in 1875 (144 years ago). Later that year, she married the Prince of Broglie, who owned it until 1938 (81 years ago), when the government took over the ownership. The Château de Chaumont is currently a museum and every year hosts a Garden Festival from Apr. to Oct. where contemporary garden designers display their work in an English-style garden.

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