AMBOISE

AMBOISE entered in the history of approximately 503 years, when Klovis King francs, met with King Visigoth Alarihom on the island of St. John, situated amidst the Loire, slightly below the modern castle. 

AMBOISE repeatedly been subjected to raids of Norman, over time, was attached to the land Angevin graphs, and then became a private possession of the famous dynasty AMBOISE-Chaumont, and in 1422 passed by inheritance to Louis, Viscount de THOIRY. But on charges of involvement in a conspiracy against the king of the castle owner was convicted and deprived of his or her condition. 

Since 1431 the castle became part of the royal domain - the estate. It has stayed Karl VII. For example, ceasing to be a very fortress castle AMBOISE turned into a royal residence, and in this city have been given considerable privilege. In AMBOISE born children of King Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy, and the Queen with the children chose AMBOISE as his personal residence, while the king preferred to keep his yard in Plessi-le-Tour. 

One of the major events in the rule of Louis XI was the establishment in AMBOISE 1 August, 1469 Order of St. Michael. On this day, the King gathered in the chapel of St. Michael vysokorodnyh fifteen barons and familiarized them with the charter of the Knights' Order, under which there was great political importance. 

The Order of St. Michael to symbolize nobility and vassals Royal Crown. Dressed with great pomp in long silk cloaks, otorochennye ermine fur and embroidered with gold ornaments in the form of cups hilt, in the wide-brimmed hat of crimson velvet, high seniors vowed to live by the laws of the church and chivalry. 

On this day AMBOISE became a place of grand ceremony to be included in the annals of the French kingdom. 

The Queen, who died in AMBOISE in 1483, held here life worthy of its title. About 150 people were her entourage and the environment, all serve to make it a pleasant stay in the castle: apartments were richly decorated, furnished with furniture, filled with the precious utensils. 

A Fortunate Life, which is held here in his younger years, the new King Karl VIII, explains his attachment to the place where he was born and raised. Here in AMBOISE, Square Karruar young dauphin at the age of 13 years met Margarita of Austria, granddaughter last Duke of Burgundy Charles bold that her father Maximilian of Austria had given him a wife. Margaret, who was only three years at the time of betrothal ceremony, lived in the castle AMBOISE until 1492, when she was very sad to return to Flanders, to give way to the Anne Bretanskoy on which Karl VIII married Dec. 6, 1491. 

From that time on the orders of Charles VIII began extensive work on the reconstruction of the castle. To finance the construction has had to increase the tax on salt. It was magnificent. "He wants to make his castle town" - did not resist the exclamation Florentine ambassador, when he saw drawings of the future of the castle in 1493. The area occupied by the castle, to be significantly expanded. The medieval castle has given way to a huge square monolith in the form of a trapeze, the court divided into three: the main courtyard of the apartments of King, "Abode of virtues" in the south and the court called "donzhonom", on the western tip of the high plateau. Two round towers screw - Minimskaya and tower Gyurto - represented a curious architectural innovation. In the decoration of the interiors at first dominated the French direction, then it made its own contribution Flemish artists, and certainly after the return of the French kings from the hikes in 1495 there were decorative elements of Italian origin. Furnishing was magnificent, tapestry - from Flanders and France, draperies - from Damascus, carpets - from Turkey. 

Extensive construction work to rebuild the castle-fortress graphs Angevin the residence worthy of the French Crown, were suddenly interrupted by an accident which occurred April 7, 1498. Charles VIII, accompanied the Queen on the gallery to look fashionable at the time the game ball, hit lbom on the low door, and after a few hours away. What to expect AMBOISE after the death of King, who was born here and died at the age of 28? 

He was succeeded by the Duke of Orleans, the future Louis XII. He enjoyed Privolny calm to the Loire Valley, like his father, a famous poet, Charles of Orleans, who also loved AMBOISE. But it was Louis XII gave to the castle BLOIS, where during his tenure, he launched a violent civil works and firmly Breton, along with Anna, the widow of the late King, where he married Jan. 8, 1499. However AMBOISE was not completely abandoned, it remained a royal residence, as well as here in ten years, Louise of Savoy lived with their children - Princess Margarita Valois, and the future of Francis I. 

Work on the reconstruction of the castle were resumed in the 1500-1501 biennium., And large supplies of stone allowed to continue the unfinished building. Since coming to power of Francis I lock acquires a new shine. From 1515 to 1518 he worked. King stayed here when he visited the banks of the Loire, this is what he called "a luxurious castle, and after the victory of Marinyanom he is back in AMBOISE in August 1516. Queen Claude has made here in the light of three of their children. 

AMBOISE located in the heart of European political life, because, again, it is here that the most important agreements were signed at the start of Francis I: Nuayonsky peace treaty with the King of Spain, the Concordat with Pope Leo X, a peace agreement with Switzerland, Treaty Cambrai ( "Ladies' world ") to Emperor Charles V and the London Agreement with Henri VIII. Francis I is prepared as a candidate for the throne of the Empire and the nobles had people from Germany. 

As a rule of Henry II of Catherine de Medici brought the AMBOISE, which brought up a lot of royal offspring. Subsequently, the castle was abandoned Valois dynasty. Arrived there Feb. 22, 1560 at the dawn of his reign the young king Francis II and his wife Mary Stuart, with his mother the Queen, with children, with his retinue and household was forced to flee as a result of a conspiracy in BLOIS Princes Conde, who broke at the beginning of the month. Sadly the famous plot to AMBOISE was severely depressed, and three years later, May 19, 1563 an agreement was reached between the queen mother Catherine de Medici and the Prince of Conde, ending the first rise of the religious strife and proclaimed freedom of religion for the sake of the highest aristocracy. Following these landmark events AMBOISE castle loses its meaning the royal residence, although there has stayed Louis XIII. In 1627 the castle was connected to the possession of Gaston Orleans, and in 1660 returned to the French Crown. But in reality, the castle was in poor condition and was not suitable for housing. In 1762 the Duke of Choiseul bought the castle, manor and surroundings AMBOISE, and in 1786 his heirs sold all the Duke de Pentevr. This prince, the grandson of Louis XIV, was the most wealthy nobles of that time, he owned more than 20 castles and mansions. In the years preceding the Revolution, he began work on the reconstruction of old and construction of new facilities at his residence, which in 1787 became the center of the Duchy-peerage. 

During the Revolution, the castle was confiscated and suffered from looting. It was arranged and the barrack, even equipped with factory pugovichnaya between the "Abode of the Seven Virtues" and the band of St. Hubert. However, later in the era of the First Empire, AMBOISE has the greatest distortion and loss attributable to members of Parliament, Roger Dyuko, who received the castle as a gift from the Senate Orleans, but without the means to contain it, could not find a better solution as to destroy large part of it. In 1815 the residence was restored Dowager Duchess of Orleans, which resulted in the order of land and revived the castle. 

In 1821, after the death of the Duchess of Orleans, her son, the future King Louis-Philippe, inherited the castle and estate AMBOISE. Louis-Philippe has acquired 46 homes and buildings surrounding the castle from the Minimskoy streets and near Gate Gyurto. His goal was to destroy these buildings to make room in front of the towers and walls, and thus provide access to the cellars, which stretched along the length of the castle and its services, ie, in the cellar, which was known as "old granary Julius Caesar." 

From 1848 to 1852 he worked. in the castle as a surprise guest stayed Arabic Emir Abd al-Qader, who held here in honor of four years confinement until October 16, 1852 Prince-President Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was not here in person to declare him the news of the freedom. 

Since 1974, the year of its founding, the Foundation supports the Castle of St. Louis in safety, and conducting the restoration work that began after the last war. Domestic gardens, in beautiful condition, attached to the castle extra charm and more than ever, it is at the end of the millennium, justifies the name given to TOURAINE - "Garden of France".