The Royal Château at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...France, is one of the most recognizable A château ( French for castle; plural châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of gentry, usually French, with or without fortifications. ...châteaux in the world because of its very distinct French By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance -French Renaissance -German Renaissance -English Renaissance The Renaissance was a great cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ...Renaissance architecture that blends traditional medieval forms with classical Italian structures.

It is the largest castle in the Loire Valley (French Vallée de la Loire) is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. ...Loire Valley, but was built to serve only as a hunting lodge for Francis I, Renaissance prince, lover of women, patron of the arts Francis I (French: François Ier) (September 12, 1494 - July 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (French: le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims...King François I who maintained his royal residences at The Royal Château de Blois is located in the Loir-et-Cher département in the Loire Valley, in France. ...Château de Blois and at The Royal Château at Amboise is a château located in Amboise, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France. ...Château d'Amboise. The original design of the Château de Chambord was by Domenico da Cortona, but was altered considerably during the twenty years of its construction (1519‑1539). Leonardo redirects here. ...Leonardo da Vinci, a guest of King Francois at The mansion Clos Lucé and garden The mansion at Clos Lucé, Amboise, France is located 500 meters from the Royal Chateau Amboise and are connected by an underground passageway. ...Clos Lucé near Amboise, is believed to have been involved in the original design. Nearing completion, King François showed off his enormous symbol of wealth and power by hosting his old enemy, Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Charles V ( 24 February 1500– 21 September 1558) was effectively (the first) King of Spain from 1516 to 1556 (in principle, he was from 1516 king of Aragon and from 1516 guardian of his insane mother, queen of Castile who died...Emperor Charles V.

Chateau Chambord, in France, by Andrew Lih File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

The massive castle features 6 immense towers, 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, and 84 staircases. Four rectangular vaulted hallways on each floor form a cross-shape, meeting in the center. One of the architectural highlights, and very popular with the general public, is the spectacular double-helix open staircase where people can ascend and descend at the same time without ever meeting.

The castle is surrounded by a 52.5‑km² (13,000‑acre) wooded park and game reserve filled with Red Deer enclosed by a 31‑kilometre (20‑mile) wall.

For more than eighty years after the death of King François, French kings all but abandoned the castle, allowing it to fall into decay. Finally, in 1639 Louis XIII (September 27, 1601 - May 14, 1643), called the Just (French: le Juste), was King of France from 1610 to 1643. ...King Louis XIII gave it to his brother Gaston Jean_Baptiste, duc dOrléans (April 25, 1608 _ February 2, 1660), third son of the French king Henry IV, and his wife Marie de Medici, was born at Fontainebleau. ...Gaston d'Orleans who saved the castle from ruin by carrying out much restoration work. Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis_Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ...King Louis XIV had the great donjon restored and furnished the royal apartments. The king then added a 300 horse stable enabling him to use the castle as a hunting lodge and a place to entertain such notables as Molière, engraved frontispiece to his Works Jean_Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Molière ( January 15, 1622 – February 17, 1673), was a French theatre writer, director and actor, one of the masters of comic satire. ...Molière for a few weeks each year. Nonetheless, Louis XIV abandoned the castle in 1685.

From 1725 to 1733, Reign From 1704 until 1709 and from 1733 until 1736 Elected In 1704 and 1733 in Wola, today suburb of Warsaw, Poland Coronation On October 4, 1705 in the St. ...Stanislas I (Stanislas Leszczynski), the deposed king of Poland and father_in_law of Louis XV King of France and Navarre Louis XV (February 15, 1710 _ May 10, 1774), called the Well_Beloved (French: le Bien_Aimé), was king of France from 1715 to 1774. ...King Louis XV lived at Chambord. In 1745, as a reward for his fighting valor the king gave the castle to Maurice de Saxe Maurice, comte de Saxe (German Moritz Graf von Sachsen) (October 28, 1696 — November 30, 1750), Marshal of France, the natural son of Augustus II of Poland and of the countess Aurora Königsmark, was born at Goslar. ...Maurice de Saxe, Marshal of France who installed his military regiment there. Maurice de Saxe died in 1750 and once again the colossal castle sat empty for many years.

In 1792, the The period of the French Revolution in the history of France covers the years between 1789 and 1799, in which democrats and republicans overthrew the absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church was forced to undergo radical restructuring. ...Revolutionary government ordered the sale of the furnishings and the empty castle was left abandoned until Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français...Napoleon Bonaparte gave the castle to French military leader Louis Alexander Berthier whose widow sold it to the Duke of Bordeaux, who then took the title Comte de Chambord. A brief attempt at restoration and occupation was made by Charles X, King of France and of Navarre ( October 9, 1757 – November 6, 1836) was born at the Palace of Versailles. ...King Charles X (1824_1830) but little was done and during the Battle of Gravelotte Main article: Battle of Gravelotte Battle of Sedan Main article: Battle of Sedan The French were soundly defeated in several battles owing to the military superiority of the Prussian forces and their commanders. ...Franco_Prussian War, (1870_1871) the castle was used as a field hospital.

The final attempt to make use of the colossus came from the Comte de Chambord and his offspring but after the Comte died in 1883, the castle was left to the Ducal family of Parma is a medieval city in the Italian region of Emilia_Romagna, with splendid architecture and a fine countryside around it. ...Parma, The Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ...Italy. Any attempts at restoration ended with the onset of Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...World War I in 1914. The castle became the property of the Government of France in 1930 but restoration work was not begun until a few years after Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (60,000 ft) into the air. ...World War II ended in 1945.

Today, it is a major tourist attraction.

• Official site (http://www.chambord.org/anglais.htm)