A château ( French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. In 1999 French was the 11th most spoken language in the world being spoken by about 77 million people (called Francophones) as a mother tongue, and... French for This article describes the fortified buildings. Castle is also an alternative name for the Rook, the move of castling in chess, and Operation Castle, a large U.S. nuclear test. The Alcázar of Segovia, Spain A castle (from the Latin castellum, diminutive of castra, a military camp, in... castle; plural châteaux) is a For the area of Sheffield, in England, see Manor, Sheffield. Manorialism or Seigneurialism describes the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic power in a lord supported economically from his own direct landholding and from... manor house or residence of the In England, Lord of the Manor is a minor, feudal title. Holders of the title are not peers and have never held any right to sit in the House of Lords. The title sometimes comes with ancient rights associated with the manor. Since the abolition of feudal tenure and copyhold... lord of the manor or a country house of gentry, usually French, with or without fortifications. The urban counterpart of "château" is The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. Viewed from the back, across the Seine River, with the Sainte Chapelle on the right side. Painted in the 1410s. From the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. This article refers to... palais (palace).

The concept

If a château is not old, then it must be grand. A château is a "power house" as Sir John Summerson dubbed the English (and Georgian Irish) " A stately home is, strictly speaking, one of about 500 large properties built in England between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property (after the Dissolution of the Monasteries). They are usually distinguished from true castles... Stately homes" that are social counterparts of châteaux. It is the personal (and hopefully hereditary) badge of a family that represents the royal authority at some rank, locally. Thus this word is often used to refer to a residence of a member of the French royalty or the nobility, but some fine châteaux, such as Vaux-le-vicomte was in many ways the most important work built before Louis XIV came to power. Here, together with Louie Le Vau, the design of gardens André le Nôtre and the decorator Lebrun worked on a large-scale project for the first time. Their collaboration marked the... Vaux-le-Vicomte were built by the essentially high Bourgeois at the end of the thirteenth century. --facsimile of Miniature in Manuscript no. 6820, in the National Library of Paris. The bourgeoisie is one of the wealthy classes into which a capitalist society is typically divided, according to certain western schools of economic thought, especially Marxism. The term is... bourgeois, but recently ennobled, tax-farmers and ministers of Louis XIII (September 27, 1601 - May 14, 1643), called the Just (French: le Juste), was King of France from 1610 to 1643. Born at the Château de Fontainebleau, Louis was the first child of Henri IV and Marie de Médicis. He ascended to the throne at age nine... Louis XIII and his successors.

A château is supported by its lands (terres), comprising a For the area of Sheffield, in England, see Manor, Sheffield. Manorialism or Seigneurialism describes the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic power in a lord supported economically from his own direct landholding and from... demesne that renders the society of the château largely self-sufficient, in the manner of the historic A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class. According to Pliny, there were two kinds of villas, the villa urbana, which was a country seat that could easily be reached from Rome (or another city) for a night or two, and the villa rustica, the... villa system of Rome and the Early Middle Ages. (Compare For the area of Sheffield, in England, see Manor, Sheffield. Manorialism or Seigneurialism describes the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic power in a lord supported economically from his own direct landholding and from... manorialism and This is about a hacienda, a vast ranch. For the Manchester discotheque, see Fac 51 Hacienda. In Spanish, Ministerio de Hacienda means Ministry of Public Finances. Hacienda is a Spanish word describing a vast ranch, common in the Pampa. The hacienda system of Argentina, parts of Brazil and New Granada... hacienda.) The open Roman villas of the time of There are two famous persons named Pliny: Pliny the Elder, a Roman nobleman, scientist and historian who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD The great-nephew of the former, Pliny the Younger, a statesman, orator, and writer who lived between 62 AD and 113 AD. This... Pliny, Gaius or Cilnius Maecenas (70 - 8 BC) was a confidant and political advisor to Augustus Caesar, as well as an important sponsor of young poets. His name became a byword for a well-connected and wealthy patron. Tacitus (Ann. 6. 11) refers to him as Cilnius Maecenas; it is possible... Maecenas or emperor Emperor Tiberius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar (November 16, 42 BC–March 16, AD 37) was the second Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from AD 14 until his death. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian—son of Tiberius Nero and Livia—and was the adopted... Tiberius began to be walled in, then fortified in the (2nd century - 3rd century - 4th century - other centuries) Events The Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east. (230 - 232 AD). Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire Emperor Valerian I is taken captive by the Persian King of Kings Shapur I... 3rd century, and evolved into castellar "châteaux." Even in modern use a château still retains some enclosures that are the distant descendants of these outworks: its fenced-off forecourt, with gates that could be closed and perhaps with a gatehouse or keeper's lodge, and its supporting outbuildings, like stables, kitchens, brewery, bakehouse, and lodgings for menservants in the garçonnière. Aside from the entrance cour d'honneur, the château may have an inner cour ("court"). Beyond, on the private inner side, the château faces a park that is enclosed, no matter how simply or discreetly. (If you doubt whether it is a château, ask to see the chapel.)

In Paris, the original châteaux of the The main courtyard of the Louvre. The entrance to the galleries lies below the glass pyramid The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre), located in Paris, is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. The building, a former royal palace (see below), lies in the centre... Louvre (originally fortified) and The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small landlocked state in the north-west of the continental European Union, bordered by France, Germany and Belgium. National motto: Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn ( Luxembourgish: We wish to stay what we are) Official languages French, German, Luxembourgish ( de jure... Luxembourg (originally in the suburbs) have lost their château name and have becomes "palaces" as the growing city enclosed them.

In England, the word "château" never took root: even the utterly châteauesque Rothschild Waddesdon Manor is a mansion at Waddesdon in Buckinghamshire, built between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-1898) of the Rothschild banking dynasty, who was Member of Parliament for nearby Aylesbury. It is owned by the National Trust. A hilltop overlooking the village was levelled for the... Waddesdon Manor is not a "château."

In the U.S., "château" took root selectively. In the The term Gilded Age refers to the political and economic nature situation of the United States from approximately 1876-1900. The expansion of commerce and heavy industry, mercantilist economic policies, and federal railway subsidies created a number of immensely successful businessmen as public figures; these were often referred to pejoratively... Gilded Age resort of A side street in Newport, Rhode Island, showing the historic buildings near the waterfront Newport is a city located in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is the largest city on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,475. It... Newport, Rhode Island, even the châteaux were always "cottages." But north of For other places called Wilmington, see Wilmington Wilmington, a seaport in northern Delaware, is the largest city in the state. As of the 2000 census, Wilmington had a total population of 72,664. It is the county seat of New Castle County 1. It is named by Thomas Penn for... Wilmington, Delaware, in upscale rural "Château Country" centred on the powerful E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSE: DD) was founded in July 1802 as a gun powder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont on Brandywine Creek, near Wilmington, Delaware. Du Pont later evolved into one of the worlds largest chemical companies, and in the... DuPont family, some of the châteaux are really just A relatively simple version of the McMansion. Note the neoclassical columns that form the porch and the nonfunctional shutters. McMansion is a pejorative term for a particular style of housing that, as its name suggests, is both large like a mansion and cheap and ubiquitous like McDonalds fast food... McMansions.

French châteaux

Loire Valley

The Loire Valley (French Vallée de la Loire) is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. It is also noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Amboise, Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but... Loire Valley (Val de Loire) is home to more than 300 châteaux. They were built between the ( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. Events The beginning of the Medieval Warm Period Viking groups settle in northern France - Norse become Normans Foundation of Cluny, first... 10th and (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... 20th centuries, first by the French kings and soon followed by the nobility, which have caused the valley to be called "the Garden of France".

Château of Dampierre-en-Yvelines: domesticated Baroque at the center of Louis XIV's inner circle

Dampierre-en-Yvelines

(illustration, right), built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, marble bust by Jean-Louis Lemoyne: a full-dress Baroque portrait bust demonstrates that the Kings architect is no mere craftsman Jules Hardouin-Mansart (Paris, April 16, 1646 – Marly, France, May 11, 1708) was a French architect whose work is generally considered to be the... Jules Hardouin-Mansart, 1675 - 1683 for the duc de Chevreuse, Jean_Baptiste Colbert Jean_Baptiste Colbert (August 29, 1619 _ September 6, 1683) served as the French minister of finance, for 22 years, under King Louis XIV. He is notable for his work at improving the state of French manufacturing and bringing the economy back from the brink of bankruptcy; although, historians... Colbert's son-in-law, is a French Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens: dynamic figures spiral down around a void: draperies blow: a whirl of movement lit in a shaft of light, rendered in a free bravura handling of paint The Baroque was a style in art that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce... Baroque chateau of manageable size. Protected behind fine wrought iron double gates, the main block and its outbuildings (corps de logis), linked by balustrades, are ranged symmetrically around a dry paved and gravelled cour d'honneur. Behind, the central axis is extended between the former A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all. French parterres were elaborated out of 16th-century knot gardens, and... parterres, now mown hay. The park with formally shaped water was laid out by André Le Notre. There are sumptuous interiors. The small scale (compared to Vaux-le-vicomte was in many ways the most important work built before Louis XIV came to power. Here, together with Louie Le Vau, the design of gardens André le Nôtre and the decorator Lebrun worked on a large-scale project for the first time. Their collaboration marked the... Vaux-le-Vicomte for example) makes it easier to compare it to the approximately contemporary Het Loo and its gardens, more ambitious than they were actually executed, in an early 18th century engraving (watercolor added) The former royal residence Het Loo near Apeldoorn, Netherlands, was built starting in 1684 for the Stadtholder Willem, known to English-language readers as William III of Orange and his... Het Loo, for William of Orange (French: Guillaume, Dutch: Willem) is the name of several historical people. In the context of English history, it refers most often to William III of England; in the context of Dutch history, William the Silent is most often meant. These men could be meant by William of... William of Orange. These really are "Mansart roofs."

Bordeaux

There are many estates with true châteaux on them in City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. ( Latin: Only the fleur-de-lis rule over the moon, the waves, the castle, and the lion) City proper ( commune) Région Aquitaine Département Gironde (33) Mayor Hugues Martin ( UMP) (since 2004) Area 49.36 km² Population... Bordeaux, but it is customary for any This article is about the beverage. See WINE for an article about the software of the same name. Wine is an alcoholic beverage resulting from the fermentation of grapes or grape juice. The word comes from Greek Fοινος through Latin vinum, (both wine and the... wine-producing estate, no matter how humble, to prefix its name with "Château". This is true whether the building itself is a magnificent palace or a shack. If there were any trace of doubt that the Roman villas of Capital Bordeaux Area 41,309 km² Regional President Alain Rousset ( PS) (since 1998) Population   - 2004 estimate   - 1999 census   - Density (Ranked 6th) 3,049,000 2,908,359 74/km² (2004) Arrondissements 18 Cantons 235 Communes 2,296 Départements Dordogne Gironde Landes Lot-et... Aquitaine evolved into fortified self-contained châteaux, the wine-producing châteaux would dispel it.

See also

• Châteaux of the Loire Valley
• The List of castles is a link page for any castle in the sense of a fortified building. Contents // Castles in the Republic of Ireland see the Castles in the Republic of Ireland. Castles of Italy South Tyrol (former Austria) Schloss Sigmundskron Schloss Rafenstein Schloss Hocheppan Castles of Japan Akashi... List of castles

External links

• Photos of French chateau in the Dordogne, including Biron, Beynac and Castelnau (http://www.lodgephoto.com/galleries/france/)