A Visit to France – Château d’Amboise

After Chambord and Blois, let me introduce you to another major castle in the Loire Valley - Château d'Amboise.

Located in the city of Amboise, the castle originally was a medieval fortress. It became a royal residence in the 15th century and the seat of the Court of King Charles VIII, who died there in 1498. King Françis I (1515-1547) also made it its favorite residence and invited important artists, including Leonardo da Vinci. The latter was there in December 1515. Actually, the Italian genius lived and worked in nearby Clos Lucé for the last three years of his life. (More on this in an upcoming post). His remains are buried in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert, adjoining Amboise Castle.

Royal couple Henry II and Catherine de Medici raised their children at the Château d'Amboise. They also took care of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, who had been promised in marriage to their son, the future King Francis II.

The castle was turned into a prison during the Fronde and destroyed during the French Revolution. King Louis-Philippe attempted to restore it until his abdication in 1848. It was then confiscated by the French government. For four years, it housed Emir Abd Al-Qadir, who resisted the French colonisation of Algeria, and his family.

Louis-Philippe's heirs have been in control of the castle and in charge of its maintenance since the 1870s.