The 10th century saw the emergence of the castle, which is generally thought to be the second-earliest known, the earliest being
Château de Doué-la-Fontaine built by the Count of Blois around 900. The counts of Anjou and Blois had bordering territories, and the powerful lords were rivals; as a result, the border area is home to some of the earliest-known castles. When it was founded in 992 by
Fulk Nerra, Count of
Anjou, Château de Langeais was made from wood and took the form of a
motte-and-bailey. A contemporary chronicler noted that it was built because "[Fulk] had no resting place between
Bourgueil and
Amboise along the Loire river". It also had the advantage of being from
Tours, a town under the control of
Odo I, Count of Blois. While the land belonged to Fulk, the area was under the control of Odo. When news of the fortification reached Odo he dispatched a force to destroy it. The attack was unsuccessful, and Fulk reinforced the site, building the stone keep in ruins today. To distract Odo from the construction work, which was complete by 994, Fulk carried out intermittent raids on his lands. Though unsuccessful in 992, Odo again tried to capture the castle two years later. This time he called on his Norman, Flemish and Aquitanian allies and the siege of Château de Langeais began in the spring of 994. Fulk led the garrison himself and sent a message to
Hugh Capet, King of the Franks, asking for help, and, though Hugh was ill, he promised reinforcements. In the meantime, Odo's numbers grew as his allies continued to flock to him. The siege continued into the summer, and Fulk began negotiating with Odo.
Richer, a contemporary chronicler favourable to Odo, asserted that Fulk agreed to surrender but later reneged, claiming the agreement was not binding, though it is uncertain whether this was the case. However, the Capetian forces arrived before Fulk was forced to surrender. Faced with the king's army, Odo agreed to leave Fulk in peace. to King
Charles VIII After the siege ended and Odo retreated, Fulk had to deal with hostilities along the western frontier of his lands. Despite Odo's agreement with Hugh, the Count of Blois exploited Fulk's divided attention to install a force at
Château de Châteaudun from which he could move to capture Langeais should the opportunity arise. Odo besieged Château de Langeais in 995. The siege continued into the next year, but in March 996, Odo fell ill and died. With their leader dead, the besieging force left Langeais. With his most troublesome enemy dead, Fulk captured Tours, which had previously been held by the Count of Blois. After
Robert, King of the Franks, had taken control of Tours, Fulk turned to the castles of Langeais,
Montsoreau,
Montrésor and Montbazon to defend the Loire Valley. Hostilities between the counts of Anjou and Blois were renewed in 1016. During the course of the conflict, Fulk lost control of three castles: Passavant was destroyed, and Montbazon and Langeais were probably captured. By 1032 Château de Langeais was back under Fulk's control. However, it was again taken by the forces of
Odo II, Count of Blois. Odo II died in battle in 1037 and was succeeded by his son,
Theobald; on receiving the news of his rival's demise, Fulk set about recapturing Château de Langeais. The siege began in the winter of 1037 and, with no relief forthcoming, the garrison surrendered in the spring of the following year. Fulk set his sights on further territorial gains and successfully captured
Château de Chinon away. Under the
Plantagenet kings, the château was fortified and expanded by
Richard I of England (Richard the Lionheart). However,
King Philippe II of France recaptured the château in 1206. Eventually, though, the English destroyed it during the
Hundred Years' War. The château was rebuilt about 1465 during the reign of
Louis XI. The great hall of the château was the scene of the marriage of
Anne of Brittany to
King Charles VIII on 6 December 1491, which permanently united
Brittany and France. In 1886 Jacques Siegfried bought Château Langeais and began a restoration programme. He installed an outstanding collection of tapestries and furnishings and bequeathed the château to the
Institut de France, which still owns it today. The château is open to the public. It is listed as a
monument historique by the
French Ministry of Culture. ==Layout==