Counts of Blois In 854, the Blois
castle, known as
Blisum castrum, it was attacked by the
Viking cheftain
Hastein. Over the course of the 10th and 11th centuries, the
Counts of Blois, who also owned
Chartres and
Champagne, rebuilt the fortress.
Count Theobald I raised a so-called "big tower" and by the end of the 12th century, the Counts' contributions were finished by building the St-Sauveur
Collegiate Church. After the death of his wife in 1524, he spent very little time at Blois and the massive library was moved to the royal
Palace of Fontainebleau. It is this library that formed the royal library and the backbone of the . File:Blois1900.jpg|The rear of the
Francis I wing, facing over central Blois in the 1890s File:ChateaudeBloisFacadedesLoges.jpg|The rear of the wing in 2007 File:Blois Château de Blois Innenhof Francois-I-Flügel 3.jpg|The château's most renowned feature, the spiral staircase in the Francis I wing Since King Louis XII was very committed in the
Italian Wars, which imported the
Renaissance movement into Blois, this wing's architecture and ornamentation are marked by Italian influence. In the middle, there is the monumental spiral staircase, covered with fine bas-relief sculptures and looking out onto the château's central court. These monumental staircases served as a draft for those of the
Château de Chambord, built a few years later. Behind this wing is the "Lodges Façade" ( in French), characterised by a series of disconnected niches.
King Henry III Driven from
Paris during the
French Wars of Religion, King
Henry III took refuge in Blois, and summoned the Estates General meetings there in 1576 and 1588. On 23 December 1588, the King's arch-enemy from the
Day of the Barricades,
Henry I, Duke of Guise, was assassinated by the King's bodyguard. The following day, the King also had the Duke's brother,
Louis II, Cardinal of Guise, murdered within the château. 's secret hiding place for poisons
King Henry IV After this, the castle was occupied by King
Henry IV, the first
Bourbon monarch. On Henry's death in 1610, it became the place of exile for his widow,
Marie de' Medici, when she was expelled from the court of her son, King
Louis XIII. The task of developing this new castle was given to
François Mansart. This allowed state funds to be used in the preservation. It was restored under the direction of the architect
Félix Duban. The château is maintained and owned by the town of Blois and has been opened to the public as a museum and tourist attraction. On view for visitors are the supposed poison cabinets of Catherine de' Medici. Most likely this room, the "Chamber of Secrets", had a much more banal purpose: exhibiting precious objects for guests. == People linked to the Château ==