Château de Chenonceau

The original manor was torched in 1411 to punish owner Jean Marques for an act of sedition. He rebuilt a castle and fortified mill on the site in the 1430s. Subsequently, his indebted heir Pierre Marques sold the castle to Thomas Bohier, Chamberlain for King Charles VIII of France in 1513. Bohier destroyed the existing castle and built an entirely new residence between 1515 and 1521; the work was sometimes overseen by his wife Katherine Briçonnet, who delighted in hosting French nobility, including King François L on two occasions.

Architect: Philibert Delorme
Location: Loire Valley, north-western France.
Date: 1521
Style: French Renaissance (mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance)
Construction: Stone
Type: Palace