Feudal Castles of France. (Western Provinces.) By the Author of 'Flemish Interiors' [Mrs. J. C. Byrne] . Illustrated from the author's sketches

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CHATJMOXT FEUDAL CASTLES OF FRANCE (WESTERN PROVINCES.) BY THE AUTHOR OF » FLEMISH INTERIORS," ETC, ETC. |Uustratcb from ijje gmtbor's sketches. "Si vous lisez ceste œuvre toute entire Arrestez-vous, sans plus a la matiere, En excusant le rhyme et le langage, Voyant que c'est d'une femme l'ouvrage Qui n'a en soy science, ne stjavoir, Fors ung desir que eliascun puisse voir, Que Eaict le don de Dieu le Createur Quand il luy plaict justifier un cœur." Margueriti: de France. LONDON : CHAPMAN .AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 1869. {All Eights reserved by the Author.) grtitittcir TO THE EVER-PRESENT MEMORY OF THE DEAREST AND TRUEST FRIEND I EVER HAD ; WHOSE REFINED THOUGHTS AND INTELLIGENT FOOTSTEPS, — NEVER PARTED FROM MINE WHILE HE LIVED, GUIDED MY WANDERINGS AMONG THESE "WRECKS OF DAYS DEPARTED." ■ mmm^^^mm ■ '■ ■«■■■!! ■ PKEEACE.

In days when ancient and modern tongues have become an absorbing study, there, is a language — at once dead and living — which may claim a prominent place among these mysterious channels of communication : by its means alone can inter course be established between men who, sharing the same tastes, indulging in the same pursuits, actuated by the same impulses, and inhabiting the same world, yet occupy a different period of that world's history — men destined never to meet on this earth, — " Who never saw each other's face, Nor touched each other's hand," and yet, who have so much in common ! Most of all, they have in common this palpable, material language, unaltered through all ages, comprehensible to all nations — the universal language of archæology ; and an eloquent and mighty language it is, transmitted to us in the very handwriting of Time, and addressing its mute but resistless appeal indiscrimi nately to all posterity.

Unlike other languages, it speaks not to us through the ear, while it directs itself no less to the heart 1'EEFACE. VI than the intelligence, exciting our deepest interest, and en gaging our warmest sympathies — as it were A chain of linked thought." "What can be more stirring than the bving record it pre sents to us of the moral condition of those who preceded us in the untrodden paths of bfe ? — what more touching than the testimony of their efforts to clear the way for our advance ment ? — what more suggestive than the palpable evidence of the workings of tbeir minds, and tbe tendencies of their aspirations ? The printed page which registers the thoughts of an admired author, or a departed friend, cannot fail to inspire us with a respectful recognition of his attributes, or a tender recollection of his memory, but it will never bring him before us with tbe vivid impressiveness with which we recall him, at sight of the identical paper on which he wrote, and the very lines traced by his hand.

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. VII For those who appreciate the pleasure of deciphering it, the history of France — that pecubarly poetical and dramatic his tory — is written on the stones of her Mediæval Castles, her elaborate Cathedrals, and her venerable Abbeys. It unrolls itself before us as some illuminated parcbment, exhibiting on its richly-gilded diapering, in polycbromed letters and quaintly devised capitals, the warlike and valorous exploits, or the fanciful and romantic incidents, with which it is interwoven ; and, while we acknowledge the harmony between those chival rous legends and the uncompromising type in which they are chronicled, we cannot fail to recognise the analogy between these dramas of a bygone age, and the yet surviving scenes where tbey were enacted. Despite the ravages of those modern barbarians who, from time to time, have overrun tbe fertile plains, despoiled tbe rich valleys, and devastated the leafy forests of France, destroying, together with the labour of the industrious cultivator, the sur viving masterpieces of her early artists and architects, — level ling with the ground, edifices which had defied tbe hand of Time, and braved alike tbe fury of the elements and the violence of war — we have still remaining, scattered far and wide, invaluable, though, alas ! shattered relics of those castellated, ecclesiastical, and abbatial structures, which sprang out of tbe necessities and tbe spirit of the times, and respectively exhibit, in their characteristic construction, the period of their birth and the condition of tbeir founders.

Whilst some of these massive, extensive, and wonderfully devised buildings have been swept away, leaving no more than a few crumbling foundation-stones to mark the spot where they

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. VIII once proudly stood, others offer themselves to our contemplation in a preservation sufficiently perfect to carry us back into the midst of those valorous tunes when they formed the strength, the pride, and the defence of their owners, forcibly recalling the courage which inspired them, and the brave exploits in which they played so prominent a part. As we wander through the now tenantless chambers, silent halls, and grass-grown avenues, where all speaks to us in silent hut touching tones of an idiosyncratic past, what more natural than to call up around us the simulacra of warriors and knights, and of the high-born dames and damsels in whose honour they deemed it a privilege to bleed, and die ? for we tread in the very footsteps of those who made it the day-dream of their lives to become famous, before they passed away for ever from the stirring scenes in which their lot was cast.

There are few contemporary chroniclers from whose writings we can gather a very accurate idea of the domestic habits and architectural appliances of the earlier periods. Vincen tius Fortunatus, in his quaint and curious poetical effusions, now and then makes allusions which justify us in sup posing that though the interior arrangements of the dwellings of that epoch were somewhat rough and comfortless, an incipient taste for luxury was beginning, in his day, to dawn ; and he mentions instances in which the royal palaces exhibited tbe then novel refinements of carved and pobshed surfaces, and a more elaborate finish than had as yet been known. Tbe roof-tree— before that time literally an unshaped, unbarked trunk — now began to be replaced, first by one, then by two, and subsequently by a series of columns of hewn

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. IX wood, or even stone, the number being proportioned to the width of tbe ceiling they were required to support ; by-and-by appeared ornamented shafts, while plinths and capitals were added by degrees. Still the chateaux of those days partook rather of the wealth and plenty, and general aspect of an opulent farm-house, or a country gentleman's seat, than of the luxury and elegance of a court ; and no trace was then visible of the subsequent phase of castellated architecture which signalises the Middle Ages, and presents to us the practical view of those mibtary habits and tastes which put every man on the offensive and defensive, and necessarily rendered his house, in very truth, his fortress. Previously to tbe spread of these pugnacious notions, the mode of life adopted by suzerains and their retainers was tbat of a large and united family, bound together by common interests, and mutually contributing to each other's well-being ; so tbat protection and maintenance on the part of the rich compensated for service and labour on that of the poor ; and each chieftain possessed within his domain the elements of an independent colony.

According to Thierry, a great many of the dependants of these petty princes were imported from Germany, baving either been carried away by force, or enticed by love of cbange and novelty, to follow the bands of victors, on their return to Gaul, after overthrowing the frontier tribes ; and the names of these Germanic ancestors are still to be found scattered over France. The boundary which encircled the vast Merovingian residences embracing within its enclosure, household domestics and retainers, cultivators of various denominations, builders, opera- X

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. tives, mechanics, and artificers, and containing warehouses, granaries, storehouses, manufactories — such as they then were — was often a slight palisade or a narrow trench, serving merely as a line of demarcation, which in simpler times appears to have been respected among neighbouring chiefs ; and if archæology has revealed to us the subsisting races of places of this date more strongly protected, such were not the habitual dwellings of Merovingian chiefs, but cities of refuge to which they had recourse when attacked, abandoning them again as soon as their foes had retired and the peril bad passed away. The more peaceable edifices, which constituted the dwellings of this remote and antiquated age, bearing a strong analogy to the Roman villa, in no way resemble the fortified citadels of feudal times ; of these, such palpable and distinct remains survive, that, aided by the minute and detailed contemporary chronicles, we can readily trace their uses and follow their history.

There is, indeed, little difficulty in discerning how much of such edifices belongs to their original plan, and what portions have been transformed, or added, by architects of a more recent day. The growing power of the wealthier nobles, and the tyranny with which they exercised it, gradually effected a complete transformation upon the entire social system of the country : rivalry, aggression, and war became the order of the day ; might was right. Larron and baron might almost be con sidered convertible terms, and then grew up those fortress palaces and baronial strongholds of mediæval memory, within

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. XI which those proud and quarrelsome chiefs intrenched them selves, defying all attack, and exacting from their serfs the most uncompromising submission. It is difficult, in our altered state of society, to realise to ourselves what was the practical condition of daily bfe under the action and reaction of the feudal system, which gave birth to this characteristic architecture. In its earlier stage, as we have seen, the seignorial castle was the centre and seat of government of an extensive territory, generally seized by aggression and retained by force, but forming a petty sove reignty — the point round whicb rallied, or from which recoiled — according to the disposition of its lord — those numerous vassals who, recognising their subservience, either paid him a willing, or owed him a grudging, homage.

History develops to us how, with the progress of time, the extension of knowledge, the advancement of civilisation, and, above all, the abuse of power, the allegiance of the serfs underwent gradual modifica tions, until it came to be altogether repudiated ; but so long as tbe privileges of the weaker party were respected by the stronger, and their fidelity and attachment were reciprocated by the protection and countenance of their superiors, the feeling that subsisted on either side was eminently conducive to the security and prosperity of both. The feudal system was one which obviously could not endure beyond a certain time, or exist simultaneously with an advanced degree of civilisation. Almost any social innovation was calculated first to disturb and then to destroy it. It was not in its nature to survive the increase of population, and the

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. XII consequent colonisation of the overplus into towns and cities. Intercommunication with other populations would necessarily militate against its authority, and whenever growing knowledge should enlighten men's minds sufficiently to enable them to compare and to distinguish, from tbat hour its doom was sealed. Nevertheless, from the time of Louis le Gros to that of Charles VIII., the principle of fealty to the nobles on the part of the peasantry was recognised and maintained ; and as it gradually disappeared under the working of a new policy, it for some time blended with, until it was at length superseded by, a not less remarkable phase — the result of that spirit of chivalry which illustrated the second period of what may be called " la vie chatelaine," and attained the culminating point of its glory in the brilliant days of Francois I. Tbe expiring dynasty of the Valois Kings carried away with it the last flickering rays of this social meteor, and with the Bourbon race arose new motives, new influences — a new organisation of things, and except in the rare hold it possessed over individual minds, chivalry became an obsolete, not to say a forgotten institution.

It had had its day, it was no longer of the age ; the simplicity, the valour, and the disinterestedness which characterised it were not even apprehended by tbe grosser and more self-seeking natures which now predominated. The " preux chevalier," the very essence of whose theory consisted in a generous devotion to the interests of others, had given place to the wily and diplomatic courtier, tbe secret of whose obsequiousness lay in his hopes of favour and self-aggrandise-

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. XIII ment, and the whole tone of life, with its motives and impulses, had undergone a change, the effects of which spread rapidly among all classes of society. During a winter spent in the genial climate of Touraine it bad been the day-dream of our thoughts, that as soon as the spring appeared with her more lengthened days, we would take advantage of tbe opportunity to visit and explore some of these storied relics of bygone ages : the bright and joyous month of April had, accordingly, no sooner appeared than we proceeded to put our project into execution ; and perhaps a more gratifying research can hardly be imagined than that afforded by this locality, so singularly fertile in historical remains. CONTENTS. PAGE Preface v Introduction to the Chateau d'Amboise .... 1 Amboise 13 Loches 91 Plessis-les-Tours 135 Chaumont 177 Chambord 205 Rambouillet 239 Chenonceaux 275 Anet 293 Montbazon et Couziers 323 Blois FEUDAL CASTLES OF FEANCE.

AMBOISE. The Village of Amhoise — Aspect of the Castle ; its Origin ; early History — Provincial Inn — First Impressions of the Place — Lime Grove — Bijou Chapel of St. Hubert — Our Hostelry — A Provincial Table d'hote ; the Guests — Our new Acquaintance — Useful Information — Destruction at Amhoise during the Reign of Terror — Church of S. Florentin — Relics, Antiquities, Monuments — Three Maries ■ — Obsequies of Charles VIII. — Hotel de Ville — Palais Ducal. THE CHATEAU.

Approach — Description by Androuet du Cerceau — Dungeon Tower — Curious ascending Cordon constructed for Charles Quint's Coach-and-six — Fictitious Stag's Head — Various Spots pointed out as Localities of historical Events — Occu pation of Amboise by Louis XI. — Acts which took place there under him — Birth of Charles VIII. — Betrothal of the Infant Dauphin — Espousals of Charles VIII. with Anne of Brittany — Monstrelet's Account of his Death; his physical Ap pearance ; moral Qualities — Comments on this King by Brantome, Commines, Molinet, and others — Suspicions of Poison — Amboise under Louis XII. ; his Marriage with the widowed Queen, Jeanne de France, his first Wife — Louise de Savoie and the youthful Due d'Angouleme — Boyhood and Youth of Francois I. ; his Mother's Diary ; interesting Entries — Amboise under Francois ; his Queen ; his Mistresses ; his Children ; their Destinies ; his Family Affections and Troubles ; his Character ; his Tastes ; his Encouragement of Art and Literature— Origin of the " Bibliotheque du Roi " — Men of Genius of the Time — Chateau de Clou — Leonardo da Vinci — Renaissance Architecture — Royal Pas times — Expenses — The King's Jester — The King's Hunting-parties — Catherine de Medicis— The King's Bravery — Charles Quint; his Visit to the Court of France ; his Astonishment at its Elegance and Luxury — Brantome' s Description of Fran5ois' Magnificence — The King's Retinue — A Ruse of Charles Quint ; Anecdotes of his Visit ; his Mistrust of the King ; that Monarch's Generosity — The Field of the Cloth of Gold— A Royal Twelfth-day Frolic— Francois' premature Infirmities ; his Last Hlness ; Ambroise Pare ; his distempered Condi tion; his Last Leave of Amboise— Amboise under Henri II. — The youthful Scions of Royalty — Marie Stuart — Marguerite de Valois — Marriage of the Princess Elizabeth — Catherine's Dream ; her Alarm and unavailing Precau tions — Tragic Fate of the King during the Tournament — Amboise under the youthful Francois II. and Marie Stuart — Brantome's Description of Court Festivities — Masks and Mummers — Progress of Literature — Pierre de Ronsard ; patronised by the young Sovereigns ; his Self-appreciation — Melin de St. Gelais' Opinion of him — The Guises — Conspiracy of Amboise — La Renaudie — Baron de Castelnau — The Prince de Conde ; his Character — The Executions; Catherine de Medicis' Conduct on the Occasion; Marie Stuart's Sensibility — The King's last Illness ; strange Circumstances connected with it — Suspicions against the Guises ; against Catherine — Pierre d'Estoile's Observations — Amboise under Henri III. — The " Faction des Seize" — Amboise under Louis XV. — "Le Roi Choiseul" — Amboise under the National Assembly ; repaired under Louis Philippe — Amboise the Prison of Abd-el-Kader ; bis Popularity among the neighbouring Noblesse ; his Release ; the Condition in which he left Amboise.

AMBOISE.