Château de Chinon

The Chateau de Chinon is a castle located on the banks of the Vienne river in Chinon, France. It was founded by Theobald I, Count of Blois. In the 11th century, the castle became the property of the Counts of Anjou. In 1156, Henry II of England, a member of the House of Anjou, took the castle from his brother Geoffroy, Count of Nantes, after Geoffroy rebelled a second time. Henry preferred the Château de Chinon as his residence. Most of the standing structure can be traced to his reign and he died there in 1189.

At the start of the 13th century, King Philip II of France harassed English lands in France and in 1205 he captured Chinon after a siege that lasted for several months, after which the castle remained under French control. When King Philip IV accused the Templars of heresy in the first decade of the 14th century, several prominent members of the order were imprisoned there.

Used by Charles VII in the 15th century, the Château de Chinon became a prison in the second half of the 16th century, but then fell out of use and was left to rot. It has been recognized as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture since 1840. The castle, which contains a museum, is today owned and managed by the General Council of Indre-et-Loire and is a major tourist attraction. At the start of the 21st century, it was restored at a cost of 14.5 million euros.