Château De Folembray
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The Folembray Palace () was located in the village of
Folembray Folembray () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. During the 16th and 17th century, it was the location of French royal residence, the Château de Folembray, of which nothings remains anymore. Populati ...
in northern
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Constructed in
renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
style, the château was part of the royal domains, and a favorite hunting lodge of the
French kings France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...
. Demolished in the 17th century, nothing remains anymore of this palace.


History

At the start of the 13th century, Enguerrand III, lord of Coucy, built a fortified castle in Folembray in 1209. It was located in the highest part of the village, and had four towers. In the 16th century, this castle was razed. King
Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
(1494–1547) had it replaced by a
renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
palace. The renaissance château was designed by Pierre Tacheron. Construction started around 1538 and was completed in 1543. Additions were added by Jean Lemoisne between 1546 and 1547. The palace became a favorite hunting lodge of the king. Also his son, king
Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
(1547–1559) loved to come here to hunt and spent quality time with his mistress,
Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and courtier who wielded much power and influence as King Henry II of France, Henry II's Maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position inc ...
(1500–1566). During the Franco-Spanish wars, the Imperial army of
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...
under the command of Adriaan van Croÿ, 1st Count of Roeulx, entered Picardy in the spring of 1554, and ravaged the country up to 70 km from
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. They set the château on fire, which destroyed most of the palace. However, the French troops counterattacked. On 21 July, they raided the palaces of
Binche Binche (; ; Dutch: ''Bing'') is a city and municipality of Wallonia, in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Since 1977, the municipality consists of Binche, Bray, Buvrinnes, Épinois, Leval-Trahegnies, Péronnes-lez-Binche, Ressaix, and Waudrez ...
and Mariemont, residences of the Charles V's sister, queen
Mary of Hungary Mary, also known as Maria of Anjou (, , ; 137117 May 1395), queen regnant, reigned as Queen of Hungary and List of dukes and kings of Croatia, Croatia between 1382 and 1385, and from 1386 until her death. She was the daughter of Louis I of Hun ...
,
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the
Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands were the parts of the Low Countries that were ruled by sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. This rule began in 1482 and ended for the Northern Netherlands in 1581 and for the Southern Netherlands in 1797. ...
. The palaces were set on fire in retaliation. Henry lit the fire himself and had a placard affixed to the ruins: "Queen of folly, remember Folembray!" Henry II, nevertheless, returned to Folembray and had the palace restored. His son, Henry III (1551–1589) presented the château to his (
illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...
) half-sister, Diane Duchess of Angoulême (1538–1619). When she passed aways without heirs, the estate returned to the French crown. It was a favorite royal residence again under
Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
(1553–1610), who liked to hunt here. Also, he spent quality time here with his mistress and confidante,
Gabrielle d'Estrées Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Verneuil, Marchioness of Monceaux (; 157310 April 1599) was a mistress, confidante and adviser of Henry IV of France. She is noted for her role in ending the religious civil wars that plagued France ...
(1573–1599). Further, in January 1596, the Edict of Folembray was signed at the château, a peace treaty between Henri IV and
Charles, Duke of Mayenne Charles de Lorraine, duc de Mayenne (26 March 1554 –3 October 1611) was a French noble, governor, military commander and rebel during the latter French Wars of Religion. Born in 1554, the second son of François, Duke of Guise, François d ...
(1554–1611), a leader of the Catholic League. As a result, the duke of Mayenne submitted to the French king and retained Chalons, Seurre and Soissons for six years. After Henry IV, the kings no longer use Folembray as a royal residence. Multiple ravaged by passing armies between 1649 and 1653, the palace is demolished in 1672 during the reign of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
(1638–1715). Today, nothing remains anymore of the palace.


Architecture

The château of Folembray was similar in design to the
Château de Villers-Cotterêts The Château de Villers-Cotterêts () is a historic French château located in the town of Villers-Cotterêts in the Aisne department, Hauts-de-France, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north-east of Paris. It is a state property and a historic ...
. It had a very elongated courtyard as well, lined with plain buildings and rectangular pavilions. Today, the palace can only be admired from engravings, such as those made by
Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau, also given as Du Cerceau, DuCerceau, or Ducerceau (1510–1584) was a well-known French designer of architecture, ornament, furniture, metalwork and other decorative designs during the 16th century, and the founder ...
or the depiction of the château on the fresco maps in the Galerie des Cerfs of the
Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the List of French monarchs ...
.


References


Literature

* *


External links

* {{coord missing, France Châteaux in Aisne Castles in Hauts-de-France Former buildings and structures in France Former palaces Royal residences in France