The Château d'Eu is a former royal residence in the town of Eu, in the

Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inféri ...

department of France In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety-s ...

, in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. The Château d'Eu stands at the centre of the town and was built in the 16th century to replace an earlier one purposely demolished in 1475 to prevent its capture by the English. The chapel contains the tombs of

Henry I, Duke of Guise Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu (31 December 1550 – 23 December 1588), sometimes called ('Scarface'), was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este. His maternal grandparents were Ercole II d'Este, ...

, and his wife, Catherine de Clèves, who embarked on the construction of the château in 1578. The building was completed almost a century later by the

Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, (, – ) known as ''La Grande Mademoiselle'', was the only daughter of Gaston d'Orléans with his first wife, Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier. One of the greatest heiresses in ...

, ''la Grande Mademoiselle''. Between 1830 and 1848, the château, which had been the property of the Orléans family since its acquisition by ''La Grande Mademoiselle'' in October 1657, served as King

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...

's summer residence. Louis-Philippe twice entertained

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

at the château, from 3 to 7 September 1843 and from 8 to 10 September 1845. The château became residence of the

Brazilian Imperial Family The Brazilian Imperial Family ( Brazilian Portuguese: ''Família Imperial Brasileira'') is a Brazilian Dynasty of Portuguese origin that ruled the Empire of Brazil from 1822 to 1889, after the proclamation of independence by Prince Pedro of Bra ...

during the exile.

Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil , house = Braganza , father = Pedro II of Brazil , mother = Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies , birth_date = , birth_place = Palace of São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , death_date = , death_place = ...

, who brought slavery to an end in Brazil in 1888, died at the château in 1921. Her husband was Prince Gaston, Count of Eu, a grandson of King

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...

. Their eldest son,

Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará '' Dom'' Pedro de Alcântara of Orléans-Braganza, Prince of Grão Pará (15 October 1875 – 29 January 1940) was the first-born son of '' Dona'' Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil and Prince Gaston of Orléans, Count of Eu, and as such, wa ...

, sold the château to the Brazilian entrepreneur

Assis Chateaubriand Francisco de Assis Chateaubriand Bandeira de Melo (pronounced ), also nicknamed Chatô (October 4, 1892 – April 4, 1968), was a Brazilian lawyer, journalist, politician and diplomat. He was founder and director of the then main press chain o ...

. In 1964, the city of Eu acquired the château, in which, in 1973, it installed its City Hall and created the ''Musée Louis-Philippe''. In 1987, the castle, its dependencies and park were classified a ''

Monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a col ...

'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

References

External links

Association des Amis du Musée Louis-Philippe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eu, Chateau D Châteaux in Seine-Maritime Museums in Seine-Maritime Historic house museums in Normandy Maisons des Illustres Eu

See also

References

External links