La Ferté-Vidame () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Eure-et-Loir Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. It is located in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. In 2019, Eure-et-Loir had a population of 431,575.department in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

History

The title of

vidame Vidame () was a feudal title in France, a term descended from mediaeval Latin . Like the ''avoué'' or ''advocatus'', the ''vidame'' was originally a secular official chosen by the bishop of the diocese—with the consent of the count—to ...

of Chartres was, under the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...

, attached to the lands of aFerté-Arnault. Among the famous men to bear the title ''

Vidame de Chartres Vidame de Chartres was a title in the French nobility. There are a few vidame titles in France, of which that of Chartres is probably the best known, because a number of holders have been notable in widely different ways over the centuries. Vid ...

'' were

François de Vendôme, Vidame de Chartres François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, Kin ...

, the English soldier

Thomas de Scales, 7th Baron Scales Thomas Scales, 7th Baron Scales (9 October 1399 – 20 July 1460) was an English nobleman and one of the main English military commanders in the last phase of the Hundred Years' War. The son of Robert de Scales, 5th Baron Scales (c. 1372–1402 ...

(d. 1460),

Jean de Ferrieres Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

, and the

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

ist

Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, GE (16 January 16752 March 1755), was a French soldier, diplomat, and memoirist. He was born in Paris at the Hôtel Selvois, 6 rue Taranne (demolished in 1876 to make way for the Boulevard Saint-Germain). Th ...

. The château was Saint-Simon's main country house. Until shortly before the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

the seigneur was

Jean-Joseph de Laborde Jean-Joseph, marquis de Laborde (29 January 1724 – 18 April 1794) was a French businessman, '' fermier général'' and banker to the king, who turned politician. A liberal, he was guillotined in the French Revolution. Biography Laborde was b ...

, an ennobled business man with progressive views, who was to be guillotined in 1794. In July 2019 a collector’s gathering was held at La Ferté for Citroën to mark the company's 100th anniversary. The event spread over one weekend and showed over 8,000 cars with nearly 100,000 people in attendance.

Castle

The Château de la Ferté-Vidame was substantially rebuilt by the architect

Antoine Matthieu Le Carpentier Antoine Matthieu Le Carpentier (15 July 1709 - 1773) was a French architect. Biography Antoine Matthieu Le Carpentier was born in Rouen, the son of a carpenter. He became a member of the Académie royale d'architecture in 1756. His students inc ...

in 1771. It is now a roofless shell. At the Bourbon Restoration, it was restituted to the duchess of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon (16 November 1725 – 4 March 1793) was the son of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon and his wife Marie Victoire de Noailles. He was therefore a grandson of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. From ...

, the owner before the

. On her death in 1821, the ''domaine'' passed to her eldest son Louis-Philippe I, future

king of the French The precise style of French sovereigns varied over the years. Currently, there is no French sovereign; three distinct traditions (the Legitimist, the Orleanist, and the Bonapartist) exist, each claiming different forms of title. The three styles ...

. He reconstituted the ''domaine'', rebuilt its fortified wall, repaired its water features and restored and expanded the small château, though the restoration was interrupted by the

Revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

History

Castle

Population

See also