The Château de la Bourdaisière () is a 19th-century county house in the Commune of

Montlouis-sur-Loire Montlouis-sur-Loire (, literally ''Montlouis on Loire'') is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. It was mentioned in the 6th century as ''vicus montis Laudiacensis'' by Gregory of Tours. Population Events Since 1987 ...

, in the

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' of

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 ...

. The site of the present house dates back to the 14th century when it was a fortress belonging to Jean Meingr. Over the next few generations, the property changed hands several times, until 1520 when

King Francis I 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 ...

arranged for construction of a new castle on the site. Built for his mistress, Marie Gaudin, the wife of

Philibert Babou Philibert Babou (; c. 1484–1557) was a cryptographer and minister of finance for Francis I. Mayor of Tours in 1520, he was appointed ''trésorier'' in 1523, with powers to collect and distribute much of the king's revenue. His son Jean Babou be ...

, Superintendent of Finances for France, after her death, the property would remain in the family's hands. Marie Gaudin's granddaughter,

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 ...

, was born in the château and would herself grow up to become mistress to another king,

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 ...

. In 1775, the château was partially destroyed by order of King Louis XV's most powerful Minister, Étienne François, Duc de Choiseul. Étienne François wanted to use the stones from Château de la Bourdaisière for the construction of his Pagoda at his estate in Chanteloup, near

Amboise Amboise (; ) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Today a small market town, it was once home to the French royal court. Geography Amboise lies on the banks of the river Loire, east of Tours. It is also about awa ...

. Lying in ruins, in 1786 the land was sold to Louise Adélaïde of Penthièvre Bourbon. In 1802 the property was acquired by Baron Joseph Angelier who undertook a massive reconstruction of Château Bourdaisière. The interior work would be completed by his son, Gustave Angelier. Although a small château, when compared to the great châteaux of the Kings and some of those built by other wealthy nobles, it is a magnificent Renaissance construction fronted by traditional French gardens. The Castle was sold in 1923 to a wealthy

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, Mrs. de Mérinville who sold it in 1938. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the château was occupied by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. After the war, a lack of funds by its owner saw it become severely run down. In 1959, its contents were auctioned off and government turned the château into a home for the elderly. It was sold again in 1988 to an attorney, François Michaud, who owned it until 1991 when it was acquired by its current owners, the

Princes of Broglie A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fema ...

who undertook significant improvements and modernization. In 2003, Château de la Bourdaisière gained considerable attention in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, as the primary site for the television show ''

Joe Millionaire ''Joe Millionaire'' is an American reality television series broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The series premiered on January 6, 2003, and concluded with the finale of its second season on November 24, 2003. Both seasons followed ...

''. In 2011, the chateaus gardens were finalist for the ''European Garden Award'' bestowed by the

European Garden Heritage Network The European Garden Heritage Network is a nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) l ...

. The château was listed as a ''

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 collection of buildings, ...

'' in 1947.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourdaisiere, Chateau De La Hotels in France Châteaux in Indre-et-Loire Monuments historiques of Indre-et-Loire