La Ferté-Vidame
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La Ferté-Vidame () is a commune 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 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 ...
.


Geography

The Commune along with another 70 communes shares part of a 47,681 hectare,
Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
conservation area, called the
Forêts et étangs du Perche Forêts et étangs du Perche translated as the Forest and ponds of Perche is a Natura 2000 conservation area that is 47,681 hectares in size. Geography The area is a vast ecocomplex with a strong dominance of forest habitats, but also containing ...
.


History

The title of
vidame Vidame () was a feudal title in France, a term descended from mediaeval Latin . Like the ''avoué'' or ''advocatus#In France, advocatus'', the ''vidame'' was originally a secular official chosen by the bishop of the diocese—with the consent ...
of
Chartres Chartres () is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 1 ...
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 {{disambig ...
, 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, 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 (–1402), he ...
(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 * Jean ...
, and the
memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on 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 autob ...
ist
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, Grandee of Spain, 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 ...
. The château was Saint-Simon's main country house. Until shortly before the French Revolution the seigneur was
Jean-Joseph de Laborde Jean Joseph de Laborde, Marquis of Laborde (29 January 1724 – 18 April 1794) was a French businessman, slave trader, ''fermier général'' and banker to the king, who turned politician. A liberal, he was guillotined in the French Revolution. ...
, 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 (; Rouen, 1709 - Paris, 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 studen ...
in 1771. It is now a roofless shell. At the
Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...
, 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, Count of Toulouse, Louis Alexandre de Bourbon and his wife Marie Victoire de Noailles. He was therefore a grandson of Louis XIV of France and his ...
, the owner before the French Revolution. On her death in 1821, the ''domaine'' passed to her eldest son
Louis-Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his thron ...
, 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 style ...
. 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 revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...
.


Population


See also

* Natural region of Thymerais * List of châteaux in Eure-et-Loir *
Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Eure-et-Loir department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):Communes of Eure-et-Loir Perche {{EureLoir-geo-stub