Henry II Plantagenet. The Knights Templar. Joan of Arc. Think about a spot they’ve all trodden, at completely different occasions throughout the Center Ages: that will be Chinon Fort, within the Loire Valley. On a latest go to, I explored this mass of deep dungeons, huge rooms and crumbling partitions to uncover a few of the extraordinary tales behind it.
Whenever you first see the Royal Fortress of Chinon within the distance, it stretches in a strategic place alongside a rocky ridge above the River Vienne, a jumble of pale limestone that appears to develop proper out of the cliffs it crowns. For almost a thousand years, its towers and partitions have dominated the valley.
Now a historic monument, that is the place Henry II confronted riot and died in despair. It’s the place the final leaders of the Knights Templar had been interrogated and imprisoned. And it’s the place Joan of Arc met the longer term Charles VII and set France on the trail to victory.
If I had been making a film about Chinon, it might take care of ambition, defiance, and tragedy.
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Copy of the bed room shared by Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine at Chinon ©OffbeatFranceConstructed as a strategic stronghold within the tenth century and expanded underneath Henry II, king of England, Chinon Fort grew to become a royal residence, a jail, and the setting for a few of Europe’s most defining moments.
At the moment, a part of the location of the fortress has been restored, whereas different sections stay crumbling. Curiously, new stays and artefacts are nonetheless being found.
Loads of issues occurred at Chinon through the years, however the extra memorable ones handled main characters within the historical past of France, and of Europe.
Listed here are three of the perfect identified.
The King who was betrayed by his sons
Medieval tales of betrayal aren’t precisely uncommon, so discovering an enormous one at Chinon Fortress isn’t any shock.
I’m speaking a couple of descendant of William the Conqueror, King Henry II Plantagenet, and his sons.
It began with Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of many essentially the most influential girls of the twelfth century, who would rule as queen of each France and England.
Her first marriage to Louis VII of France didn’t work out and produced no male inheritor. By pleading consanguinity, they had been capable of annul their marriage. This put Eleanor again accountable for her native Aquitaine, single once more, and an incredible catch.
None of this escaped Henry II, then Duke of Normandy and Depend of Anjou. He noticed the advantages of buying Aquitaine, pursued Eleanor and received her, ensuing within the unification of their in depth territories, stretching from Scotland to the Pyrenees.
They’d eight kids collectively however the marriage bumped into bother, what with Eleanor’s sturdy will and Henry’s infidelities. Petty jealousies and want for extra energy prompted a number of of his sons to insurgent, however when Eleanor sided with them, he threw her in jail.
Henry had been utilizing Chinon as his predominant residence in France and to to run his state and army affairs. He would discover refuge right here as his sons rebelled, and would die right here in 1189.
It wasn’t precisely essentially the most cheerful place, and will need to have been austere even for the occasions. However it was a mighty construction, one which spoke volumes concerning the king’s energy and authority.
A Christmas banquet desk designed by Coach Floral, as it might have been set in Eleanor of Aquitaine’s time ©OffbeatFranceThe betrayal by his sons and his loss of life have yielded all types of conspiracy theories and ghost tales, for instance, that Henry’s stressed spirit roams among the many fortress’s historical stones, mourning his sons’ treachery.
Trendy views of King Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine
- “The Lion in Winter”, a 1966 play by James Goldman about Christmas 1183 at Chinon Fort for Henry, Eleanor and their three sons
- The play was tailored right into a 1968 movie starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn in high-stakes maneuverings for energy (Hepburn received an Academy Award for Greatest Actress)
- A 2003 TV adaptation that includes Patrick Stewart and Glenn Shut as Eleanor launched the story to a brand new era of viewers.
- Plantagenet Princes, a e book by Douglas Boyd, traces the lives of Henry’s and Eleanor’s sons
At the moment, vestiges of the Plantagenet period proceed to be uncovered by archaeological excavations and who is aware of what should still be discovered alongside the fort partitions or one more restoration mission.
The Château du Milieu (Center Fort) incorporates the restored south wing of the royal quarters, the place the Plantagenet courtroom as soon as convened. And also you’ll should go underneath the 14th-century Tour de l’Horloge (Clock Tower) to achieve the Chateau du Milieu…
The final jail of the Knights Templar
In 1308, Chinon grew to become a jail for 5 most uncommon visitors: the highest-ranking Knights Templar, together with Grand Grasp Jacques de Molay, had been held in Coudray Tower for a number of months.
They had been awaiting trial for heresy in Paris, at a time when the Inquisition was in full swing. However the fact of the Templars’ demise is probably extra mundane: Philip IV, King of France was deep in debt to the Templars, however quite than repay them, he selected to disband your complete Order, seizing their belongings and wiping his slate clear.
This could sign the abrupt finish to an order that to today stays surrounded by mystique.
These are trustworthy reproductions of the graffiti left within the tower by the Templars − crosses, symbolic shields and cryptic messages which will replicate their religion, despair, or , who is aware of, maybe secret codes? ©OffbeatFrance
Fragment of the Chinon Parchment on show at Chinon Fortress. The historic doc sheds gentle on their last days and their secret dealings with Pope Clement V.Initially, Pope Clement V had meant to query the Templar leaders himself in Poitiers, however their unwell well being made journey unattainable so the Pope despatched down three cardinals to Chinon as an alternative.
The Templars could be held within the tower’s subterranean chambers, hewn straight into the bedrock, whose damp and oppressive ambiance would give approach to legends that proceed to intrigue us immediately.
As soon as transferred to Paris, Grand Grasp Jacques de Molay confronted execution by burning in 1314. Because the flames consumed him, he’s mentioned to have cursed each the French king and Pope Clement V, summoning them to affix him in divine judgment inside a yr.
Each males would die earlier than the yr was out. Coincidence, or divine retribution?
Chinon’s aura is additional enhanced by persistent rumors of hidden Templar treasures (there are dozens of rumors of Templar treasures hid throughout Europe). For the reason that Order was extraordinarily rich, the sudden arrest of the Knights Templar led to hypothesis about secret caches of riches. No treasure has been discovered, however the rumors contribute to the fortress’s mystique.
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
The Knights Templar, formally referred to as the Poor Fellow-Troopers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, had been an elite medieval Christian army order based in Jerusalem round 1119 to guard pilgrims touring to the Holy Land throughout the Crusades.
Predominantly French at first, the order rapidly expanded throughout Europe, with members from England, Portugal, Scotland and past − a very multinational drive. Recognizable by their distinctive white manteaus adorned with a crimson cross, they grew to become probably the most outstanding and wealthiest army orders in Western Christianity, half non secular devotion and half army prowess.
In a exceptional twist to the story, one thing referred to as the Chinon Parchment was found in 2001 within the Vatican’s secret archives. A doc from 1208, it reveals that Pope Clement V had really absolved the Knights Templar of heresy. The parchment signifies that whereas the Templars confessed to sure fees underneath duress, they had been absolved of heresy. This was stored secret, presumably as a result of stress from the King, totally decided to destroy the Order and seize its wealth.
This discovering complicates the narrative of the Templars’ downfall, suggesting it was pushed extra by Philip’s greed than real accusations of heresy. It additionally casts a shadow over Clement V’s function, portraying him as a reluctant pawn within the King’s political maneuvering.
Typical garments and accoutrements of the Knights Templar, adorned with their attribute crimson cross, related to the CrusadesWhen Joan of Arc obtained her military
Most of us are aware of the beginnings of Joan of Arc’s saga within the fifteenth century.
As a youngster, in a well-known episode she claimed to listen to divine voices urging her to avoid wasting France from the English preventing the Hundred Years’ Conflict. Regardless of her comparatively humble origins, she satisfied native officers and nobles to assist her journey, crossing enemy traces to Chinon in 1429 to hunt an viewers with the uncrowned Dauphin, Charles VII (a lot of France was underneath English rule on the time).
The chateau of Chinon was no odd cease − it was Charles’ stronghold, a refuge as his declare to the throne hung by a thread.
Surrounded by skeptical advisers, the Dauphin hesitated however lastly agreed to see the woman who claimed to be despatched by God. It’s mentioned that Joan made her case by accurately figuring out Charles, though he tried to trick her by posing as another person.
Fortunate guess or divine imaginative and prescient? Doesn’t matter. The second cemented her repute as somebody who was “divinely” impressed.
What adopted was nothing in need of extraordinary. Joan satisfied Charles to offer her a military, with which she liberated Orléans, altering the tide of the struggle, chasing out the English, culminating in Charles VII’s coronation at Reims (though sadly, it didn’t finish too effectively for Joan).
This tapestry hangs in Chinon Fortress and depicts a kneeling Joan of Arc asking the Dauphin for a military to overcome Orléans ©OffbeatFranceThe room wherein this historic assembly passed off now not exists, however we all know precisely the place it stood.
Within the central a part of the fortress, within the Château du Milieu, you’ll be able to see what’s left of the grand hearth that after warmed the room. It’s possible you’ll not be capable to stroll in Joan’s footsteps, however you’ll be able to definitely join along with her story right here.
Not a lot is left of the room wherein Joan of Arc met the longer term Charles VII − besides the define of a hearth on the wall ©ffbeatFranceThe room the place Joan of Arc met Charles VII at Chinon would have been grand but austere, reflecting the fortress’s twin residential and strategic function.
It will have featured excessive stone partitions, tapestries for insulation and ornament, and naturally, huge fireplaces with which to keep off the chilliness. Lights from hearth and torches would have flickered, casting lengthy shadows to intensify the drama of the second.
What issues is that Joan’s entreaty labored, and had it not been for her plea for battle from the Dauphin at Chinon, the course of the Hundred Years’ Conflict (and Europe’s historical past) would possibly effectively have been completely different.
Hardly ever a yr goes by with out some rumor or legend or reality unearthed about Joan of Arc; everybody has an opinion about her, and her life is much sufficient prior to now that separating reality from fiction generally is a problem.
Take the “Joan of Arc jars”… Apparently they had been purchased by an affiliation a couple of years in the past and positioned within the Clock Tower, with a label stating they had been stays recovered from Joan of Arc’s funeral pyre. Carbon-14 relationship revealed the stays to be… Egyptian and cat mummy mud.
The small jars had been as soon as thought to comprise stays of Joan of Arc taken from her funeral pyre ©OffbeatFranceA lot for the jars. However Chinon stored them. Simply in case.
Ideas for visiting Chinon Fort
Chinon is definitely three castles in a single, however you will have a greater sense of its structure on their web site or through the use of the “histopad” pill you may get on the entrance.
Highlights of the Chateau de Chinon
This is what to not miss:
- Tour de l’Horloge (Clock Tower): Start your go to right here at Chinon’s iconic entrance. Climb to the highest for sweeping views of the Vienne Valley.
- Tour du Coudray: Go to the eerie chambers the place Knights Templar leaders had been imprisoned..
- Royal residences or lodgings: Step into the world the place Joan of Arc met Charles VII. Search for the remnants of the grand hearth marking the location of this historic encounter.
- The oldest part: Enterprise to the farthest level of the fortress to find time-worn partitions, grassy moats, and overgrown courtyards.
- Center courtyard: A tranquil, green-framed house to replicate on Chinon’s wealthy historical past.
FASCINATED BY FRENCH CASTLES?
Attending to Chinon
Chinon Fort is without doubt one of the extra simply accessed Loire Valley châteaux by public transport however not essentially the closest. It’s simply reached by automotive, a 45-minute drive from Excursions or 2.5 hours from Paris.
It is usually one of many few castles that may be reached by prepare, in lower than an hour from Excursions however a bit longer − with one or two connections to the small city of Chinon − from Paris Montparnasse.
The place to remain in Chinon
- Hôtel Diderot: traditional, calm and comfy, authentically French and completely positioned
- Greatest Western: superbly restored Sixteenth-century heritage constructing inside strolling distance of every part
- Hôtel Rive Sud, trendy and quiet rooms.
Header picture: ©Jean-Christophe COUTAND/Agence Départementale du Tourisme de Touraine
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