Editing Château de Brissac (section)

==History==

The château was originally built as a [[castle]] by the [[Counts of Anjou]] in the 11th century. After the victory over the English by King [[Philip II of France]], he gave the property to [[Guillaume des Roches]]. In the 15th century, the structure was rebuilt by [[Pierre de Brézé]], a wealthy chief minister to King [[Charles VII of France]]. During the reign (1515–47) of King [[Francis I of France|Francis I]], the property was acquired by René de Cossé, who was named by the King as governor of [[Duchy of Anjou|Anjou]] and [[Maine (province of France)|Maine]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://loire-chateaux.co.uk/en-gb/chateaux/brissac/chateau-brissac |title=Châteaux of the Loire Valley website |access-date=2015-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802035901/http://loire-chateaux.co.uk/en-gb/chateaux/brissac/chateau-brissac |archive-date=2017-08-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the [[French Wars of Religion]], the château was made a possession in 1589 by the Protestant leader, [[Henry IV of France|Henry of Navarre]]. Severely damaged, the fortress was scheduled to be demolished. However, [[Charles II de Cossé]] sided with Henry of Navarre, who soon was crowned [[King of France]]. In gratitude, King Henry gave him the property, the noble title of [[Duke of Brissac]] and the money to rebuild the château in 1611.

Its construction made it the tallest château in France,<ref name="Château de Brissac website">[http://www.chateau-brissac.fr/ Château de Brissac website]</ref> and its façade reflects the influences of the 17th century's [[Baroque]] architecture. Through marriage, the Cossé-Brissac family also acquired the [[Château Montreuil-Bellay]] but later sold it.

In August 1620, King [[Louis XIII of France|Louis XIII]] and his mother, [[Marie de Medici]], met to discuss their differences in the "neutral" territory of the Château de Brissac.<ref name="Château de Brissac website"/> A temporary truce between the two was reached. Still, it did not last long, and the Queen Mother was eventually banished.

The descendants of the first Duke of Brissac maintained the château until 1792 when the property was ransacked during the [[French Revolution]]. It lay in waste until a restoration program began in 1844 and was carried on by subsequent [[Dukes of Brissac]].