Editing Château de Chenonceau (section)

===Duc de Vendôme===
[[Henri IV of France|Henry IV]] obtained Chenonceau for his mistress [[Gabrielle d'Estrées]] by paying the debts of Catherine de' Medici, which had been inherited by Louise and were threatening to ruin her. In return, Louise left the château to her niece [[Françoise de Lorraine]], at that time six years old and betrothed to the four-year-old [[César, Duke of Vendôme]], the natural son of Gabrielle d'Estrées and Henry IV. The château belonged to the Duke of Vendôme and his descendants for more than a hundred years.{{sfn|Wheeler|1979|p=67}} The [[House of Bourbon|Bourbons]] had little interest in the château, except for hunting. In 1650, [[Louis XIV]] was the last king of the ''[[ancien régime]]'' to visit.{{sfn|Gaigneron|1993|p=17}}

The Château de Chenonceau was bought by the [[Duke of Bourbon]] in 1720.  Little by little, he sold off all of the castle's contents.  Many of the fine statues ended up at [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]].<ref name=Novak164/>