Chateaux French

The ChÐ"Ñžteau de Cheverny is located at Cheverny, in the dÐ"©partement of Loir-et-Cher in the Loire Valley in France.

**Loire Valley is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. It is also noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, OrlÐ"©ans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular for its world-famous castles, such as the ChÐ"Ñžteaux d'Amboise, ChÐ"Ñžteau de Villandry, ChÐ"Ñžteau de Cheverny and Chenonceau.

The landscape of the Loire Valley, and more particularly its many cultural monuments, illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design. The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments, its many chÐ"Ñžteaux, and fine wines.

Loir-et-Cherwere was purchased by Henri Hurault, Comte de Cheverny, and Treasurer for War under King Louis XI.

**King Louis XI , also informally nicknamed l'universelle aragne (old French for "universal spider"), or the "Spider King," was King of France from 1461Ð'-1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the Valois Dynasty, grandson of Charles VI and Isabeau de BaviÐ"Ёre and one of the most successful kings of France in terms of uniting the country. His 22-year reign was marked by political machinations, spinning a spider's web of plot and intrigue which earned him his nickname.

He ost to the Crown because of fraud to the State, it was donated by King Henri II to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. However, she preferred ChÐ"Ñžteau de Chenonceau and sold the property to the former owner's son, Philippe Hurault,