Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire
Chaumont-sur-Loire
1469 - 1510
Château de Chenonceau
Chenonceaux
1515 - 1522
Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers was born into a noble French family in late 1499 or early 1500, the daughter of Jean de Poitiers, Seigneur de Saint-Vallier. Renowned for her beauty and intellect, she became the royal mistress and lifelong advisor to King Henry II, despite being twenty years his senior. Her political influence at court was immense, often overshadowing the Queen herself. In the Loire Valley, her legacy is most visible at the Château de Chenonceau, which Henry gifted to her in 1547. There, she commissioned the famous arched bridge across the River Cher and established extensive formal gardens. Following Henry’s death in 1559, she was forced by Catherine de' Medici to exchange Chenonceau for the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire. She eventually retired to her own estate, the Château d'Anet, where she died on April 25, 1566.