The Loire Valley is full of châteaux that have become museums. Most of them (at least the grand ones) once belonged to the kings of France, which means that for more than 300 years none of their original owners has set foot inside. Today, though, I want to introduce you to a château that has belonged to the same family for more than 500 years, and whose owner, the duke, you might actually run into while strolling through the vast gardens surrounding it. This is the story of Château de Brissac, where we’ll discover not only a magnificent palace and beautiful gardens, but also the story of a family whose sons stood at nearly every turning point in French history, from the 16th century all the way to the French Revolution.
But first, let’s start with this lovely video that shows Château de Brissac in all its glory:
When You Are Old, Sitting by the Fire One Evening…
The Cossé family began its rise on the French historical stage toward the end of the 15th century, when René de Cossé (1460-1540), a nobleman from Anjou, managed to work his way into the court of King Louis XII (r. 1498-1515) through a strategic marriage to a daughter of the Gouffier family, one of the most important noble families at the royal court. It was also René who purchased Château de Brissac from Louis de Brézé, the husband of Diane de Poitiers (1500-1566), who would later become the famous mistress of King Henri II (r. 1547-1559).
The next generation of the Cossé family climbed even higher up the French hierarchy. Charles de Cossé (1505-1563) rose through the ranks of the king’s army until he became a Marshal of France. Charles, known as “Brissac the Handsome,” excelled not only on the battlefield but also at court, and to his credit, he is the one who brought the violin to France, straight from Italy, where he had served for many years. For all this, he was granted the title of count in 1560 and became the Count of Brissac.
The Count of Brissac had a daughter named Anne, who married the Baron de Surgères, and together they had a daughter named Hélène. That Hélène served at the court of Queen Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589), where she caught the eye of the famous French poet Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585), who fell in love with her. Ronsard was much older than she was, so it’s no surprise that she turned down his advances. His heartbreak gave the world what is arguably the most famous sonnet of the 16th century, known as “Sonnet pour Hélène” (or by its opening line, “Quand vous serez bien vieille”). In it, Ronsard imagines Hélène grown old, sitting by the fire one evening, looking back with regret on the love she once refused. Over the centuries the poem has been translated many times.
The Man Who Opened the Gates of Paris to Henri IV
His son Charles II (1550-1621) was a devout Catholic and supported the Duke of Guise during the French Wars of Religion (1559-1598). But sometime after being appointed governor of Paris, the Count of Brissac came to realize how pointless the war had become, and that Henri IV (r. 1589-1610) would make a far better ruler than the leaders of the Catholic League.
So, through secret negotiations between the two of them, it was agreed that Charles would open the gates of Paris to the king’s army, and in exchange Henri would convert to Catholicism. And that’s exactly what happened: Henri entered Paris in 1593, and in 1598 he finally ended the Wars of Religion with the Edict of Nantes. In return for this crucial service, Charles received a new title from the king and became the first Duke of Brissac.
That same duke is also the man who built the Château de Brissac we know today, on the ruins of an earlier 15th-century castle. Construction began in 1611, and the château became the tallest in the Loire Valley (even taller than Château de Chambord). The building had barely been completed when it became the stage for an important diplomatic moment. Henri IV’s son, Louis XIII (r. 1610-1643), who had fallen out with his mother, Marie de Médicis (1575-1642), chose Château de Brissac as neutral ground to meet with her in 1620. The meeting produced a sort of “ceasefire” between mother and son, but it didn’t last long, and Marie de Médicis was eventually exiled from France and died in exile in Cologne.
When the Duke’s Head Flew Through Madame du Barry’s Window
During the 18th century, the dukes of Brissac kept making their mark on French history. One of the most famous was Jean-Paul-Timoléon de Cossé (1698-1784), whose mother, Marie-Louise de Béchamel, was the daughter of Louis Béchamel, the man the famous sauce is named after. Jean-Paul climbed the ranks of the French army just like his ancestors before him, and even found time to serve with the Knights of Malta. In 1759 he took part in the French defeat at the Battle of Minden, yet he still earned the rank of Marshal thanks to his relentless fighting.
His son, Louis Hercule (1734-1792), also pursued a military career, but at the same time managed to amass considerable wealth, which made him one of the richest men in France under Louis XVI (r. 1774-1792). (A good number of the Dutch paintings now in the Louvre and the antique books in the National Library were taken from his Paris home during the French Revolution.)
Louis Hercule became known as the lover of the famous courtesan Madame du Barry (1743-1793), who had previously been the mistress of Louis XV (r. 1715-1774). He loved her until the end of his life, even though she cheated on him with the Englishman Henry Seymour. Because he remained loyal to Louis XVI, he was appointed commander of the royal guard in 1791. But the guard was disbanded in 1792 by the revolutionary government, and the duke was thrown in prison. On September 9, as he was being taken to trial in Versailles, he was attacked by an angry mob, and after fighting with everything he had, he was killed. That same night, Countess du Barry heard her bedroom window shatter. When she went to look, she found something wrapped in cloth. When she unwrapped it, she discovered the head of the Duke of Brissac, and she fainted.
Brissac from Then Until Today
Château de Brissac was looted during the French Revolution, and it wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that the dukes of Brissac began restoring it to its former glory. But it wasn’t only the dukes who were responsible for renovating and expanding the château, their wives played a major role too. The most famous of them was Jeanne Say, wife of the Marquis de Brissac, who was killed in 1871. Jeanne had considerable musical talent, and after her husband’s death she decided to build a theater inside the château, where between 1890 and 1914 she sang and hosted the leading composers and musicians of her era.
Today the château is run by Charles-André, Marquis de Brissac, son of the current Duke of Brissac. Beyond the château itself, which holds plenty of treasures, you’ll also find a gorgeous garden spread across many hectares, a stable, and a vineyard.
But beyond all that, if you walk through the gardens, there’s a very good chance you’ll run into the marquis, or even the duke of Brissac himself. Unlike many other château owners, they actually enjoy meeting their visitors now and then. All of this makes the château one of the hidden gems of the Loire Valley, and a place I highly recommend visiting.
The château is open every day except Tuesday, from 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–17:00. You can find more information on the château’s official website.
Want to Stay at Château de Brissac?
If you’d like to feel like a duke for a few days, you’ll be happy to know that you can actually stay at the château. Not only will you get a magnificent room, but you’ll also be free to visit all the rooms open to visitors and wander the enormous park at no extra charge. The château sits close to the town of Angers, which makes it a great base for day trips around the Loire Valley. In my opinion, the combination of the château’s beauty, its grounds, and a price that isn’t bad at all for the experience makes this place highly recommended.
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