fjt_539161 - BLOIS ET LE BLAISOIS - NOBLESSE ET VILLES Maison commune de Blois 1553

BLOIS AND THE BLAISOIS - GENTRY AND TOWNS

The town of Blois was in the 9th century, the seat of the county of Robert le Fort. Thibaut de Chartres seized it during the reign of Charles the Simple and the county remained with his descendants until 1391, when the county was sold to Louis I of France, Duke of Orléans. His grandson, Louis XII, ascending the throne, unites the county to the Crown. Favorite residence of the Valois, its castle was rebuilt and enlarged during the 16th and 17th centuries. The States-General were held there in 1576 and 1588, famous for the assassination of the Duke of Guise. The government took refuge there in 1814. Blois is today the capital of the department of Loir-et-Cher.