History
  Château de Brézé
49260 BREZE
Tél. 00 33 2 41 51 60 15
Fax 00 33 2 41 51 65 15
visite@chateaudebreze.com
 

The castle of Brézé is listed ancient monument since 1060.
It has been transformed during the 16 th century and the 19 th.
Today it's the residence of descendants of ancients lords.

Some history...

5 famous families will live in the castle.

    The Brézé : Louis married the very beautiful Diane de St Vallier, more known as Diane de Poitier
    The Maillé –Brézé : They are the first to modify considerably the castle.
From 1948 Gilles de Brézé obtains from king René the authorization to fortify the castle and to dig ditches 10 to 12 metres deep, but not completely all around the castle.
In 1558, Arthur de Maillé-Brézé built the renaissance castle with Italian style. The domain is erected "en Marquisat" in 1615 by Louis XIII and Urbain de Maillé Brézé becomes the first Marquis. He married Nicole du Plessis, the sister of the Grand Richelieu and had 2 children: Armand, Grand Amiral de France, who died tragically without issue in Tuscan when he was 27 years old, and Claire-Clémence.
    The Condé : Claire Clémence de Maillé Brézé, the only heiress of the domain married Louis II de Bourbon Condé (called Grand Condé in history) and passed this fabulous patrimony on Condé in 1650.
The same year, le Grand Condé took charge of princes Fronde and milited against the regency during the minority of the young Louis XIV.
In 1653, while the Prince Frondeur is in Spain, trying to allied the Philippe IX army, the castle is occupied a whole year by 500 men from royal troops.
In 1682, Condé exchange Brézé castle with another domain located near Nantes, the "Galissonière" which was the property of Thomas de Dreux.
   Les Dreux-Brézé : In 1682, Thomas de Dreux, the new owner of Brézé, senior member of the Paris parliament, becomes Marquis de Brézé under Louis XIV.
In 1701, the family bought the post of great master of ceremonies, they had it until 1830. We can't forget the name of Henri Evrard de Dreux-Brézé, great master of Louis XVI ceremonies, who was at the heart of a revolutionary upheaval.
It is the same Henri Evrard who extended the Renaissance part of the castle.
His son Pierre, bishop of Moulins, and his grandson Henri Simon, under the control of the "angevin" architect René Hodé (student of Vilotet le Duc) transformed the castle to give a neogolitic style. The castle still have it.
   Les Colbert : With her marriage in 1959
with the count Bernard de Colbert,
Charlotte de Dreux-Brézé passed the
domain to this non less renowned family,
who always resides at the castle.

Le Château de Brézé
Le Château de Brézé