Château de Vendôme

The history of the Château de Vendôme is closely linked to the power struggles between the House of Plantagenet and the French Crown in the 12th century. King Philip II of France captured the castle in 1188, but Richard the Lionheart managed to recapture it. Shortly thereafter, Philip besieged the complex again. In the 16th century, Vendôme was elevated to a duchy. Henry IV, later King of France, had to forcibly bring the city under his control in 1589, during which the castle was destroyed. His son César de Bourbon later had the complex converted into a palace and expanded it. After César's death in 1665, the Château remained uninhabited and was further damaged during the French Revolution.