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At right:
Henri
Ruzé
d'Effiat,
Marquis
de
Cinq-Mars
A little of
history ....
THE CASTLE OF
CINQ-MARS
(Le Château
de
Cinq-Mars)
The first
known Lord of the castle, Geoffroy
de Saint Médard, lived
here around 1050. He was a vassal of the Counts of Blois and Tours,
whose disputes with the Nerra, the Counts of Anjou, are historically
renowned.
André de Saint Médard
died in the Holy Land in 1210. Then
the name was changed from Saint Médard to Saint Mars. Finally,
for some indetermined reason, the castle was renamed Cinq-Mars in the
16th century.
Visitors are attracted to Cinq-Mars above all by the story of Henri
Ruzé d'Effiat, the Marquis who was a favorite for Louis XIII.
At the age of 22, the Marquis de Cinq-Mars was beheaded (Lyon, 1642)
for conspiring against the King and negotiating with Spain. The Marquis's
Mother (la Marquise Ruzé d'Effiat), implored Cardinal Richelieu
to spare her son's life. However, as can be seen by the Cardinal's written
response to the Marquise, he remained unmoved by her pleas for clemency.
According to legend, the castle itself was also "beheaded"
at "the level of infamy". The towers and even the trees were
all "decapitated". The tragic destiny of the young Marquis
de Cinq-Mars inspired Alfred de Vigny to write his celebrated novel
"Cinq-Mars".
Information: LE CHÂTEAU
DE ClNQ-MARS, Cinq-Mars La Pile, 37130 LANGEAIS, Tel. 02 47 96 40 49.
VISIT TO THE PARK, TOWERS AND THE MOAT, Open from 9.00 a.m. to darkness.
Closed on monday, excepting holidays. BED AND BREAKFAST. CONFERENCE,
RECEPTION FACILITIES IN THE TOWERS (from 10 to 200 people), please book
in advance.