Château de Langeais The Château de Langeais is a medieval castle , rebuilt as a " château " , in Indre - et - Loire , France , built on a promontory created by the small valley of the Roumer River at the opening to the Loire Valley . Founded in 992 by Fulk Nerra , Count of Anjou , the castle was soon attacked by Odo I , Count of Blois . After the unsuccessful attack , the now - ruined stone keep was built ; it is one of the earliest datable stone examples of a keep . Between 994 and 996 the castle was besieged unsuccessfully twice more . During the conflict between the counts of Anjou and Blois , the castle changed hands several times , and in 1038 Fulk captured the castle again . After it was destroyed during the Hundred Years ' War , King Louis XI ( 1461 – 1483 ) rebuilt Château de Langeais into what today is one of the best known examples of late medieval architecture . It is especially noted for its monumental and highly decorated chimneypieces . Restored in the late 19th century , Château de Langeais came under the control of the Institut de France , who own the site today . It is listed as a " monument historique " by the French Ministry of Culture and is open to the public . History . The 10th century saw the emergence of the castle , and Château de Langeais is generally thought to be the second earliest known ; the earliest is Château de Doué - la - Fontaine built by the Count of Blois around 900 . The counts of Anjou and Blois had bordering territories and the powerful lords were rivals ; as a result the border area is home to some of the earliest known castles . When it was founded in 992 by Fulk Nerra , Count of Anjou , Château de Langeais was made from wood and took the form of a motte - and - bailey . A contemporary chronicler noted that it was built because " [ Fulk ] had no resting place between Bourgueil and Amboise along the Loire river " . It also had the advantage of being from Tours , a town under the control of Odo I , Count of Blois . While the land belonged to Fulk , the area was under the control of Odo . When news of the fortification reached Odo he despatched a force to carry out its destruction . The attack was unsuccessful and Fulk reinforced the site , building the stone keep that stands in ruins today . To distract Odo from the construction work , which was complete by 994 , Fulk carried out intermittent raids on his lands . It has been suggested that the keep ' s shallow foundations and thin walls , at their thickest and on average , demonstrate that it was built in haste . Though he was unsuccessful in 992 , Odo again tried to capture the castle two years later . This time he called on his Norman , Flemish , Aquitanian allies and the siege of Château de Langeais began in the spring of 994 . Fulk led the garrison himself and sent a message to Hugh Capet , King of the Franks , asking for help ; and , though Hugh was ill , he promised reinforcements . In the meantime Odo ' s numbers grew as his allies continued to flock to him . The siege continued into the summer and Fulk began negotiating with Odo . Richer , a contemporary chronicler favourable to Odo , asserted that Fulk agreed to surrender but later reneged , claiming the agreement was not binding , though it is uncertain whether this was the case . However , the Capetian forces arrived before Fulk was forced to surrender . Faced with the king ' s army , Odo agreed to leave Fulk in peace . After the siege ended and Odo retreated , Fulk had to deal with hostilities along the western frontier of his lands . Despite Odo ' s agreement with Hugh , the Count of Blois exploited Fulk ' s divided attention to install a force at Château de Châteaudun from which he could move to capture Laneais should the opportunity arise . Odo besieged Château de Langeais in 995 . The siege continued into the next year , but in March 996 Odo fell ill and died . With their leader dead , the besieging force left Langeais . With his most troublesome enemy dead , Fulk captured Tours which had previously been held by the Count of Blois . After Robert , King of the Franks took control of Tours , Fulk turned to the castles of Langeais , Montsoreau , Montrésor , and Montbazon to defend the Loire Valley . Hostilities between the counts of Anjou and Blois were renewed in 1016 . During the course of the conflict , Fulk lost control of three castles : Passavant was destroyed and Montbazon and Langeais were probably captured . By 1032 Château de Langeais was back under Fulk ' s control , however it was again taken by the forces of Odo II , Count of Blois . Odo II died in battle in 1037 and was succeeded by his son , Theobald ; on receiving the news of his rival ' s demise , Fulk set about recapturing Château de Langeais . The siege began in the winter of 1037 and in the spring of the following year , with no relief forthcoming , the garrison surrendered . Fulk set his sights on further territorial gains and successfully captured Château de Chinon away . Under the Plantagenet kings , the château was fortified and expanded by Richard I of England ( King Richard the Lionhearted ) . However , King Philippe II of France recaptured the château in 1206 . Eventually though , during the Hundred Years ' War , the English destroyed it . The château was rebuilt about 1465 during the reign of King Louis XI . The great hall of the château was the scene of the marriage of Anne of Brittany to King Charles VIII on December 6 , 1491 that made the permanent union of Brittany and France . In 1886 , Jacques Siegfried bought Château Langeais and began a restoration program . He installed an outstanding collection of tapestries and furnishings and bequeathed the château to the Institut de France which still owns it today . The château is open to the public . It is listed as a " monument historique " by the French Ministry of Culture . Layout . According to contemporaneous chronicler Richer , the castle built by Foulques Nerra in the 990s consisted of a tower and a surrounding enclosure . The 10th - century keep still stands , albeit in a ruinous state . It is the earliest example of Romanesque architecture in the region . It is uncertain where the stone used in construction was quarried . A detailed study has been done on the cost of construction of Langeais tower . The stone tower is high , 17 . 5m wide , and 10m long with walls averaging 1 . 5m . The walls contain of stone and have a total surface ( both inside and out ) of . The tower is estimated to have taken 83 , 000 average working days to complete , most of which was unskilled labor . The wall enclosing the keep stretched for some . The interior rooms are richly decorated .