Horses at the Château de Chambord, Loire Valley, France

The Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley, France, a castle built from 1519 to 1547 by the King of France, Francois I (1494-1547), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Maurice, the Count of Saxony (1696-1750), was a soldier in the Imperial Army. In 1744, in recognition of his brilliant career, King Louis XV of France gave him the castle for life. Maurice established the stables and traded in horses. He lived in the castle until his death in 1750 of fever.

In 1821, it became the private estate of Henri the Count of Chambord (1820-1883) and the castle became known as the Château de Chambord.

Today, the men, women, and horses present a jousting show from June to September each year.

MARTINA NICOLLS

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MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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