14 Facts About Blois

Historically, the city was the capital of the county of Blois, created on 832 until its integration into the Royal domain in 1498, when Count Louis II of Orleans became King Louis XII of France.

Blois was first organised around a county, which was recreated in 956 by Count Theobald I of Blois, known as The Trickster.

Blois's descendants, known as "Thibaldians", remained as Counts up until the county was incorporated into the royal domain in 1397.

The House of Blois succeeded in raising some of its members or descendants to the highest levels of the European nobility, notably by acceding to the thrones of France, England, Navarre, Spain and Portugal.

In 1171, Blois was the site of a blood libel against its Jewish community that led to 31 Jews being burned to death.

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In 1196, Count Louis I of Blois granted privileges to the townsmen; a commune, which survived throughout the Middle Ages, probably dated from this time.

In 1440, after his captivity in England, Duke Charles of Orleans took up residence in the Chateau of Blois, where in 1462 his son was born, Duke Louis II of Orleans who would afterwards be known as Louis XII.

Blois then married Charles VIII's widow, Queen Anne of Brittany, in 1499.

Blois paved the way to the construction of the boulevard Daniel Depuis, in the West of Blois.

The downtown districts of St Jean and Blois-Vienne were under water, as well as La Bouillie spillway.

Since 1986, Blois is part of the French Towns of Art and History program, which promotes the cultural and historical estate.

Blois is the location of so-called Maison de la BD, a museum devoted to the art of comic books.

Blois achieved independence from the Diocese of Chartres in 1697, and the cathedral was completed by 1700.

Blois-Vienne is the name given to the southern part of the city, on the left bank of the Loire river.