View source for Château de Montreuil-Bellay

{{Short description|Historical building in the town of Montreuil-Bellay, département of Maine-et-Loire, France}}
[[File:Aerial image of Château de Montreuil-Bellay (view from the southeast).jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Aerial view of the Château de Montreuil-Bellay]]
__NOTOC__
The '''[[Château]] de Montreuil-Bellay''' is a historical building in the town of [[Montreuil-Bellay]], ''[[département in France|département]]'' of [[Maine-et-Loire]], France,  first built on the site of a [[Gallo-Roman]] village high on a hill on the banks of the [[Thouet|Thouet River]]. It is listed as a ''[[monument historique]]'' by the [[French Ministry of Culture]].<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00109195}}</ref>

During the medieval period the property, consisting of more than {{convert|4|km2|acre|abbr=on}}, was part of a group of 32 villages near-by that created the then known as "L'Anjou". The Mountreil-Bellay fief, first belonged to ''Gelduin le Danois'' afterward by regal heredity passed to ''Berlay le Vieux'' who became the first Sir of Bellay, in 1025 the castle was seized by [[Foulques Nerra]] a [[Plantagenet]] making [[Giraud Berlay]] his vassal during the second half of the 12th century. After the defeat of the English by [[Philip II of France|Philip II]], the fief returned to a descendant of the Berlay le Vieux family Sir of Bellay, Guillaume de Melun, during this period the fief went under a big renovation by the creation of high massive walls construction including 13 interlocking towers, with entry only via a [[fortified gateway]] and the name was [[anglicize]]d from Barley to Balley.

During the [[French Wars of Religion]] (1562–1598) the town of Montreuil-Bellay was ransacked and burned but the sturdy fortress suffered little damage. Ownership of the castle changed several times including, through marriage, to the [[Château de Brissac|Cossé-Brissac]] family.  During the [[French Revolution]] the castle was seized by the revolutionary government and used as a prison for women suspected of being [[Monarchist|royalists]].

In 1822 the property was acquired by [[Saumur]] businessman Adrien Niveleau, who divided the huge property into rental units. In 1860 Niveleau's daughter undertook occupancy and a major restoration campaign, redoing some of the rooms in the ''[[Troubadour]]'' style. Descendants of her husband's nephew are the current owners of the property.

Nowadays, Château de Montreuil-Bellay is also the name of a premium wine made on the property.

==Images==
<gallery>
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:Château de Montreuil-Bellay - reflections in Thouet river (1 May 2006).JPG -->
File:Castle Montreuil Bellay 2007 03.jpg
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of castles in France]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Château de Montreuil-Bellay}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061126085926/http://www.chateau-de-montreuil-bellay.fr/castle/index.php Official site].
* {{Base Mérimée|PA00109195}}
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/89297978@N00/sets/72157594515487122/ Photos of Château de Montreuil-Bellay and other Loire castles]
* History of Montreuil-Balley http://sigot.montreuil.free.fr/historique/historique.htm
* Chateau de Montreuil-Balley (Chateau history text in French) https://web.archive.org/web/20110720002532/http://www.chateau-de-montreuil-bellay.fr/visite-histoire.php
* Site non officiel Montreuil Bellay  http://montreuil-bellay-passionnement.fr

{{Coord|47|8|0|N|0|9|15|W|region:FR_type:landmark|display=title}}

{{Châteaux of the Loire Valley}}{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montreuil-Bellay, Chateau de}}
[[Category:Castles in Pays de la Loire]]
[[Category:Châteaux in Maine-et-Loire]]
[[Category:Museums in Maine-et-Loire]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Pays de la Loire]]
[[Category:Monuments historiques of Maine-et-Loire]]