Catherine de’ Medici
Like her father-in-law, Catherine de’ Medici had always loved Château de Chenonceau. Upon the passing of her husband, Henry II, she acquired the quaint castle from her rival, trading it for the estate of Chaumont. Diane had planned to build an addition to the château on top of the bridge, which was complete, but it was Catherine who finished that grand work, giving the architecture its iconic silhouette, as seen today. The bridge was topped with two galleries, vast chambers that would be used frequently for entertaining, especially if the castle was ever made a formal royal residence. Though that wish of Catherine’s was never fulfilled—many saw the place as too small—her love for Chenonceau garnered that she still poured tremendous resources into making it into a grand dwelling, inside and out.
