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chAteau[shatO´, Fr. shAtO´] Pronunciation Key, royal or seignioral residence and stronghold of medieval France : the counterpart of the English castle of the period. In such a fortress, peasants of the surrounding country took refuge during time of war. The early fortified chAteau, called a chAteau-fort, reached its culmination in the late 15th cent., when the magnificent feudal Pierrefonds was built near CompiEgne. The 16th-century chAteau, with its gardens and outbuildings, was usually surrounded by a moat, but was only lightly fortified. Notable chAteaus of the transition period between the military chAteau and the later country estate with extensive landed property are those of the Loire, Indre, and Cher valleys, such as Chambord, Amboise, Blois, Chenonceaux, Azay-le-Rideau, and Chaumont.
See study by F. GEbelin (tr. 1964).
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