Amboise

The Chateau of Amboise belongs to Comte de Paris, this family can claim to be the Royal Family Of France,
The chateau was built by Charles V111 and then completed by Francois Premier, who was responsible for the Renaissance style to France.
The town and chateau have also played an important role in French history, in 1560 a Protestant plot to gain religious concessions from the young king Francois the second was discovered and 1,200 Protestants were killed and hung from the ramparts of the chateau. The court had to move elsewhere because of the smell.
This episode spelt the end of the chateau's splendor and many of the buildings were dismantled.
Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years in the town after his fall from grace with the Pope. Francois Premier persuaded him to settle in Amboise and gave him the Chateau du Clos Luce, which overlooks the main chateau.
Leonardo da Vinci is most famous for his painting the Mona Lisa, which for a time hung here in Clos Luce, until bought by Francois Premier and that is why it now hangs in the Louvre Gallery in Paris.
Leonardo da Vinci died here in 1519 and is buried in the Chapelle St Hubert that adjoins the chateau and dominates the town.
At Clos Luce there is an exhibition of the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, and it was here that he designed the largest chateau of them all Chambord.