The Palace of Fontainebleau: A Thousand Years of French History

Compared with France’s other royal palaces, the history and grandeur of the Palace of Fontainebleau are not widely known. This castle lies deep in the forest. Before the Louvre and Versailles were built, it was home to kings and queens. Every French dynasty, and even every ruler, left their own mark here. The Palace of Fontainebleau is a theater of human life, where power’s tragedies and comedies played out in turn.

It was here that Francis I received Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Louis XIII was baptized, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, and Louis XV married Queen Marie… Napoleon once gazed at the palace and exclaimed, “This is the home of kings, a castle of the ages.” The Palace of Fontainebleau witnessed Napoleon at the height of his glory and extravagance, as well as his downfall: on April 6, 1814, he signed his abdication here. The palace itself also changed little by little. Louis Philippe I left behind the Porcelain Gallery, Napoleon III the theater, and Empress Eugenie the Chinese Museum…

In this book, a French historian tells the story of the Palace of Fontainebleau in chronological order, offering a portrait of a thousand years of French history.