The saga of the Bourbons
Le Bourbonnais, cradle of the history of France
For history enthusiasts, lovers of old buildings or just for pleasure, explore the Bourbonnais area with friends and family and learn about the history of the Bourbons.
Henri IV, the first Bourbon king
Charles de Montpensier, Connétable de Bourbon, valiantly served King François I, then rebelled against him. His death in 1527 marked the annexation of Bourbon, up to then a major feudal entity, to France. But this did not stop the Bourbons from bouncing back. Royally ! Henry IV, son of Duke Antoine de Bourbon and Jeanne, Queen of Navarre, acceded to the throne of France.
And lots of Louis...
Henry was followed by Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis-Philippe. The Bourbons also exercised royal power in Spain through a very active constitutional monarchy, in the Duchy of Luxembourg, where descendants of the family still reign today, and in the Duchy of Parma under the father of Zita, the short-lived Empress of Austria at the tragic dawn of the First World War.
So it was in this peaceful wooded countryside with thick hedges spared by land consolidation, where white cattle graze under shady oaks that the incessant rise to power began through generations from Aymar to Agnès, from Archambault to Mathilde. In addition to these memories, the fortress where the Quiquengrogne Tower used to shout out at its enemies of yesteryear can still be seen.
Our selection of accommodations
Our new accommodations
Guest house
Maison d'hôtes du Pré Féraud
in VERNEUIL EN BOURBONNAIS - Allier