The rocky promontory on which Château de Montpoupon is built in Touraine in the Loire Valley was chosen by a Germanic clan, the Poppos, in the time of Charlemagne. The etymology of the name is directly linked to this clan: Mons Poppo (the hill of the Poppo clan), became MONTPOUPON as the language evolved.
The end of the Middle Ages saw the arrival of a family who left their mark on Montpoupon: the Lords of Prie and Buzançais. It was Antoine de Prie and his wife, Madeleine d’Amboise, who restored the château in 1460, which had been left in a sorry state after the Hundred Years’ War.
The Marquis de Tristan – then Mayor of Orléans – acquired the property in 1763, in line with the ideas of the time, which tended towards a return to nature. The Marquis decided to restore the château, carrying out extensive work to bring it back to some of its former splendor. His efforts were interrupted by the French Revolution, and despite the winds of terror blowing, only the chapel was destroyed.
In the 19th century (1840), the château underwent major transformations. Its new owner, Monsieur de Farville, built the outbuildings as they stand today.
Finally, in 1857, Jean Baptiste de la Motte Saint Pierre acquired the estate. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, the family carried out work to restore Montpoupon to its current Renaissance appearance.
The Comte de Louvencourt – their nephew and current owner – has added the magnificent “Musée du Veneur” in the outbuildings, a family heirloom.