Montreuil-Bellay
Encyclopedia
Montreuil-Bellay is a commune
in the Maine-et-Loire
department in western France
.
It is located c. 15 km to the south of Saumur
, and is famous for the Château de Montreuil-Bellay
, which is situated in the town.
Montreuil-Bellay is on the River Thouet
, and was the head of navigation until navigation ceased at the beginning of the 20th century. The navigation works were undertaken in the 15th century by the lords of Montreuil-Bellay, who in turn were granted letters patent
by King Charles VII
allowing them to raise a tax on wine that would pass through their land.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire is a department in west-central France, in the Pays de la Loire region.- History :Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791....
department in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is located c. 15 km to the south of Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
, and is famous for the Château de Montreuil-Bellay
Château de Montreuil-Bellay
The Château de Montreuil-Bellay is a historical building in the town of Montreuil-Bellay, département of Maine-et-Loire, France, first built on the site of a Gallo-Roman village high on a hill on the banks of the Thouet River...
, which is situated in the town.
Montreuil-Bellay is on the River Thouet
Thouet
The Thouet is a tributary river of the Loire in the Poitou-Charentes and Pays de la Loire régions of France. The Thouet rises at Secondigny, close to the source of the Sèvre Nantaise, and joins the Loire just to the west of Saumur...
, and was the head of navigation until navigation ceased at the beginning of the 20th century. The navigation works were undertaken in the 15th century by the lords of Montreuil-Bellay, who in turn were granted letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
by King Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
allowing them to raise a tax on wine that would pass through their land.