Château d'Airvault is a medieval castle in the French town of Airvault in the Deux-Sèvres department in Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes region. The city of Airvault is spread out in the valley of Thouet around two monuments, the abbey and Saint-Pierre church, dominated by the citadel built on a hill. This strategic position in the Middle Ages was an important part of the powerful defense system of the city.Airvault Castle was built on an ancient castrum The castle was besieged and conquered in 1207 by Philippe Auguste. September 22, 1565, Jean Ysoré, baron of Airvault had the honor to welcome Charles IX and the little prince of Navarre (later Henry IV). On 3 October 1569, after the battle of Moncontour which saw the victory of the Duke of Anjou (the future Henry III), Gaspard de Coligny, who commanded the beaten Calvinists ordered to set fire to the castle to avenge Ysoré René (son of Jean Ysoré) which contributed to his defeat. Burned the castle was abandoned by his lords. In the early twentieth century the owner built housing in the backyard. The remains of the castle were listed historical monument October 3rd, 1929 and filed September 24, 2007 in respect of the enclosure and its towers, remains of the Barbican and soil.
http://www.frenchchateau.net/chateaux-of-poitou-charentes/chateau-d-airvault.html

Château d'Airvault

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The site of Saint-Loup enjoys a strategic position...
The site of Saint-Loup is placed at a strategic position where two rivers meet : the Thouet and Cébron. It lies on the border of the flat plain of Poitou and the hilly landscaped Bocage Gatinais. From the early days it was surrounded by military constructions, of which the Château constituted the northern link. Writing refer to Drogon ( XII th c.), first lord to be known.
At the end of the medieval period, influenced by the Dercé family ( from Loudun ), was built a fortress of which remain the Keep ( XII th c. ) and adjacent buildings refurbished in the Gothic revival style in the XIX th c.
The black Prince imprisoned in the famous Keep the French King John the Good ( see below ) after the battle of Poitiers in 1356. The entrance of the square tower was then protected by a portcullis. Today the Keep and adjacent  buildings have been converted into an autonomous self-contained unit with 6/7 bedrooms, sitting room, dinning-room and kitchen.
The Renaissance molded the castle to its present shape. In 1518 Artus Gouffier, the King's chamberlain, took posssession of the site. His family - whose spirit is " the research of excellence " also built the Château of Oiron located 19 miles away.
The present Château ( 1609 - 1626 ) was built by Claude and Louis : plan in the shape of an H in the honor of King Henry the IV th with wings disposed as separate entities and independent vertical roofs. The coatings were painted ( a fresco ) in false brick. A campanile tops the central Pavillon. All these elements confer to the Château the architectural style which existed at the beginning of classicism, which is called the Louis XIII style.
From then on, the domain is adorned by sumptuous gardens designed and built by the most prominent gardeners of their time. A document describes a meeting in 1631 between the Gardener of the Gouffier family Jamin, with those of the Cardinal de Richelieu and Duke de la Tremouille.
Under the old Regime, the lords of Saint-Loup keep the flag floating high over Saint-Loup : in 1645, Nicolas Lepage, the King's treasurer, then in the beginning of the XVIII th c. ( 1708 , Jacques de Boyer de la Boissiere, Receiver General of Brittany's finances. The latter's son Jean - Baptiste gives a new glimmer to the site thanks to the new works he undertakes.
In 1767 the Château is sold to Jean Haran de Borda, fermier Général, who bequeaths it in 1772 to his nephew Jean  d'Abbadie, an important magistrate. The Château remained the property of the d'Abbadie family until 1894.
http://en.chateaudesaint-loup.com

Château de Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet

Built from the 16th century by the seigneurial family Les Gouffiers, the Château d’Oiron today houses the contemporary art collection Curios & Mirabilia, loosely based on the theme of the curiosity cabinet in reference to the fabulous art collection of Claude Gouffier, master of King Henry II of France's stables.
Artists reinterpret an exceptional place and original décor - galleries of Renaissance wall paintings in the School of Fontainebleau style, painted panelling and carved woodwork from the 17th century. Visitors are invited to explore "curiosities" and "marvels" following in the footsteps of the Marquis de Carabas - or Puss in Boots, who, it is said, was based on Claude Gouffier.
http://www.chateau-oiron.fr/en/

Château d'Oiron

Château de Tennessus is a French castle located along the provincial road 127, in the extreme southeast of the town of Amailloux in the Deux-Sèvres department in Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou region Charentes. Tennessus Castle was built in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and its tower is already mentioned in 1404. During the Revolution, his owners emigrated in 1792 and in 1793. A decree of the Directory of Deux-Sèvres condemns Tennessus castle demolition, but the sentence will not be executed. The castle was registered as a historical monument January 7, 1943, and the garden soil and their enclosing walls September 28, 1993 and finally common September 19, 2007. The site is now converted into guest rooms. Castle Tennessus is surrounded by a moat and the western part of the enclosure is retained. It surrounds all the farm buildings that surround a rectangular courtyard protected by two towers leveled. The home dates from the seventeenth century and was modified in the eighteenth century. The date 1771 was then placed.
http://www.frenchchateau.net/chateaux-of-poitou-charentes/chateau-de-tennessus.html

Château de Tennessus

The Château de Ternay in the Loire Valley in the province of Poitou (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France) was built by the Aviau de Ternay family. On twelfth-century foundations, the present château is the result of building campaigns from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries.
Charles Louis d'Arsac, Chevalier de Ternay (1722–1780), styled Chevalier de Ternay, born at the château, escorted the French troops of Rochambeau to join the American Revolution. Felled by a fever, he is buried in Trinity churchyard, Newport, Rhode Island.
Still the seat of the comte and comtesse de Ternay, today the château is open for tours and overnight guests.
It has been listed as a Monument historique since 1996.