His son and successor, Richard Lionheart lived in Chinon before leaving for the Crusade in 1190 from which he returned four years later. According to the legend, he came back to Chinon to die there in 1199. He was buried in the abbey of Fontevrault.

The Plantagenet empire then came into the hands of John the Landless, Richard Lionheart's brother. His intrigues and treachery caused him the enmity of his barons who appealed against him in the Royal court of Paris. After the trial, John the Landless had his French fiefs confiscated. Thus, he was a King of England on French land. In the meantime, King Philip of France began a policy of reconquest of the fortified towns that were occupied by the English. After a year's siege, King Philip seized the castle on the 24th of June 1205, marking the end of the Plantagenet domination of Touraine.

During the 15th century, Chinon came back onto the historical scene.
The Dauphin Charles, future Charles VII took refuge in Chinon after having been chased from Paris in 1418. He made it his favourite residence and the centre of his power. On the 8th of March 1429, Charles VII, having become king, received a courtier who was no other than the disguised Joan of Arc. She went straight to the King, kissed his knees and said:
"Gentle Dauphin (Charles hadn't yet been crowned so, to her, he was still a prince), my name is Joan the Maiden. Our Lord has sent me to you to lead you to Rheims to raise the siege the English hold before our good city of Orleans. God, at the angels' request, doesn't want that city to be held."
The court doubted the sincerity of the young girl and made her appear in front of an assembly of theologians and clerics. Joan of Arc came out with the status of "messenger from God". The King then gave her an army with which she left to raise the siege of Orleans. She came back to Chinon victorious and convinced the King to go to Rheims to be crowned. On the 23rd of May 1430, she was made prisoner in Compiegne and declared a heretic. She was burnt at the stake on the 30th of May 1430.
After that, little by little the Kings abandoned Chinon for Blois, Amboise, Fontainebleau and Versailles.


Chinon on the web :

The Chinon tourist office and wines association website : the town, its museums, its tourist events, the history of wine, a map of the vineyard and the characteristics of Loire Valley wines. A bilingual website.

Chinon : the town's history since the Gallo-Roman period, the architecture of the town, biographies of the important characters (the Counts of Blois and Anjou and the Plantagenets).