Château de Navarre
Encyclopedia
The Château de Navarre was a château
near Évreux
in Normandy
. It was built for Queen Joan II of Navarre
and later came into the possession of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne.
During the First Empire
it was granted to Napoleon's ex-wife Joséphine
, who was created Duchess of Navarre
.
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
near Évreux
Évreux
Évreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.-History:In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. It was built for Queen Joan II of Navarre
Joan II of Navarre
Joan II was Queen of Navarre from 1328 until her death. She was the only daughter of Margaret of Burgundy, first wife of King Louis X of France...
and later came into the possession of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne.
During the First Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
it was granted to Napoleon's ex-wife Joséphine
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
, who was created Duchess of Navarre
Duke of Navarre
Duke of Navarre was a noble title of the First French Empire.It was created by Letters Patent of 9 April 1810 for Empress Joséphine following her divorce the preceding month. The title related to the château de Navarre in Normandy and not the former Kingdom of Navarre.She died in 1814 and was...
.