d
cardinal, in the chateau, where their deaths were shortly followed by
that of the queen-mother, Catherine de' Medici. From 1617 to 1619 Marie
de' Medici, wife of King Henry IV., exiled from the court, lived at the
chateau, which was soon afterwards given by Louis XIII. to his brother
Gaston, duke of Orleans, who lived there till his death in 1660. The
bishopric dates from the end of the 17th century. In 1814 Blois was for
a short time the seat of the regency of Marie Louise, wife of Napoleon
I.

See L. de la Saussaye, _Blois et ses environs_ (1873); _Histoire du
chateau de Blois_ (1873); L. Bergevin et A. Dupre, _Histoire de Blois_
(1847).

BLOIS, COUNTSHIP OF. From 865 to about 940 the countship of Blois was
one of those which were held in fee by the margrave of Neustria, Robert
the Strong, and by his successors, the abbot Hugh, Odo (or Eudes),
Robert II. and Hugh the Great. It then passed, about 940 and for nearly
three centuries, to a new family of counts, whose chiefs, at first
vassals of the dukes of France, Hugh the Great and Hugh Capet, became in
987, by the accession of the Capetian dynasty to the throne of France,
the direct vassals of the crown. These new counts were orjginally very
powerful. With the countship of Blois they united, from 940 to 1044,
that of Touraine, and from about 950 to 1218, and afterwards from 1269
to 1286, the countship of Chartres remained in their possession.

The counts of Blois of the house of the Theobalds (Thibauds) began with
Theobald I., the Cheat, who became count about 940. He was succeeded by
his son, Odo (Eudes) I., about 975. Theobald II., eldest son of Odo I.,
became count in 996, and was succeeded by Odo II., younger son of Odo
I., about 1005. Odo II. was one of the most warlike barons of his time.
With the already considerable domains which he held from his ancestors,
he united the heritage of his kinsman, Stephen I., count of Troyes. In
1033 he disputed the crown of Burgundy with the emperor, Conrad the
Salic, and perished in 1037 while fighting in Lorraine. He was succeeded
in 1037 by his eldest son, Theobald III., who was defeated by the
Angevins in 1044, and was forced to give up the town of Tours and its
dependencies to the count of Anjou. In 1089 Stephen Henry, eldest son of
Theobald III., became count. He took part in the first crusade, fell
into the hands of the Saracens, and died in captivity; he married Adela,
daughter of William I., king of Eng