Married to the daughter of the wealthy Charles, Duke of Brittany, Louis had the castle modified, and in 1373 commissioned the famous Apocalypse Tapestry from the painter Hennequin de Bruges and the Parisian tapestry-weaver Nicolas Bataille.

[4] In the early 15th century, the hapless dauphin who, with the assistance of Joan of Arc would become King Charles VII, had to flee Paris and was given sanctuary at the Château d'Angers.

In 1562, Catherine de' Medici had the castle restored as a powerful fortress, but, her son, Henry III, reduced the height of the towers and had the towers and walls stripped of their embattlements; Henry III used the castle stones to build streets and develop the village of Angers.

Nonetheless, under threat of attacks from the Huguenots, the king maintained the castle's defensive capabilities by making it a military outpost and by installing artillery on the château's upper terraces.

At the end of the 18th century, as a military garrison, it showed its worth when its thick walls withstood a massive bombardment by cannons from the Vendean army.

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, best known for defeating Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo, was trained at the Military Academy of Angers.

It was severely damaged during World War II by the Nazis when an ammunition storage dump inside the castle exploded.

The Royal Logis, which contains old tomes and administrative offices, was the most heavily damaged part of the château, resulting in 400 square metres (4,300 sq ft) of the roof being completely burnt.