The circumstances surrounding the Adhémar family's settlement in Grignan are still unclear. The first lord known from an authentic text of 1239 is Giraud AdhémarHis first name will also be passed on to eleven of his descendants. The Adhémar family is omnipresent in the region ; its history is closely linked to the castle throughout the Middle Ages.
The Adhémar family will experience military honors and, during the crusades, distinguish themselves in the profession of arms. It was at the end of the 15th century that Gaucher Adhémar inherited the castle of Grignan and became Baron of GrignanHe organized the first transformations of the building and initiated the construction of the grand gallery.
Gaucher Adhémar died in 1516. His son Louis succeeded him. A gentleman of the bedchamber to King Francis I, he fought under his command in Italy. The king visited him at the castle in 1533. During his lifetime, Louis Adhémar radically transformed the castle. In 1535, he began the construction of the Church of Saint-Sauveur.
Gaucher, cupbearer and later squire to King Louis XI, became Baron of Grignan in 1478 upon the death of his brother Géraud. He paid homage for the barony of Grignan to the Angevin Counts of Provence until the annexation of Provence to the Kingdom of France in 1481. Married to Diane de Montfort, heiress of the Duchy of Termoli and the County of Campobasso, he led the first works aimed at transforming and developing the old fortress of Grignan.
Upon his death in 1516, the medieval castle began its transformation into a prestigious residence.
Luce RUNGETTELouis Adhémar inherited the title of Baron of Grignan upon the death of his father, Gaucher, in 1516. He was married to Anne de Saint Chamond, niece of Cardinal François de Tournon, who introduced Louis into the inner circle of King Francis I.er.
Louis Adhémar held numerous positions: advisor to the king and gentleman of the bedchamber, governor of Marseille and the forts of Notre Dame and the Château d'If, governor of Provence. In Rome, he was the ambassador of Francis I.er with Pope Paul III Farnese. The king visited him at the castle in 1533.
For Grignan, he commissioned an architectural program that symbolized his success. In June 1558, a few months before Louis's death, Henry II raised the barony of Grignan to a county. His heirs would therefore bear the title of Count of Grignan.
