BLOIS, central France, capital of the department of Loir-et Cher, 35m. S.W. of Orleans, on the railway between that city and Tours. Pop. (1931) 19,679. It is situated in a wooded district on the right bank of the Loire, stretching up the slopes of the hills on either side. Blois is first mentioned by Gregory of Tours in the 6th century, and increased in importance as the seat of a powerful countship (see below). In 1196 Count Louis granted privileges to the townsmen. The oldest part of the château was built in the 13th century. In 1429 Joan of Arc made Blois her base of operations for the relief of Orleans. In the 16th century Blois was often the resort of the French court. Its inhabitants included many Calvinists, and struggles between them and Roman Catholics occurred (16th century). In 1814 Blois was for a short time the seat of the regency of Marie Louise, wife of Napoleon I. An 18th-century bridge unites Blois with the suburb of Vienne on the left bank of the river. The streets of the higher and older part of the town are narrow and steep. The famous château of the family of Orleans (see ARCHITECTURE : RENAISSANCE ARCHI TECTURE IN FRANCE), a fine example of Renaissance architecture, stands on the more westerly of the two hills. It has three main wings and a fourth smaller one, and is built round a courtyard. The north-west wing was erected by Francis I., and contains the room where Henry, duke of Guise, was assassinated by order of Henry III. The striking feature of the interior façade is the celebrated spiral staircase tower, the bays of which, with beauti fully sculptured balustrades, project into the courtyard. The north east wing, in which is the entrance to the castle, was built by Louis XII. and is called after him; it contains picture-galleries and a museum. Opposite is the Gaston wing, erected by Gaston, duke of Orleans, brother of Louis XIII., which contains a majes tic domed staircase. In the north corner of the courtyard is the Salle des Etats, which, together with the Donjon in the west corner, survives from the 13th century. The cathedral of St. Louis (17th century), but in Gothic style, is surpassed in interest by St. Nicholas, once the church of the abbey of St. Laumer (12th and 13th centuries). The Renaissance Hotel d'Alluye is one of the best of many mansions. The town is a market for the agricultural and pastoral regions of Beauce and Sologne, and has a considerable trade in grain, the wines of the Loire valley, brandy and timber. It manufactures boots and shoes, biscuits, chocolate, furniture, machinery and vinegar. Blois is the seat of a bishop (17th century), a prefect and a court of assizes. It has a tribunal of first instance, a tribunal of commerce and a board of trade arbitrators.