List of French dukedoms
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This is a list of French dukedoms from the beginning of feudalism in the 9th century to the end of the French monarchy in the 19th century.
History
[edit]The Duchies of France were founded in the 9th century by the Carolingian Kings and the princely members of their family who shared the Empire of Charlemagne which they had inherited by reorganizing all the Carolingian kingdoms of France into feudal duchies and counties vassals of the King of France.
Administrative districts
[edit]In the continuity of the administration of the Roman Empire, the various Germanic kingdoms set up districts of command entrusted to representatives of the aristocracy, appointed and dismissed by the sovereign. These dukes often had authority over several counties. The commands of the border regions took the name of "march" (French: marche) or "marquisate" (French: marquisat). The precise geography of these districts is difficult to establish, especially since their contours were very fluctuating. Many of these commands, having become hereditary, evolved into territorial principalities of the feudal type.
| Name | List of Dukes | Creation Date | History of the title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duchy of Bavaria | List | 555 | Annexed by Charlemagne |
| Duchy of Dentelin | 6th century | Duchy of the Merovingian era which extended over Upper Normandy, Picardy and the south-western parts of Belgium (Flanders). | |
| Duchy of Aquitaine then of Guyenne | List | 632 | Feudal duchy in 632 (Duchy-peerage in 1200) for the Merovingian dynasty; passed to the House of Boggide in 670. Extinguished in 768; reestablished in 845 for the House of Poitiers, passed in 893 to the House of Wilhelmide, in 918 to the House of Bellonide of Carcassonne, returned in 928 to the House of Poitou, passed in 932 to the House of Raymondine of Toulouse, returned in 950 to the House of Poitiers, passed in 1168 to the House of Plantagenet, in 1196 to the House of Guelph, returned in 1199 to the House of Plantagenets. Title extinct in 1204. Restored in 1259 for the House of Plantagenet, passed in 1399 to the House of Lancaster, in 1400 to the House of Valois, returned in 1415 to the House of Lancaster then in 1469 to the House of Valois. Title extinct in 1472. This title was reestablished in 1753 for a son of France but died out with his death in 1754. Raised as a courtesy title since 1972 by the elder branch of the Bourbons, held by Emmanuelle de Bourbon (b. 1960) since 1995. |
| Duchy of Alsace | List | 662 | Feudal duchy in 662 for the House of Etichonids, passed in 867 to the House of Carolingian, returned in 870 to the Etichonids, passed in 917 to the House of Wettin, in 926 to the House of Wetterau, in 948 to the House of Liudolfings, returned in 954 to the Wettins then in 973 to the Liudolfings and in 982 to Wetterau, passed in 1038 to the House of Salian, in 1048 to the House of Schweinfurt, in 1057 to the House of Rheinfelden then in 1080 to the House of Hohenstaufen. Title extinguished in 1268. The Duchy of Alsace was a German and not a French fief. |
| Duchy of Gascony | List | 768 | Feudal duchy in 768 for the House of Boggide, passed in 864 to the House of Wilhelmide, in 872 to the House of Pérez de Mittara, in 1032 to the House of Taillefer, in 1036 to the House of Poitiers, then in 1040 to the House of Armagnac. Title extinguished in 1042. |
| Duchy then County of Toulouse | List | 778 | Feudal duchy in 788 for the House of Wilhelmine. Title extinguished in 850, after which Toulouse became a County. |
| Duchy then County of Ponthieu | List | 793 | Feudal duchy in 793 for the House of Ponthieu. Title extinguished in 844, after which Ponthieu became a County. |
| Duchy of Septimania | 817 | Feudal duchy in 817 for the House of Wilhelmine. Title extinguished in 844. | |
| Duke of Brittany | List | 824 / 1547 | Feudal county created in 824 for Nominoé, who titled himself King of Brittany in 840. Reestablished in 939 by the House of Poher, passed in 987 to the House of Rennes, in 1066 to the House of Cornouaille, in 1148 to the House of Perhoët, returned in 1156 to the Rennes, passed in 1196 to the House of Plantagenet, in 1203 to the House of Thouars, in 1221 to the House of Dreux, with Guy Mauclerc who officially took the title of Duke, disputed from 1341 to 1365, passed into the House of Montfort in 1365. Duchy-peerage in 1297, passed in 1514 to the House of Valois. Title extinguished in 1547 with the reunion to the crown of France. Never given as an appanage. Reestablished in 1707 for a son of France, extinguished with his accession to the Louis, Dauphin of France, in 1712. Raised as a courtesy title by the elder branch of the Bourbons from 1950 to 1975. |
| Duchy of Burgundy | List | 877 | Feudal duchy created in 877 (duchy-peerage in 1200) for the House of Nivelonne, passed in 943 to the House of Robertians, which later became Capetian, and in 1364 to the House of Valois. Title extinguished in 1477. Reestablished in 1682 for the House of Bourbon and two sons of France. Title extinguished in 1761. There was also a County of Burgundy, which became Franche-Comté. Raised as a courtesy title by the elder branch of the Bourbons since 2010. |
| Duchy of the Franks | List | 687 | The title of "Duke of the Franks" is more of an appellation, at least for the first holders. Feudal duchy in 886 for the House of Robertians. Title extinguished in 987. |
| Duchy of Normandy | List | 911 | Feudal duchy in 911 (duchy-peerage in 1200) for the House of Normandy, passed in 1135 to the House of Blois then in 1144 to the House of Plantagenet. Title extinguished in France in 1204 (the King of England retains the Channel Islands of which he is still the Duke in the 21st century). Re-established in 1331 for the House of Valois, passed in 1418 to the House of Lancaster then returned in 1465 to the House of Valois. Title extinguished in 1469. Re-established in 1785 for a son of France, but which became extinct when the holder, Louis Charles, acceded to the Dauphin of France in 1789. |
| Duchy of Lorraine | Liust | 911 | Feudal duchy in 911 for the House of Ydulfing, passed in 940 to the House of Liudolfinger, returned in 941 to Ydulfing, passed in 944 to the House of Speyer, returned in 953 to Liudolfinger, passed in 959 to the House of Wigéricide, in 1046 to the House of Lorraine then in 1431 to the House of Valois, returned in 1473 to Lorraine then passed in 1738 to Stanisław Leszczyński, former King of Poland. Title extinguished in 1766 and the duchy then became a province of France. Nevertheless, the title was raised by the dynastic head of the House of Lorraine, which became the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal House of Habsburg-Lorraine, a direct and legitimate descendant of the reigning duke in 1737 and is sometimes still borne today. The Duchy of Lorraine was a fiefdom outside France. |
| County then Duchy of Bar (or Barrois) | Liust | 951 | Feudal duchy in 951 for the Duke of Upper Lorraine. Title extinguished in 1034. Reestablished in 1355 for the House of Mousson, passed in 1419 to the House of Valois, in 1480 to the House of Lorraine then in 1738 to Stanisław Leszczyński, former King of Poland. Title extinguished in 1766, Barrois followed the fate of Lorraine from then on. This title, however, has since followed the same destiny as that of Lorraine, to which it remains traditionally attached and is sometimes borne by the dynastic head of the Imperial and Royal House of Habsburg-Lorraine. |
| Duchy of Narbonne | List | 12th Century | Feudal duchy from the beginning of the 12th century for the Counts of Toulouse. Title extinguished in 1249. |
| Duchy of Langres | List | 1200 | Episcopal duchy-peerage in 1200 for the Bishops of Langres. Title extinguished in 1801 with the 40th duke-bishop César-Guillaume de La Luzerne (1738-1821). |
| Duchy of Laon | List | 1200 | Episcopal duchy-peerage in 1200 for the Bishops of Laon. Title extinguished in 1801 with the 40th duke-bishop Louis-Maxime de Sabran (1739-1811). |
| Duchy of Reims | List | 1200 | Archiepiscopal duchy-peerage in 1200 for the Archbishops of Reims. Title extinguished in 1801 with the 45th duke-archbishop Alexandre-Angélique de Talleyrand-Périgord (1736-1821). |
Feudal titles
[edit]
In the late Middle Ages and the modern era, the duchy and peerage were attributed to smaller feudal groups, mainly former counties. The holders were most often princes of the royal family, under the rule of appanage which required that the extinction of the male descendants of the first holder led to the attachment to the royal domain of the duchy.
| Name | List of Dukes | Creation Date | History of the title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duchy of Auvergne | List | 1226–1271 1360–1521 1528–1532 1569–1574 1773–1778 |
1st creation: for Alphonse of France, Count of Poitiers. 2nd creation: for John of France, passed in 1434 to the Dukes of Bourbon, confiscated in 1521 by the king. 3rd creation: for Louise of Savoy, but returned to the crown on her death. 4th creation: for Duke of Anjou in 1569. When he became King in 1574, the duchy was reunited with the crown. 5th creation: for Count of Artois, as 13th Duke, which he exchanged with the Crown in 1778. |
| Duchy of Bourbon | List | 1327 | Duchy-peerage created in 1327 for Louis I of Bourbon; passed to Louise of Savoy in 1527; then to the House of Valois in 1544. Reestablished in 1661 for the House of Bourbon-Condé. Title extinguished in 1830 with Louis-Henri-Joseph of Bourbon-Condé, 18th Duke. Raised as a courtesy title from 1950 to 1989 by the senior branch of the Bourbons. |
| Duchy of Orléans | List | 1344 | Duchy-peerage created in 1344 for Philip of France. Title extinguished with him and reestablished in 1392, passed in 1626 to the House of Bourbon, then in 1661 to the House of Orléans. Title extinguished in 1842 with Ferdinand-Philippe d'Orléans. Raised as a courtesy title by some of his descendants, including Jacques d'Orléans (b. 1941) since 1969. |
| Duchy of Anjou | List | 1356 | Created in 1356 for Louis of France, the duchy returned to the Crown in 1481. It was awarded in 1515 to Louise of Savoy, then returned to the crown upon her death in 1532. It was awarded as an appanage to the Duke of Anjou in 1566. When he became King Henry III in 1574, the duchy was once again reunited with the crown. In 1576 it became the new appanage of Francis, the King's brother, but when the latter died in 1584, it returned to the Crown. It was no longer awarded as an appanage until 1771, when it returned to the Count of Provence, who held the title as 16th Duke at the time of the abolition of feudal districts. Taken up as a courtesy title by Jacques de Bourbon; since 1946 held by the new senior branch of the Bourbons, borne by Louis Alphonse de Bourbon (b. 1974) since 1989. |
| Duchy of Berry | List | 1360 | Duchy-peerage created in 1360 for John of France. Title extinguished in 1584; reestablished in 1686 for the House of Bourbon. Title extinguished in 1820 with the Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, 14th Duke. Raised as a courtesy title by the elder branch of the Bourbons since 2010. |
| Duchy of Touraine | List | 1360 | Duchy-peerage created in 1360 for Philip of France, passed in 1423 to the House of Douglas, returned in 1424 to the House of Valois. Title extinguished in 1480; reestablished in 1527 for Louise of Savoy then returned in 1576 to the House of Valois. Title extinguished in 1584 with the Francis, 10th Duke. Raised as a courtesy title from 1981 to 1984 by the senior branch of the Bourbons. |
| Duchy of Château-Thierry | List | 1400–1407 1556–1802 |
1st creation: Duchy-peerage created in 1400 for Louis of France 2nd creation: for the House of Bourbon. The title passed to the House of Valois in 1566; then to the House of Orléans-Dunois in 1627, and then to the House of La Tour d'Auvergne de Bouillon in 1651. Title extinguished in 1802 with Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne, 11th Duke. |
| Duchy of Nemours | List | 1404 | Duchy-peerage created in 1404 for King Charles III of Navarre (1361-1425), passed to: the House of Bourbon in 1425, then to the House of Armagnac in 1462, then to the House of Grailly-Foix in 1507, then to the House of Medici in 1514, then to the House of Savoy in 1524, then to the House of Orléans in 1672. Currently held by Jean d'Orléans, 31st Duke (b. 1965) since 2019. |
| Duchy of Valois | List | 1406 | Duchy-peerage created in 1406 for Louis of France, passed to the House of Bourbon in 1630; then to the House of Orléans in 1661. Traditionally held by the eldest son of the Duke of Chartres, but current holder is Jean d'Orléans, 18th Duke (1965) since 2019. |
| Duchy of Alençon | List | 1415–1970 | Duchy-peerage created in 1415 for Jean I of Alençon; passed to the House of Bourbon in 1584; then to the House of Orléans in 1844. Title extinguished in 1910 with Ferdinand of Orléans. Taken up as a courtesy title by his son, Prince Emmanuel, from 1910 to 1931. Extinguished in 1970 with the death of his son, Prince Charles Philippe. |
Modern Duchies
[edit]The duchies of the Ancien régime were more complex than those of the medieval period. Essentially, the new duchies were not independent principalities and the ducal status was not definitively attached to the fiefs erected into duchies. The letters patent of creation contain clauses of succession which regulate the future of the duchies. In most cases, the rule chosen is that of succession by males: upon the extinction of the male descendants of the beneficiary of the erection into a duchy, the duchy reverts to its "previous state" lordship, county or other. Further distinction was made between dukes and peers, who sat in parliament; hereditary dukes, and patent dukes, whose title was not transmissible. In 1566, Charles IX issued an order that set forth that hereditary duchies would be reversible to the Crown in the absence of males heirs.
Some duchies have changed their name during their history: the Duchy of Thouars, for example, is often called the Duchy of Trémoïlle. Furthermore, it was not uncommon for certain fiefs to be erected into duchies under another name. Thus, the Duchy of Montmorency was re-created in 1633 under the name of Enghien, which remained attached to a lake in the Montmorency region, a lake which gave its name to the town of Enghien-les-Bains.
The title of duke, abolished during the French Revolution, was reestablished in 1806. Several dukes were created under the Empire and under the governments that followed. Under the Ancien régime, from the 16th century onwards, the title of Monsieur le Duc was used to designate the eldest son of the Prince of Condé. Duke Henri de Bourbon, who was a minister in 1723, is particularly well known in history under this name.
Duchies created by French sovereigns
[edit]Of the 218 titles created (141 under the Ancien régime, 33 under the First Empire, 33 under the Restoration, 7 under the July Monarchy, 4 under the Second Empire), only about forty remain today, the others becoming extinct.
Duchies created by French sovereigns on foreign territories
[edit]| Title | Date of Creation | Sovereign | Place | Family | Current Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Candale | 1621 | Louis XIII | England | Nogaret de La Valette | 1658 | Created for Henri de Nogaret |
| Duke of Cardona | 1642 | Louis XIII | Spain | La Mothe Houdancourt | 1652 | Created for Marshal Philippe de La Mothe-Houdancourt |
Duchies created by foreign sovereigns on territories annexed by France
[edit]| Title | Date | Sovereign | State | Family | Current Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Aosta | 1845 | Charles Albert | Savoy | Savoy | Extant | Created for Amadeo I of Spain |
| Duke of Caderousse | 1663 | Pope Alexander VII | Holy See | Ancezune | 1865 | |
| Duke of Caumont | 1789 | Pope Pius VI | Holy See | Seytres | 1870 | |
| Duke of Chablais | 1763 | Charles Emmanuel III | Savoy | Savoy | 1854 | Created for Benoît-Maurice of Savoy |
| Duke of Crillon | 1725 | Pope Benedict XIII | Holy See | Crillon | 1870 | Created for François-Félix de Berton des Balbes |
| Duke of Doudeauville | 1782 | Charles III | Spain | Tellier | Extant | Created for François-César Le Tellier de Courtanvaux |
| Duke of Fortia | 1775 | Pope Pius VI | Holy See | Fortia | 1826 | |
| Duke of Gadagne | 1669 | Pope Clement IX | Holy See | Galléan | Extant | Except for title of Napoleon III which is extinct. |
| Duke of Geneva | 1564 | Emmanuel Philibert | Savoy | Savoy | 1724 | Created for Jacques de Savoie, Duke of Nemours |
| Duke of Isnards | 1737 | Pope Clement XII | Holy See | Isnards | 1776 | Created for Esprit-Toussaint des Isnards |
| Duke of Montpezat | 1758 | Pope Benedict XIV | Holy See | Trémolet | Extant |
Duchies created by foreign sovereigns on French territories
[edit]| Title | Date of Creation | Sovereign | Place | Family | Current Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Valentinois | 1920 | Albert I | Monaco | Grimaldi | Extant | Title granted in 1642 by Louis XIII to Honoré II |
Other French dukedoms
[edit]| Title | Date of Creation | Family | Current Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Châtellerault | 1515 | Bourbon-Montpensier | Extant | Duchy-peerage created erected in 1515 on Châtellerault (department of Vienne) for Prince François de Bourbon, passed in 1527 to Louise of Savoy, returned in 1530 to the House of Bourbon, passed in 1540 to the House of Valois then in 1548 to the House of Hamilton, returned in 1563 to the House of Valois then in 1582 to the House of Bourbon and passed in 1730 to the House of La Trémoïlle. Reestablished in 1864 for the House of Hamilton. Since 1979, the title has been held by the 18th Duke, James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn (b. 1934), in Great Britain |
| Duke of Montmorency | 1551 | Montmorency | 1951 | Duchy-peerage created in 1551 on Montmorency (department of Val-d'Oise) for the constable Anne de Montmorency, passed in 1633 to the House of Bourbon-Condé, returned in 1689 and re-created on Montmorency-Beaufort (department of Aube) in the House of Montmorency then passed in 1864 to the House of Talleyrand-Périgord. Title extinguished in 1951 with the 17th Duke, Louis de Talleyrand-Périgord. |
| Duke of Graville | 1563 | Bourbon-Vendôme | 1590 | Duchy-peerage created in 1563 on Graville (department of Seine-Maritime) for Cardinal Charles de Bourbon. Title extinguished in 1590 with the 1st Duke |
| Duke of Enghien | 1566 | Bourbon-Condé | 1569 | Duchy-peerage created in 1566 on Nogent-le-Rotrou (department of Eure-et-Loir) then transferred in 1689 to Montmorency (department of Val-d'Oise) for Louis I, Prince of Condé. Title extinguished in 1804 with the 7th Duke, Louis-Antoine-Henri of Bourbon-Condé. |
| Duke of Mercœur | 1569 | Lorraine | 1712 | Duchy-peerage created in 1569 on Mercœur (department of Puy-de-Dôme) for Nicolas de Lorraine, passed in 1649 to the House of Bourbon. Title extinguished in 1778 with the 9th Duke, Charles-Philippe of France, future King Charles X. |
| Duke of Penthièvre | 1569 | Luxembourg, Lorraine, Bourbon-Vendôme | 1919 | Duchy-peerage created in 1569 on Penthièvre (department of Côtes-d'Armor) for Sébastien de Luxembourg, passed in 1608 to the House of Lorraine, in 1669 to the House of Bourbon then, in 1814, to the House of Orléans. Title extinguished in 1919 with the 12th Duke, Pierre d'Orléans. |
| Duke of Évreux | 1569 | Royal family | 1584 | Duchy-peerage created in 1569 on Évreux (department of Eure) for Prince François de Valois, heir to the Throne of France. Title extinguished in 1584 with the 1st Duke. |
| Duchess of Montargis | 1570 | Royal Family, Este, Lorraine | 1574 | Duchy created in 1570 in the town of Montargis (department of Loiret) for Renée of France. Title extinguished in 1575 with the 1st Duchess. |
| Duke of Saint-Fargeau | 1574 | Bourbon-Montpensier | 1693 | Duchy-peerage created in 1575 on Saint-Fargeau (department of Yonne) for Renée d'Anjou-Mézières and her husband François de Bourbon. Title extinguished in 1681 with the 6th Duchess, Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, known as the "La Grande Mademoiselle". |
| Duke of Piney-Luxembourg | 1576 | Luxembourg, Albert, Clermont, Montmorency-Luxembourg | 1878 | Duchy created in 1576 (duchy-peerage created in 1581) on Piney (department of Aube) for François de Luxembourg, passed in 1620 to the House of Albert, in 1661 to the House of Clermont-Tonnerre then, in 1661, to the House of Montmorency. Title extinguished in 1878 with the 12th Duke, Anne Edouard Louis Joseph de Montmorency-Luxembourg, also Duke of Beaumont, Prince of Luxembourg and Tingry. |
| Duke of Ventadour | 1578 | Lévis | 1717 | Duchy created in 1578 (duchy-peerage created in 1589 on Moustier-Ventadour (department of Corrèze) for Gilbert de Lévis. Title extinguished in 1717 with the 5th, Duke Louis Charles de Lévis. |
| Duke of Elbeuf | 1581 | Lorraine | 1825 | Duchy-peerage created in 1581 on Elbeuf (department of Seine-Maritime) for Charles de Lorraine-Guise. Title extinguished in 1825 with the 6th Duke Charles-Eugène de Lorraine-Guise, also Prince of Lambesc. |
| Duke of Retz | 1581 | Gondi | 1634 | Duchy-peerage created in 1581 on Retz (canton of Machecoul) for Marshal Albert de Gondi. Title extinguished in 1679 with the 4th, Duke Pierre de Gondi. From 1722 to 1734, the future 4th Duke of Villeroy sat as a Peer of France with the title of Duke of Retz. |
| Duke of Biron | 1598 | Gontaut | 1602 | Duchy-peerage created in 1598 on Biron (department of Dordogne) for Marshal Charles de Gontaut. Title extinguished in 1793 with the 8th Duke, Armand Louis de Gontaut, also Duke of Lauzun. |
| Duke of Damville | 1610 | Montmorency | 1719 | Duchy-peerage created in 1610 on Damville (department of Eure) for Charles de Montmorency, passed in 1648 to the House of Lévis then, in 1694, to the House of Bourbon. Title extinguished in 1719 with the 4th Duke, Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse. |
| Duke of Châteauroux | 1616 | Bourbon-Condé | 1830 | |
| Duke of La Roche-Guyon | 1621 | Silly | Extant | Duchy-peerage created in 1621 on La Roche-Guyon (department of Val-d'Oise) for François de Silly, passed in 1643 to the House of Plessis-Liancourt then, in 1679, to the House of La Rochefoucauld. Since 2013, title held by Guy-Antoine de La Rochefoucauld, 6th Duke of La Roche-Guyon (b. 1958). |
| Duke of Villars-Brancas | 1627 | Brancas | 1858 | Duchy created in 1627 (duchy-peerage created in 1652) on Villars (department of Vaucluse) for Georges de Brancas. |
| Duke of Châtelet | 1777 | Châtelet | 1793 | Duchy created in 1777 for Louis Marie Florent du Châtelet. Title extinguished in 1793 with the 1st Duke. |
See also
[edit]- French nobility
- Dukes in France
- Peerage of France
- List of French peers
- List of French peerages
- List of French marquesses