Duke of Navarre
Encyclopedia
Duke of Navarre was a noble title of the First French Empire
.
It was created by Letters Patent
of 9 April 1810 for Empress Joséphine
following her divorce the preceding month. The title related to the château de Navarre
in Normandy and not the former Kingdom of Navarre
.
She died in 1814 and was succeeded by her grandsons Auguste
(died 1835) and Maximilian. On Maximilian's death in 1852, during the Second Empire, his eldest son Nicholas was prevented from succeeding. Through his mother, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, he was a member of a foreign royal family and thus unable to take the required oath to establish succession to the majorat
. The title therefore lapsed.
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
.
It was created by Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
of 9 April 1810 for Empress Joséphine
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
following her divorce the preceding month. The title related to the château de Navarre
Château de Navarre
The Château de Navarre was a château near Évreux in Normandy. It was built for Queen Joan II of Navarre and later came into the possession of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne....
in Normandy and not the former Kingdom of Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
.
She died in 1814 and was succeeded by her grandsons Auguste
Auguste de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg
Auguste Charles Eugène Napoléon de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg was the first Prince consort of Maria II of Portugal.-Family:...
(died 1835) and Maximilian. On Maximilian's death in 1852, during the Second Empire, his eldest son Nicholas was prevented from succeeding. Through his mother, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, he was a member of a foreign royal family and thus unable to take the required oath to establish succession to the majorat
Majorat
Majorat is the right of succession to property according to age . A majorat would be inherited by the oldest son, or if there was no son, the nearest relative. This law existed in some of the European countries and was designed to prevent the distribution of wealthy estates between many members of...
. The title therefore lapsed.