In the 12th and 13th centuries the
Lordship of Nemours, in the
GatinaisGâtinais was a province of France, containing the area around the valley of the Loing, corresponding roughly to the northeastern part of the départment of Loiret, and the south of the present departments Seine-et-Marne. Under the Bourbons, the Gâtinais had already been divided between the...
,
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, was in possession of the house of
VillebeonVillebéon is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...
, a member of which, Gautier, was
marshal of FranceThe Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
in the middle of the 13th century. The lordship was sold to King
Philip III of FrancePhilip III , called the Bold , was the King of France, succeeding his father, Louis IX, and reigning from 1270 to 1285. He was a member of the House of Capet.-Biography:...
in 1274 and 1276 by Jean and Philippe de Nemours, and was then made a
countyA county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
and given to
Jean III de Grailly, captal de BuchSir Jean III de Grailly, Captal de Buch KG , son of Jean II de Grailly, Captal de Buch, Vicomte de Benauges, and Blanch de Foix...
in 1364.
In 1404,
Charles VI of FranceCharles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
gave it to
Charles III of NavarreCharles II , called "Charles the Bad", was King of Navarre 1349-1387 and Count of Évreux 1343-1387....
, and erected it into a
duchyA duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
in the peerage of France, in exchange to his ancestral county of Évreux in Normandy.
After being confiscated and restored several times, the duchy reverted to the French crown in 1504, after the extinction of the house of Armagnac-Pardiac. In 1507 it was given by
Louis XII of FranceLouis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
to his nephew, Gaston de Foix, who was killed at the
Battle of RavennaThe Battle of Ravenna, fought on 11 April 1512, by forces of the Holy League and France, was a major battle of the War of the League of Cambrai in the Italian Wars...
in 1512. The duchy then returned to the
royal domainThe crown lands, crown estate, royal domain or domaine royal of France refers to the lands, fiefs and rights directly possessed by the kings of France...
, and was detached from it successively for
Giuliano de MediciGiuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici was an Italian nobleman, one of three sons of Lorenzo the Magnificent.-Biography:He was born in Florence, Italy. His brothers were Piero and Giovanni de' Medici....
and his wife Philiberta of Savoy in 1515, for
Louise of SavoyLouise of Savoy was a French noble, Duchess regnant of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, the mother of King Francis I of France...
in 1524, and for Philip of Savoy, Count of Genevois, in 1528.
The descendants of the last-mentioned duke possessed the duchy until its sale to
Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. In 1672 Louis gave it to his brother
Philippe de France, Duke of OrleansPhilippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...
, whose descendants possessed it until the
French RevolutionThe French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. It was one of the many subsidiary titles held by the
House of OrléansOrléans is the name used by several branches of the Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimate male line from the dynasty's founder, Hugh Capet. It became a tradition during France's ancien régime for the duchy of Orléans to be granted as an appanage to a younger son of the king...
.
The title of
Duke of Nemours was afterwards given to Louis Charles, son of King
Louis Philippe of the FrenchLouis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
.
House of Evreux (1404-1504)
- Charles d'Évreux
Charles III , called the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1387 to his death and Count of Évreux from 1387 to 1404, when he exchanged it for the title Duke of Nemours...
(1361–1425), also King of Navarre
After the death of Charles III in 1425, the Duchy was claimed both by the descendants of his younger daughter, Beatrix d'Evreux, and his elder daughter and heiress,
Blanche I of NavarreBlanche I was Queen of Navarre from 1425 to 1441. She became queen regnant upon the death of her father King Charles III of Navarre...
.
Louis XILouis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
settled the claim on
Jacques d'ArmagnacJacques d'Armagnac, duke of Nemours was the son of Bernard d'Armagnac, count of Pardiac, and Eleanor of Bourbon-La Marche....
, grandson of Beatrix, in 1462, though Blanche's descendants, the Kings of Navarre, claimed the title until 1571.
- Eléanore de Bourbon (1425–1462)
- Jacques d'Armagnac
Jacques d'Armagnac, duke of Nemours was the son of Bernard d'Armagnac, count of Pardiac, and Eleanor of Bourbon-La Marche....
(1462–1477)
- confiscated from Jacques at his execution for treason in 1477, restored to his son Jean in 1484
- Jean d'Armagnac
Jean d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours was the son of Jacques d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours and Louise of Anjou. His father's possessions were confiscated on his execution in 1477, but Jean was restored to Nemours and the family's other lands in 1484. He led a dissipated life, and his siblings sued him to...
(1484–1500)
- Louis d'Armagnac
Louis d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours , known for most of his life as the Count of Guise, was the third son of Jacques d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours and Louise of Anjou....
(1500–1503)
- Marguerite d'Armagnac (1503)
- Charlotte d'Armagnac (1503–1504)
- The last descendant of Beatrix d'Evreux, she died without issue.
House of Medici (1515-1524)
- Giuliano di Medici
Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici was an Italian nobleman, one of three sons of Lorenzo the Magnificent.-Biography:He was born in Florence, Italy. His brothers were Piero and Giovanni de' Medici....
(1515–1516), married to:
- Philiberte of Savoy (1516–1524)
House of Savoy (1524-1672)
- Louise of Savoy
Louise of Savoy was a French noble, Duchess regnant of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, the mother of King Francis I of France...
(1524–1531), Duchess of Angoulême, Francis I of FranceFrancis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
's mother.
She received the duchy of Nemours in 1524 with the duchy of Anjou. It was later transferred to her half-brother in 1528 and she received the
duchy of TouraineDuke of Touraine was a title in the Peerage of France, relating to Touraine.It was first created in 1360 for Philip, youngest son of King John II of France. He returned the duchy to the Crown in 1363 on being made Duke of Burgundy and died in 1404....
in exchange . She also received later the Duchy of Auvergne.
- Philip of Savoy (1528–1533)
- James of Savoy (1531–1585)
- Charles Emmanuel of Savoy (1567–1595)
- Henry of Savoy (1572–1632)
- Louis of Savoy (1615–1641)
- Charles Amadeus of Savoy (1624–1652)
- Henry of Savoy (1625–1659)
House of Orléans (1672-1848)
- Philippe de France
Philippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...
(1640–1701)
- Philippe d'Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
(1674–1723), Regent of France 1715–1723, son of the above;
- Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans (1703–1752), son of the above;
- Louis Philippe d'Orléans
Louis Philippe d'Orléans known as le Gros , was a French nobleman, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the dynasty then ruling France. The First Prince of the Blood after 1752, he was the most senior male at the French court after the immediate royal family. He was the father of...
(1725–1785), son of the above;
- Philippe d'Orléans, Philippe Égalité
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
(1747–1793), son of the above;
- Louis Philippe d'Orléans
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
(1773–1850), King of the French, 1830–1848, son of the above;
Titular Dukes of the House of Orléans
- Louis d'Orléans (1850–1896), son of the above;
- Charles Philippe d'Orléans (1905–1970), great grand son of the above;