Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Nobility and the Dukes and Duchesses of France (ducs et duchesse)


Noble families are a strong and pervasive political and military presence in Medieval and Early Modern societies. For the cape & sword swashbuckling adventure genre nobles are part of the setting. Frequently the heroes are lower ranking members of the noble class or the gentry. Their patrons and their opponents are often high ranking nobles or royalty and even when the heroes aren't engaged directly with the higher levels of society, the royals and peers of the realm will appear as part of the backdrop and color of the setting. So in my campaign I've used a lot of nobles, some fictional and many who are real.

The highest nobility in France are the Royal Family, the Princes and Princesses of the Blood, and the Peers and Dukes of the realm. Since they are few in number they are nearly all actual historical personages. Here are some links I've found useful in locating real nobles in Europe, especially in France.


Using the list of French Dukedoms above I created this list of the extant French Duchies as of the 1624 date of my campaign.

French Duchies

Title
Date of Creation
Surname
Current Status
Duc d'Angoulême
1619
Valois
Charles de Valois
Duc d'Anjou
1356
Royal family
Gaston de Bourbon
Duc d'Aumale
1547
Lorraine-Guise
Charles of Guise, duc d'Aumale
Duc de Bar
1354
Bar, Anjou, Lorraine
Held by duc de Lorraine
Duc de Beaufort
1597
Estrées, Bourbon-Vendôme
César, Duke of Vendôme
Duc de Bellegarde
1620
Saint-Lary
Roger Saint-Lary
Duc de Brissac
1620
Cossé
Francis de Cossé 2nd duc de Brissac
Duc de Candale
1621
Nogaret de La Valette
Henri de Nogaret de La Valette
Duc de Chartres
1528
Royal Family, Este, Savoie-Nemours
Redeemed by the Crown 1623; in 1626 given to Gaston de Bourbon
Duc de Châteauroux
1616
Bourbon-Condé
Henry de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Duc de Châtellerault
1583
Bourbon-Montpensier, Orléans
Marie de Bourbon, Duchess de Montpensier till 1627; extinct 1693
Duc de Chaulnes
1621
Albert
Honoré d'Albert (b. 1581)
Duc de Fronsac
1608
Orléans-Longueville
François III d'Orléans-Longueville
Duc de Guise
1528
Lorraine
Charles de Lorraine, duc de Guise; Extinct 1688
Duc de Joyeuse
1581
Joyeuse, Lorraine-Guise
Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse, wife of the Duke de Guise; Extinct 1675
Duc de La Valette
1622
Nogaret de La Valette
Bernard de Nogaret
Duc de Lesdiguières
1620
Bonne, Créquy
François de Bonne
Duc de Longueville
1505
Orléans
Henri II d'Orléans AKA
Henri de Valois-Loungueville
Duc de Luynes
1619
Albert
Louis-Charles d'Albert
Duc de Mayenne
1573
Lorraine-Guise, Gonzaga
Charles de Gonzague duc de Nevers
Duc de Mercœur
1569
Lorraine
Françoise Lorraine-Mercœur & her husband César de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme
Duc de Montbazon
1595
Rohan
Hercule de Rohan-Montbazon
Duc de Montmorency
1551
Montmorency
Henri II de Montmorency
Duc de Nemours
1524
Savoie
Henri de Savoy
Duc de Nevers
1539
Albret, Cleves, Gonzaga
Charles de Gonzague duc de Nevers
Duc de Penthièvre
1569
Luxembourg, Lorraine, Bourbon-Vendôme
César de Bourbon
Duc de Piney
1581
Luxembourg, Albert,
Léon d'Albert de Luynes through his wife Marguerite-Charlotte de Luxembourg
Duc de Rethel
1581
Gonzaga
Charles de Gonzague duc de Nevers
Duc de Retz
1581
Gondi
Possibly Jean François de Gondi Archbishop of Paris
Duc de Rohan
1603
Rohan
Henri II duc de Rohan
Duc de Sully
1606
Béthune
Maximilien de Béthune
Duc de Thouars
1563
La Trémoille
Henri de La Trémoille
Duc de Valois
1406,1498,1630
Royal family
1626 given to Gaston de Bourbon
Duc de Vendôme
1515
Bourbon
César, Duke of Vendôme
Duc de Ventadour
1578
Lévis
Henri de Lévis de Ventadour
Duc d'Elbeuf
1581
Lorraine
Charles de Lorraine
Duc d'Epernon
1581
Nogaret de La Valette
Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette
Duc d'Estouteville
1537
Estouteville, Bourbon-Saint-Pôl, Orléans-Longueville,
Held by duc de Longueville
Duc d'Halluin
1588
Hallwin, Schomberg
Charles de Schomberg
Duc d'Orléans
1392
Royal family
1626 given to Gaston de Bourbon after marriage to Marie de Bourbon
Duchess de Chevreuse
1555
Lorraine, Lorraine-Guise
Marie de Rohan; Sold 1655
Duchesse de Montpensier
1608
Bourbon, Orléans
Marie de Bourbon
 

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