Brézé was the name of a

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

Angevin family. The founder and most famous member of the family was

Pierre de Brézé Pierre de Brézé (or de Brezé) ( 1410 – 16 July 1465) was a French soldier and courtier in the service of kings Charles VII and Louis XI. Early life Pierre de Brézé was born circa 1410. Career De Brézé rose to prominence during the Hu ...

(c. 1410–1465), one of the trusted soldiers and statesmen of Charles VII. He was succeeded as

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

by his eldest son, Jacques de Brézé (c. 1440–1490), count of Maulevrier; and then by his grandson, Louis de Brézé (died 1531), husband of the famous

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and family' ...

, whose tomb in Rouen Cathedral, attributed to

Jean Goujon Jean Goujon (c. 1510 – c. 1565)Thirion, Jacques (1996). "Goujon, Jean" in ''The Dictionary of Art'', edited by Jane Turner; vol. 13, pp. 225–227. London: Macmillan. Reprinted 1998 with minor corrections: . was a French Renaissance sculpt ...

and

Jean Cousin the Elder Jean Cousin (1500 – before 1593) was a French painter, sculptor, etcher, engraver, and geometrician. He is known as "Jean Cousin the Elder" to distinguish him from his son Jean Cousin the Younger, also an artist. Career Cousin was born at ...

, is a splendid example of French Renaissance work. The lordship of Brézé passed eventually to

Claire Clémence de Maillé Clair or Claire may refer to: *Claire (given name), a list of people with the name Claire * Clair (surname) Places Canada * Clair, New Brunswick, a former village, now part of Haut-Madawaska * Clair Parish, New Brunswick * Pointe-Claire, Q ...

Princess of Condé Princess of Condé See also *Duchess of Bourbon *Duchess of Guise Lady of Guise Non hereditary, 950–? Elder House of Guise, ?–1185 House of Avesnes, 1185–1244 House of Châtillon, 1244–1404 House of Valois-Anjou, 1404–14 ...

, who sold it to Thomas Dreux, who took the name of Dreux-Brézé when it was erected into a marquisate. Henri Evrard, marquis de Dreux-Brézé (1762–1829) succeeded his father as master of the ceremonies to

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

in 1781. He died on 27 January 1829, when he was succeeded in the peerage and at court by his son Scipion (1793–1845).

Notable members of the Brézé family

Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

(grandson of Pierre) * Claire Clémence de Maillé Brézé * Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé (brother of Claire Clémence) * Urbain de Maillé-Brézé (1597 – February, 13 1650), Marshal of France, Marquis de Brézé

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breze French noble families Surnames