The Valois ( , also , ; originally ''Pagus Valensis'') was a region in the valley of the

Oise river The Oise ( ; ) is a river of Belgium and France, flowing for from its source in the Belgian province of Hainaut, south of Chimay. It crosses the border with France after about . It flows into the Seine at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a north-wester ...

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hist ...

in the north of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It was a fief in

West Francia In medieval history, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () refers to the western part of the Frankish Empire established by Charlemagne. It represents the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about ...

and subsequently the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

until its counts furnished a line of kings, the

House of Valois The Capetian house of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589. Junior members of the ...

, to succeed the

House of Capet The House of Capet (french: Maison capétienne) or the Direct Capetians (''Capétiens directs''), also called the House of France (''la maison de France''), or simply the Capets, ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most ...

in 1328. It was, along with the counties of

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populo ...

, the

Vexin Vexin () is an historical county of northwestern France. It covers a verdant plateau on the right bank (north) of the Seine running roughly east to west between Pontoise and Romilly-sur-Andelle (about 20 km from Rouen), and north to south ...

Vermandois Vermandois was a French county that appeared in the Merovingian period. Its name derives from that of an ancient tribe, the Viromandui. In the 10th century, it was organised around two castellan domains: St Quentin (Aisne) and Péronne (Somme ...

, and

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territori ...

, part of the "Oise line" of ''

fiefdom A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of ...

s'' which were held often by one individual or an individual family as a string of defences against

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and s ...

assault on Paris. The medieval county and duchy of Valois was located in northern France in northeastern

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

. Its capital was Crépy-en-Valois.Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. "Valois". '' Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary''. 9th ed. Springfield, MA:

Merriam-Webster Merriam-Webster, Inc. is an American company that publishes reference books and is especially known for its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States. In 1831, George and Charles Merriam founded the company as ...

Inc., 1985. , (indexed), and (deluxe).

Counts of Valois

Carolingian counts

Pepin, Count of Vermandois Pepin II (french: Pépin; c. 817—after 850) was Count of Vermandois, lord of Senlis, Péronne and Saint Quentin. He was son of King Bernard of Italy (a grandson of Charlemagne) and his Queen, Cunigunda of Laon. He supported Emperor Lothar afte ...

and Valois (Pepin II), son of

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

, King of Italy. * ca. 886–893

Pepin III the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of t ...

– son of previous, count of Vermandois and Valois. * ca. 893–895

Herbert I, Count of Vermandois Herbert I (c. 848/850 – 907) or Heribertus I, Count of Vermandois, Count of Meaux, Count of Soissons, and lay abbot of Saint Quentin. He was a Carolingian aristocrat who played a significant role in Francia. Herbert was the son of Pepin of ...

– brother of previous, count of Vermandois.

Counts of disputed origin

* about 895–919 Ermenfroi, also count of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

and the

* 915–926 Ralph I of Ostrevent, also count of Amiens and the Vexin, married daughter, Eldegarde, of preceding * 926–943 Ralph II, also count of Amiens and the Vexin, son of preceding * 943-after 992 Walter I, also count of Amiens and the Vexin, apparently brother or son of preceding * about 998-after 1017 Walter II the White, also count of Amiens and the Vexin, son of preceding *1017/24–1038

Ralph III of Valois Ralph III (french: Raoul; died 1038) was the count of Valois from his father's death until his own. He was the second son of Walter II, count of Valois, Vexin and Amiens, and his wife Adela. His father died between 1017 and 1024, leaving Vexin and ...

*1025–1074 Ralph IV, also

count of the Vexin The county of the Vexin was a medieval French county that was later partitioned between the '' Vexin Français'' (French Vexin) and the '' Vexin Normand'' (Norman Vexin). Carolingian counts * 753-764 Romuald, survivor of the Battle of Poitiers ( ...

and

after 1063, whose third wife was

Anne of Kiev Anne of Kiev or Anna Yaroslavna, Russian: Анна Ярославна (c. 1030 – 1075) was a Rus' princess who became Queen of France in 1051 upon marrying King Henry I. She ruled the kingdom as regent during the minority of their son Philip ...

, dowager queen of France (that marriage was childless) *1074–1077

Simon de Crépy Simon de Crépy (c. 1047 – 1081) was Count of Amiens, of the Vexin and of Valois from 1074 until 1077. He was the son of Count Ralph IV of Valois and Adèle of Bar-sur-Aube and thus the brother of Adele of Valois. He is also known as Simo ...

, also

and

, he became a monk, and his lands were dispersed, Valois going to his sister's husband *

Adele of Valois Adele of Valois (''Adèle/Adélaïde'') was a daughter of Ralph IV of Valois and Adele of Bar-sur-Aube. She married firstly Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois and they had: # Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois # Odo I, Count of Vermandois She wa ...

– the sister of Simon

Vermandois Carolingian counts

* Herbert IV (−1080),

Count of Vermandois The Count of Vermandois was the ruler of the county of Vermandois. Beneficiary counts of Vermandois * Leodegar, Count of Vermandois (c. 484). * Emerannus (c. 511), son of previous. * Wagon I (c. 550). * Wagon II (c. 600), son of previous. * B ...

, a descendant of Pepin II, became count of Valois by marriage with

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

, daughter of Ralph IV * Odo I the Insane (1080–1085), Count of Vermandois and of Valois, son of previous, he was disinheredited by the council of Barons of France and then he was lord of Saint-Simon by marriage. *

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

– sister of previous, countess of Vermandois and Valois, wife of Hugh.

Capetian counts

* Hugh I Magnus (the Great) (1085–1101), Count of Vermandois and of Valois, son of

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the No ...

and

. * Raoul I the Valiant (1102–1152), also known as ''Le Borgne'', Count of Vermandois and of Valois, son of previous. * Hugh II (1152–1160), Count of Vermandois and of Valois, son of Raoul I and

Eléonore of Blois Eleanor of Blois or Champagne (French: ''Eléonore''; 1102–1147) was a French noblewoman. Life She was daughter of Stephen, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy, daughter of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. Eleanor married Ralph ...

. * Raoul II (1160–1167), Count of Vermandois and of Valois, son of Raoul I and of

Petronilla of Aquitaine Petronilla of Aquitaine ( 1125 – c.1151) was the second daughter of William X of Aquitaine and Aenor of Châtellerault. She was the elder sister of William Aigret and the younger sister of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was Queen consort of Franc ...

. *

Philip of Alsace Philip I (1143 – 1 August 1191), commonly known as Philip of Alsace, was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. During his rule Flanders prospered economically. He took part in two crusades and died of disease in the Holy Land. Count of Flanders ...

(1167–1185),

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the ...

(1168–1191), Count of Vermandois and of Valois by marriage To the ''royal domain'' by king Philip II *

Blanche of Castile Blanche of Castile ( es, Blanca de Castilla; 4 March 1188 – 27 November 1252) was Queen of France by marriage to Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX: during his minority from 1226 until 1234, and duri ...

(1240–1252) * Jean-Tristan (1269–1270)

Valois counts

:''In royal domain'' *

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

(1284–1325) * Philip I (1325–1328) :''in royal domain'' * Philip II (1344–1375) *''in royal domain'' *

Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Bloi ...

(1386?–1406)

Dukes of Valois

* Charles d'Orléans (1406–1465) * Louis (1465–1498) :''in royal domain'' *

François François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...

(Duke 1498–1515, King of France as Francis I, 1515–1547) :''in royal domain'' but granted to several ladies of the royal house * Marguerite de Valois (1582–1615) :''in royal domain'' * Gaston (1626–1660) ** Jean Gaston d'Orléans (1650–1652) * Philippe de France (1660–1701) ** Philippe Charles d'Orléans (1664–1666) **Alexandre Louis d'Orléans (1673–1676) * Philippe d'Orléans (1701–1723) * Louis d'Orléans (1723–1752) * Louis Philippe d'Orléans (1752–1785) ** 1773–1785 Louis Philippe d'Orléans (1773–1850) * Philippe d'Orléans (1785–1793) * Louis Philippe d'Orléans (1773–1850) Thus the house of Valois is descended from Charles I, and has been divided into several lines, three of which have reigned in France. These are: # the direct line, beginning with Philip VI, which reigned from 1328 to 1498 # the Orléans branch, descended from

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and b ...

, from 1498 to 1515 # the Angoulême branch, descendants of John, Count of Angoulême, from 1515 to 1589. Other Valois branches are: the dukes of Alençon, descendants of Charles, a younger son of Charles I, count of Valois; the

Dukes of Anjou The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by Charles the Bald in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of Count of Anjou. The Robertians ...

, descendants of Louis, the second son of King John II; and the

dukes of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

, descendants of Philip, the fourth son of the same king.

Notes

References

*Anselme, (Père), ''Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la Maison Royale de France, des pairs, grands officiers de la couronne & de la maison du Roy'', 1726. *Fouquier-Cholet, Eloi, Q.A. ''Histoire des comtes héréditaires de Vermandois'', Saint-Quentin, 1832. *Mabillon, Jean, ''Annales ord. Sancti Benedicti. Ticinense. Lucae'', 1739. *Moreri, Louis, ''Le Grand Dictionnaire Historique'', Paris, 1743–1749. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Counts And Dukes of Valois Valois Valois Valois