The county of Perche was a medieval county lying between
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 ...
and
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
.
It was held by an independent line of counts until 1226. One of these, Geoffroy V, would have been a leader of the
Fourth Crusade had he not died before the assembled forces could depart. The county then became a possession of the crown, which removed part of it to create the county of
Alençon.
After 1325, both counties were generally held by a member or members of a
cadet line of 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 f ...
. Upon the death without children of the last Duke of Alençon in 1525, it returned to the crown, and was granted only sporadically thereafter.
Lords of Mortagne, lords of Nogent-le-Rotrou and viscounts of Châteaudun
The lords of Perche were originally titled lords of
Mortagne-au-Perche
Mortagne-au-Perche () is a commune in the Orne department in Normandy, north-western France.
Heraldry
Population
People
*Geoffrey II, Count of Perche and Mortagne, grandfather of Queen Margaret of L'Aigle.
* Marie of Armagnac, duchess of ...
, until Routrou III adopted the style of count of Perche in 1126, thus uniting the
lordship of Mortagne-au-Perche, the
viscountcy of Châteaudun and the
lordship of Nogent-le-Rotrou in the
countship of Perche and Montagne
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
.
Lords of Mortagne
House of Rorgonid
*
Hervé I, 941- 955
* Hervé II, 974–980, son of the previous
Here after, the title is merged with the viscount of Châteaudun and the lord of Nogent-le-Rotrou.
Lords of Nogent-le-Rotrou
House of Nogent-le-Rotrou
* Rotrou I, 960–996
*
Fulcois, son of the previous and husband of
Melisende, Viscountess of Châteaudun, daughter of Herve I
Here after, the title is merged with the viscount of Châteaudun and the lord of Mortagne-au-Perche
Viscounts of Châteaudun
House of Châteaudun
* ...
Lords and counts of Perche and Mortagne
House of Châteaudun
* Fulcuich, c. 1000
*
Geoffroy I, d. bef. 1041 (viscount of Châteaudun, lord of Nogent-le-Rotrou and of Mortagne-au Perche)
*
Hugh I, d. c. 1077–1080 (viscount of Châteaudun, lord of Nogent-le-Rotrou and of Mortagne-au Perche)
*
Rotrou II, d. c. 1077–1080 (viscount of Châteaudun, lord of Nogent-le-Rotrou and of Mortagne-au Perche)
Here after, the title is separated in
count of Perche and
count of Mortagne.
Counts of Perche
House of Châteaudun
*
Geoffroy II, d. 1100, a
companion of William the Conqueror
*
Rotrou III the Great, d. 1144 (also
Count of Mortagne 1126–1144), married to
Matilda (second wife) and Hawise of Salisbury, daughter of Walter of Salisbury (third wife)
*
Rotrou IV, under the regency of his mother Hawise and her second husband
Robert I of Dreux
Robert I of Dreux, nicknamed ''the Great'' ( – 11 October 1188), was the fifth son of Louis VI of France and Adélaide de Maurienne.
Life
In 1137 he received the County of Dreux as an appanage from his father. He held this title until 1184 ...
. Married to Matilda (d. 1184), daughter of
Theobald IV. Killed at
Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to:
* Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade
*Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade
* Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth.
*Siege of A ...
, 1191.
*
Geoffroy III, d. 1202 (married
Matilda of Saxony (1172-1209/10))
*
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
, killed at the
Battle of Lincoln, 1217
*
William II, d. 1226 (
Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
)
Here after the county returned to the
royal domain.
The title of count of Perche was granted anew by the king to members of the
House of Maine and the
House of Châteaudun.
* ...
House of Valois
* 1325–1346 :
Charles II of Alençon
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...
* 1346–1377 :
Robert of Alençon
Robert of Alençon (1344–1377) was the son of Charles II of Alençon and Maria de La Cerda y Lara. He succeeded his father in 1346 as Count of Perche The county of Perche was a medieval county lying between Normandy and Maine.
It was held by ...
* 1377–1404 :
Peter II of Alençon
* 1404–1415 :
John I of Alençon
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
* 1415–1474 :
John II of Alençon
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
The county was confiscated by the crown between 1474 and 1478, but was then returned to the family.
* 1478–1492 :
René of Alençon
* 1492–1525 :
Charles IV of Alençon, son of, married
Margareth of Navarre
* 1525–1549 :
Margareth of Navarre, widow of
After the death of Margareth of Navarre the fief went to the royal domain. Here after the title of duke of Perche was personally granted by the king from time to time.
Dukes of Perche
House of Valois
*
Francis, duke of Perche (1566–1584)
House of Bourbon
*
Louis, duke of Perche (1771–1814)
English title
*
Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury
Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury, KG (13 June 13883 November 1428) of Bisham in Berkshire, was an English nobleman and one of the most important English commanders during the Hundred Years' War.
Origins
He was the eldest son of John Mont ...
was created ''Earl of Perche'' in 1419 as part of
Henry V of England's policy of creating Norman titles for his noblemen.
[''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 11th Ed. Vol XXIV. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1910. pg 78.]
*
Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche
Thomas Beaufort, styled 1st Count of Perche (c. 1405 – 3 October 1431) was a member of the Beaufort family and an English commander during the Hundred Years' War.
He was the third son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and his wife, Margaret ...
was created Count of Perche in December 1427, but the title was contested with
John II of Alençon
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
.
*
Humphrey Stafford, 6th Earl of Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham was created count of Perche in 1431 by
Henry VI of England as titular king of France.
References
{{reflist
Perche
People associated with Sandleford, Berkshire