The title of Duke of Chaulnes (french: duc de Chaulnes), a French

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

, is held by the d'Albert family beginning in 1621.

History

The Duchess of Chaulnes (Anne Josèphe Bonnier, 1718-1787) by Jean Marc Nattier depicted as the goddess Hebe

First creation (1621–1698)

The

duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a Middle Ages, medieval country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once exis ...

of Chaulnes was established by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

in January 1621 and registered on 6 March 1621 at the

Parliament of Paris The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...

for the benefit of Honoré d'Albert (1581–1649),

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

in 1619, known as the Marshal de Cadenet, a younger brother of Charles d'Albert, Duke of Luynes (1578–1621). Honoré d'Albert had married Charlotte Eugénie d'Ailly on 14 January 1620. She was heir to a family holding the titles of Count of

Chaulnes Chaulnes () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Chaulnes lies in the eastern part of the Somme department, 13 km north of Roye. The Chaulnes station is served by local trains between Am ...

(created in December 1563),

Vidame Vidame () was a feudal title in France, a term descended from mediaeval Latin . Like the ''avoué'' or ''advocatus'', the ''vidame'' was originally a secular official chosen by the bishop of the diocese—with the consent of the count—to pe ...

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

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

Picquigny Picquigny () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Picquigny is situated at the junction of the N235, the D141 and D3 roads, on the banks of the river Somme, some northwest (and downstream) of ...

. The marriage contract stipulated that their heirs would take the name and arms of Ailly. The first Duke of Chaulnes had three sons, all of whom took the surname of d'Albert d'Ailly. Of the three sons, only the eldest son Henri-Louis married, but only sired girls. Upon the first Duke's death in 1649, Henri-Louis became the second duke, and when he died four years later in 1653, the title passed to his younger brother,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, who became the third Duke. In 1667, to avoid the title passing into disuse, the 3rd Duke, at the request of his mother, named as his heir

Charles Honoré d'Albert de Luynes 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 " ...

, 7th Duke of Chevreuse (1646–1712), son of

Louis Charles d'Albert de Luynes Louis-Charles d'Albert de Luynes, 2nd Duke of Luynes (25 December 1620 – 10 October 1690), was a French nobleman and peer of France. He was a translator and moralist who was the first translator of the work of René Descartes. Early life Louis ...

the 2nd Duke of Luynes. The Duke of Chevreuse's marriage contract stipulated that the title would pass to the youngest child of his marriage, and, in case the male line subsequently ended, to the youngest of that name who held the arms of the d'Albert family. Thus two distinct houses were created: Luynes, which the Duke of Chevreuse inherited from his father, and Chaulnes, which remained distinct and separate from the former until the direct line of inheritance came to an end. In that case, the two houses should be reunited until it was possible to separate them again (which happened in 1792).

Second creation (1711–1792)

With the death of the 3rd Duke of Chaulnes, the first line of d'Albert d'Ailly ended and the duchy of Chaulnes went to the Duke of Chevreuse,

, who succeeded his father as the 3rd Duke of Luynes the following year in 1699. In 1694, he passed the duchy of Luynes to his eldest son Honoré Charles on the occasion of his marriage to Marie Anne Jeanne de Courcillon (a daughter of

Philippe de Courcillon Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count o ...

), and assigned the duchy of Chaulnes to his younger son Louis Auguste, Vidame d'Amiens, also on the occasion of his marriage in 1710. This transmission was confirmed by letters patent in October 1711, registered on 1 December 1711, which established Chaulnes as a duchy for the first time in favour of Louis Auguste's son, Charles François. Charles Honoré's eldest son was killed in 1704, and his grandson, Charles Philippe, inherited the duchy of Luynes upon the elder's death in 1712. In 1732,

Charles Philippe d'Albert Charles Philippe d’Albert, 4th Duke of Luynes (30 July 1695 – 2 November 1758) held the title Duke of Luynes from 1712 to 1758. He wrote an important memoir of life at the court of Louis XV. Early life Charles-Philippe was a grandson of C ...

, the 4th Duke of Luynes, and, his uncle, Louis Auguste, the 4th Duke of Chaulnes, made an agreement whereby the former relinquished his rights over the duchy of Chaulnes, while the latter received confirmation which said that if the duchy of Chaulnes should return to the house of Luynes, it would pass to the youngest child of that family, and then remain in the direct male line (which happened in 1980).

Subsequent usage

In 1792, upon the death of Louis Joseph d'Albert d'Ailly, the second d'Ailly line ended. Since then, the title of Duke of Chaulnes has been used as an irregular courtesy title in the d'Albert de Luynes family. It was first used by Charles Marie d'Albert de Luynes (a son of Louis Joseph d'Albert, 6th Duke of Luynes), who became the 7th Duke of Luynes in 1807. After Charles Marie's death in 1839, it passed to his son,

Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes Honoré Théodore Paul Joseph d'Albert, 8th Duke of Luynes (15 December 1802 – 15 December 1867) was a wealthy French nobleman and scholar. He is most remembered for the collection of exhibits he gave to the Cabinet des Médailles in 1862, and f ...

, Duke of Luynes, of Chevreuse and of Chaulnes. In 1852, Honoré Théodoric passed it to his grandson

Paul d'Albert de Luynes Paul d'Albert de Luynes (5 January 1703 – 21 January 1788) was a French prelate. He was elected the seventh occupant of Académie française seat 29 in 1743. Early life Paul d'Albert de Luynes was born on 5 January 1703 in the city of Versail ...

, who took the title of Duke of Chaulnes as a courtesy title. The duchy passed to his son in 1881 and then his son in 1908. Upon the latter's death in 1980, the line ended again and the title reverted to the Duke of Luynes. Today, the title is carried today as a courtesy title by a younger brother of the penultimate Duke of Luynes.

List of Dukes of Chaulnes

The Dukes of Chaulnes since 1621:

References

;Notes ;Sources {{Reflist, 30em

External links

The Chaulnes secundogeniture (1732–1733)

Theodora Shonts, later Duchesse de Chaulnes, portrait bust
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

* House of Albert