Duke of Richelieu (french: duc de Richelieu) was a title of French nobility. It was created on 26 November 1629 for

Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

(known as Cardinal Richelieu) who, as a Roman Catholic clergyman, had no issue to pass it down to. It instead passed to his great-nephew, Armand Jean de Vignerot,The surname ''Vignerot'', held by the brother-in-law of Cardinal Richelieu and his descendants, was also spelled ''Vignerod''. grandson of his elder sister Françoise du Plessis (1577–1615), who had married René de Vignerot, ''Seigneur de Pontcourlay'' († 1625). In 1751 they obtained the

Imperial County Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

of Rixingen, or Rechicourt-le-chateau, between Alsace and Lorraine. Armand Jean de Vignerot added the cardinal's surname of "du Plessis" to his own, adopted the cardinal's coat of arms and received the titles of Duke of Richelieu and

Peer of France The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...

by letters patent in 1657. Two new reversions of the title occurred in 1822 and 1879. The 5th Duke of Richelieu died without an heir, but he gained permission for the title of Duke of Richelieu to pass to the son of his half-sister Simplicie, daughter of Antoine-Pierre Chapelle, Marquis de Jumilhac, with reversion to the descendants of his younger brother should he die without a male heir, thus effectively passing the title to his nephew. The title became extinct in 1952 upon the death of the 8th Duke of Richelieu, Marie Odet Jean Armand Chapelle de Jumilhac, son of the 7th Duke of Richelieu and of Alice Heine (1858–1925). Alice was widowed in 1880 and remarried to Prince Albert I of Monaco in 1889.

List of Dukes of Richelieu

(1585–1642), cardinal, 1st Duke of Richelieu, first minister under Louis XIII. * Armand Jean de Vignerot du Plessis (1629–1715), 2nd Duke of Richelieu, great-nephew of the cardinal. *

Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (; 13 March 1696 – 8 August 1788), was a French soldier, diplomat and statesman. He joined the army and participated in three major wars. He eventually rose to the rank of Marsha ...

(1696–1788), 3rd Duke of Richelieu, marshal of France, son of the second Duke. * Louis Antoine Sophie de Vignerot du Plessis (1736–1791), 4th Duke of Richelieu, son of the third Duke. * Armand Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis (1766–1822), 5th Duke of Richelieu, président du Conseil and

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

, Governor-General of New Russia, son of the fourth Duke. * Armand François Odet Chapelle de Jumilhac (1804–1879), 6th Duke of Richelieu, nephew of the fifth Duke. * Marie Odet Richard Armand Chapelle de Jumilhac (1847–1880), 7th Duke of Richelieu, nephew of the sixth Duke. * Marie Odet Jean Armand Chapelle de Jumilhac (1875–1952), 8th Duke of Richelieu, son of the seventh Duke.

Notes and references

External links

*
European Heraldry page
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