Duke of Otranto (french: Duc d'Otrante) is a

hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...

in the

nobility of the First French Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that th ...

which was bestowed in 1809 by Emperor

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

upon

Joseph Fouché Joseph Fouché, 1st Duc d'Otrante, 1st Comte Fouché (, 21 May 1759 – 25 December 1820) was a French statesman, revolutionary, and Minister of Police under First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, who later became a subordinate of Emperor Napoleon. He ...

(1759-1820), a French

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

and Minister of Police. Fouché had been made a

Count 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: ...

of the French Empire previously.

Background

The dukedom was named after the town of

Otranto Otranto (, , ; scn, label= Salentino, Oṭṛàntu; el, label=Griko, Δερεντό, Derentò; grc, Ὑδροῦς, translit=Hudroûs; la, Hydruntum) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertil ...

on the east coast of the

Salento Salento ( Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula ...

peninsula in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and created - under the French name of ''Otrante'' - as a ''

duché grand-fief As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that th ...

'' (a hereditary but nominal honor) in the satellite

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

. The ducal house of Fouché d'Otrante is still extant in the

Kingdom of Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, where the dukes have lived since the 19th century. In Sweden, they are considered to be part of the unintroduced nobility. Lloyd Francois Sneddon held the title from 1989 to 2017, before stepping away due to failing health. As of 2017, the title is held by Charles-Louis Armand Fouché d'Otrante, 8th Duc d'Otrante (born in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, 14 March 1986).

References

The Fouché Memoirs
(not genuine, but they were apparently compiled, at least in part, from notes written by Fouché) *Gilbert Augustin-Thierry, ''Conspirateurs et gens de police; le complot de libelles'' (Paris, 1903) (English translation, London, 1903) * Pierre Coquelle, ''Napoléon et l'Angleterre'' (Paris, 1903, English translation, London, 1904) *

Ernest Daudet Louis-Marie Ernest Daudet (; 31 May 1837 – 21 August 1921) was a French journalist, novelist and historian. Prolific in several genres, Daudet began his career writing for magazines and provincial newspapers all over France. His younger brothe ...

, ''La Police et les Chouans sous le Consulat et l'Empire'' (Paris, 1895) * Pierre M. Desmarest, ''Témoignages historiques, ou quinze ans de haute police'' (Paris, 1833, 2nd ed., 1900) *E. Guillon, ''Les Complots militaires sous le Consulat et l'Empire'' (Paris, 1894) *

Louis Madelin Louis Emile Marie Madelin (8 May 1871 – 18 August 1956) was a French historian (specialising in the French Revolution and First French Empire) and a Republican Federation deputy for Vosges from 1924 to 1928. He is buried at the Cimetière de G ...

, ''Fouché'' (2 vols., Paris, 1901) *E. Picard, ''Bonaparte et Moreau'' (Paris, 1905) * H. Welschinger, ''Le Duc d'Enghien'' (Paris, 1888)
Heraldica.org
(Napoleonic heraldry) {{Unintroduced nobility of Sweden * Swedish unintroduced nobility

Background

See also

References