The House of Bethune (french: Maison de Béthune ) is an ancient French noble house from the province of Artois in the north of France whose proven filiation dates back to Guillaume de Béthune who made his will in 1213. This family became extinct in 1807 with Maximilien-Alexandre de Béthune, Duke of Sully (1784-1807).(French) ''Annuaire de la pairie et de la noblesse de France'', 1845, page 99.
/ref> There are other families called de Bethune or Bethune, but their links with the house of Bethune are not proven.(French) Gustave Chaix d'Est-Ange, ''Dictionnaire des familles françaises anciennes ou notables à la fin du XIXe siècle'', tome 4, pages 195-196.
/ref>

The original House of Béthune

Lords of Béthune and advocates of Arras

In 1639 André Du Chesne gave a lineage that went back to 1037, but the proven filiation dates back to Guillaume de Béthune called "Le Roux" who made his will in 1213 and died soon after. *Robert I (died about 1037), called ''Faisseux'', lord of Béthune, Richebourg and

Carency Carency () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming village located 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Arras on the D58 road. Carency is also the name of the brook which constitut ...

and Advocate of Arras, was the first of the house of Bethune, said to be descended from the

Counts of Artois The count of Artois (French: Comtes d'Artois, Dutch: Graven van Artesië) was the ruler over the County of Artois from the 9th century until the abolition of the countship by the French revolutionaries in 1790. House of Artois *Odalric (c. 850s) ...

.(French) *Robert II, lord of Béthune (died before 1075), elder son of Robert I. *Robert III, lord of Béthune (died 1100), elder son of Robert II. *Baudouin, younger son of Robert I, became Lord of Carency and founder of a separate branch. *Robert IV, lord of Béthune (died 1128), son of Robert III *Guillaume I, lord of Béthune (died 1138), son of Robert IV *Robert V, lord of Béthune (died 1191), called ''Le Roux'', was son of Guillaume I and died during the Third Crusade at

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. *Robert VI, lord of Béthune (died 1194), eldest son of Robert V. * Guillaume II, lord of Béthune (died 1213) (second son of Robert V according to André Du Chesne) married the heiress of

Dendermonde Dendermonde (; french: Termonde, ) is a city in the Flemish province of East Flanders in Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-b ...

.(French) Père Anselme, ''Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de France'', volume 4, 1868, pages 181-229.
/ref> *Daniel (died 1227), eldest son of Guillaume II. *Robert VII (died 1249), second son of Guillaume II, died in Sardinia while on the Seventh Crusade. Mathilde Bethune

* Mathilde or Maud or Mahaut, daughter and heiress of Robert VII, married Guy, Count of Flanders and became mother of Robert III, Count of Flanders, known as Robert of Béthune. The principal honours and lands of the Béthune family went with Mathilde to the Counts of Flanders. A younger son of Guillaume II was Lord of Loker and his family later achieved prominence in France.

Younger sons

Baudouin Baudouin (;, ; nl, Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Maria Gustaaf, ; german: Balduin Albrecht Karl Leopold Axel Maria Gustav. 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993), Dutch name Boudewijn, was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his dea ...

(died 1212), third son of Robert V, a close companion of King Richard I of England, he married

Hawise of Aumale Hawise, Countess of Aumale (died 11 March 1214) was ruling Countess of Aumale from 1179 until 1194 with her husbands. She was the daughter and heiress of William, Count of Aumale and Cicely, daughter and co-heiress of William fitz Duncan. She beca ...

and thus became Count of Aumale. * Jean (died 1219), fourth son of Robert V, was Bishop of Cambrai and died during the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

at the assault on Toulouse. * Conon (died 1219), fifth son of Robert V, a poet who served on the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

and settled at Adrianople, now Edirne, becoming Regent of the Latin Empire. * Jean (died 1238), fifth son of Guillaume II, married

Elizabeth, Countess of Saint-Pol Elizabeth, in French Élisabeth Candavène (c. 1180 – 1240/1247), was the countess of Saint-Pol from 1205 until her death, although her effective rule was limited to the periods 1219–1222 and 1226–1227. The rest of the time the county was ru ...

(1228).

Béthune of Palestine and Cyprus

*Adam, son of Robert III, in 1099 went as a knight on the First Crusade with Robert II, Count of Flanders and was rewarded with the

seigneurie In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. ''Nulle terre ...

of Bessan, now Beit She'an, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. His family spread through Palestine and Cyprus, marrying other Frankish settlers as well as Armenians and Greeks. *His descendant Richilde de Bessan married Baldwin of Ibelin and their daughter Eschive d'Ibelin married Aimery, King of Cyprus and of Jerusalem.

Béthune of Loker and Meaux

*Guillaume III (died 1243), a younger son of Guillaume II, was Lord of Loker and

Meulebeke Meulebeke (; vls, Mullebeke) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Meulebeke proper. On January 1, 2006, Meulebeke had a total population of 10,980. The total area is 29.35& ...

. *Guillaume IV (died before 1255), a younger son of Guillaume III, was Lord of Loker and married the heiress of

Hébuterne Hébuterne () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming village situated southwest of Arras, at the junction of the D27 and the D28 roads. History Formerly within the ancient c ...

. *Guillaume V, eldest son of Guillaume IV, was Lord of Loker, married Jeanne de Nesle, daughter of Jeanne, Countess of Ponthieu and Aumale and former Queen Consort of Castille and León. *Guillaume VI (died 1340), son of Guillaume V, was Lord of Loker and Hébuterne, married the Lady of

Vendeuil Vendeuil () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments of ...

. *Jean I (died 1378), younger son of Guillaume VI, was Lord of Vendeuil. He married Jeanne, daughter of Enguerrand VI, Lord of Coucy, Viscount of Meaux. *Robert VIII (died 1408), elder son of Jean I, left three daughters as co-heiresses, among them Jeanne, Viscountess of Meaux, who looked after Joan of Arc during her captivity. The line was continued by his younger brother Jean II.

Béthune of Baye and Rosny

*Jean II (died 1415 at the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...

), younger son of Jean I, was Lord of Mareuil and Baye. *Robert IX (died before 1476), son of Jean II, Lord of Mareuil and Baye, was a Councillor and Chamberlain to King

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...

. *Jean III (died before 1512), son of Robert IX, was Lord of Mareuil and Baye. *Alpin (died 1545), son of Jean III, became Baron of Baye and Mareuil. *Jean IV (died about 1554), Baron of Baye, married Anne de Melun, who brought him the barony and castle of Rosny. *François (1532–1575), son of Jean IV, was Baron of Rosny. His eldest son Louis died in 1578.

House of Sully

Béthunes, Dukes of Sully

*Second son of François was Maximilien I (1559–1641), chief minister of King Henry IV of France, who was Baron of Rosny from 1578 and became a

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 ...

on creation as 1st Duke of Sully in 1606. In 1602 he bought the Castle of Sully-sur-Loire and in 1605 the Principality of Boisbelle, where he founded the town of

Henrichemont Henrichemont (), formerly known as Boisbelle, is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. The village was created and named in honour of Henri IV in 1609 by Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully to be the ca ...

*Maximilien II (1588–1634), son of Maximilien I, was Marquess of Rosny, Prince of Henrichemont and Baron of Bontin.(French) *Maximilien François (1614–1661), son of Maximilien II, was 2nd Duke of Sully. *Maximilien Pierre François (1640–1694), son of Maximilien François, was 3rd Duke of Sully. *Maximilien François Pierre (1664–1712), elder son of Maximilien Pierre François, was 4th Duke of Sully. *Maximilien Henri (1669–1729). younger son of Maximilien Pierre François, was 5th Duke of Sully. *Louis Pierre Maximilien (1685–1751), third cousin of Maximilien Henri, was 6th Duke of Sully. *Maximilien Antoine Armand (1730–1786), first cousin once removed of Louis Pierre Maximilien, was 7th Duke of Sully but called Duc de Béthune. *Maximilien Alexis (1750–1776), elder son of Maximilien Antoine Armand, was 8th Duke of Sully. *Maximilien Gabriel (1756–1807), younger son of Maximilien Antoine Armand, was 9th Duke of Sully *Maximilien III (1784–1807), son of Maximilien Gabriel, was 10th and last Duke of Sully.

Béthune-Orval

*François (1598–1678), second son of Maximilien, 1st Duke of Sully, was created Duke of Orval and Peer of France by King Louis XIII but the grant was not registered and so could not pass to his heirs. *Maximilien Alpin (1631–1692), eldest surviving son of François, was Marquess of Béthune and Count of Orval. *Louis Pierre Maximilen (1685–1751), grandson of Maximilien Alpin, became 6th Duke of Sully (''see above'').

Béthune-Chârost

*Philippe (1566–1649), younger brother of Maximilien I, Count of Selles, Chârost and Mors, Marquess of

Chabris Chabris () is a commune in the Indre department in central France. Located at an important river crossing-place on the road from Valençay to Romorantin with a bridge since Roman times, Chabris was once the site of the ancient Bishop of Bourges ...

, was a diplomat and art connoisseur who was made a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

. *Henri (1604–1680), second son of Philippe, was Bishop of

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

and of Maillezais from 1630, then Archbishop of Bordeaux from 1646. *Louis (1605–1681), third son of Philippe, became 1st Duke of Chârost. *Louis Armand (1640–1717), son of Louis, was 2nd Duke of Chârost. *Armand I (1663–1741), son of Louis Armand, was 3rd Duke of Chârost and Baron of

Ancenis Ancenis (; ) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Ancenis-Saint-Géréon. It is a former Subprefectures in France ...

. *Paul François (1682–1757), son of Armand I, was 4th Duke of Chârost and 1st Duke of Ancenis. *François Joseph (1719–1739), son of Paul François, was 5th Duke of Chârost and 2nd Duke of Ancenis. *Armand II Joseph (1738–1800), son of François Joseph, was 6th and last Duke of Chârost and 3rd and last Duke of Ancenis, as well as the last inheritor to the title of

Count of Roucy This article is a list of the counts of Roucy. In medieval France, Roucy was a county held by a succession of noble families. By the Late Middle Ages, it was one of seven titles that was made a peer within the provincial peerage of the greater Co ...

Béthune-Chabris

*Hippolyte I (1603–1665), eldest son of Philippe, was Marquess of Chabris and Count of Selles. *Henri (1632–1690), second son of Hippolyte I, was Count of Selles. *Armand (1635–1703), fourth son of Hippolyte I, was Bishop of Le Puy from 1661. *Hippolyte II (1643–1720), sixth son of Hippolyte I, was Bishop of Verdun from 1681. *Louis (1663–1734), son of Henri, was Count of Béthune. *Louis Armand (1711–1792), son of Louis, was Marquess of Béthune. *Armand Louis (1756–1833), son of Louis Armand, was the last Marquess of Béthune.

Béthune-Selles

*François Gaston (1638–1692), 5th son of Hippolyte I, Marquess of Chabris and a Lieutenant-General in the French army, married Marie Louise de La Grange, sister of the

Queen Consort of Poland The wives of the rulers of the Kingdom of Poland were duchesses or queens consort of Poland. Two women ruled Poland as queens regnant, but their husbands were kings ''jure uxoris''. Wives of early Polish monarchs Duchesses of the Polans ...

. Two daughters of François Gaston married important members of the Polish–Lithuanian

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

and have numerous descendants. *Louis Marie Victor, son of François Gaston (1670–1744), Count of Béthune, was a Field Marshal in the French army and Grand Chamberlain to

Stanislaus Leszczyński Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, Cali ...

, former King of Poland, when he became Duke of Lorraine and Bar in 1737. *Joachim Casimir Léon (1724–1769), son of Louis Marie Victor, a Field Marshal in the French army, was the last Count of Béthune.

Béthunes in Poland and Lithuania

*Jeanne Marie de Béthune (about 1673–1744), daughter of François Gaston, married Count Jan Stanislaw Jablonowski (1669–1731) and had five children, all of whom married. *Marie Christine Cathérine de Béthune (1677–1721), daughter of François Gaston, was married first to Prince Stanisław Kazimierz Radziwiłł (1648–1690), without children, and then to Prince Aleksander Paweł Sapieha-Rozanski (1671–1734), leaving three married children.

References

Bibliography

(French) Anselme (Father) ''Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de France'', volume 4, 1868, pages 181-229 : Genealogy of the House of Béthune
*Bethune, Sir Alexander Maitland Sharp, Baronet (1997). ''Fife Sharps and Bethunes''. London. * Burke, John (1836). ''A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland Enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank but Uninvested with Heritable Honours.'' London. *Burke, John, and Burke, John Bernard (1847). ''A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland.'' London. *(French) Cayet, Pierre Victor Palma (1603). ''L'Oraison Funèbre du haut et puissant Monseigneur reverendissime l'Archevesque de Glasco, Melort James de Béthune.'' Paris.
(French) Chaix d'Est-Ange, Gustave. ''Dictionnaire des familles françaises anciennes ou notables à la fin du XIXe siècle'', tome 4, pages 195-196.
*Clark, James Toshach (1900). ''Genealogical Collections Concerning Families in Scotland Made by Walter Macfarlane 1750–1751. Edited from the Original Manuscripts in The Advocates' Library.'' Vol 1, Edinburgh. *Conolly, M. F. (1866). ''Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Men of Fife, of Past ond Present Times, Natives of ihe County, or Connected with It by Property, Residence, Office, Marriage, or Otherwise.'' Edinburgh. *(French) De La Chenaye-Desbois, François Alexandre (1771). ''Dictionnaire de la Noblesse, 2nd ed, vol 2.'' Paris. *(French) De La Chenaye-Desbois, François Alexandre (1864). ''Dictionnaire de la Noblesse, 3rd ed, vol 3.'' Paris, Schlesinger. *(French) Denele, Gilbert (2007). ''La Maison de Béthune'' http://www.amisdumusee-bethune.fr/bethune.html *(French) Denele, Gilbert (2007). ''La Famille de Béthune: Généalogie de la Branche de Bessan'' http://www.amisdumusee-bethune.fr/bessan.html *(French) Denele, Gilbert (2007). ''Les Béthune en Angleterre et en Écosse: Les Béthune de Balfour'' http://www.amisdumusee-bethune.fr/balfour.html *(French) Denele, Gilbert (2009). ''Conon de Béthune'

*(French) Du Chesne, André (1639). ''Histoire Généalogique de la Maison de Béthune.'' Paris. *(French) d'Ursel, Comte Baudouin (2009). ''Princes de Béthune-Hesdigneul'' http://www.amisdumusee-bethune.fr/bethune-hesdigneul.html *Farrer, William (1923) ''Honors and knights' fees : an attempt to identify the component parts of certain honors and to trace the descent of the tenants of the same who held by knight's service or serjeanty from the eleventh to the fourteenth century. Vol 3'' London, Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & Co. *Gordon, John (editor) (1845). ''The New Statistical Account of Scotland, Volume 9: Fife & Kinross.'' The Society for the Benefit of the Sons and Daughters of the Clergy. * Lennox, Charlotte (translator) (1756).''Memoirs of Maximilian de Béthune, duke of Sully, prime minister to Henry the Great. Containing the history of the life and reign of that monarch, and his own administration under him, Vol 1.'' London. *Lyell, James Patrick Ronaldson (1894), in Hallen, Reverend A W Cornelius, editor ''The Scottish Antiquary, or Northern Notes & Queries, Vol 8.'' Edinburgh. *MacGeorge, Andrew (1834). ''Miscellaneous Papers Principally Illustrative of Events in the Reigns of Queen Mary and King James VI Presented to the Maitland Club.'' Edinburgh. *(French) Moréri, Louis (1731). ''Le Grand Dictionnaire Historique.'' Basel. *(German) Schwennicke, Reverend Detlev (1979). '' Europäische Stammtafeln, Band VII, Tafel 57–61.'' Frankfurt am Main, Vittorio Klostermann. *Weisse, Jane Lee Hunt (1866). ''Records, Genealogical Charts, and Traditions of the Families of Bethune and Faneuil from Authentic Documents including Records of the Families of Hunt and Weisse.'' New York. *Whyte, Reverend Thomas (1778). ''An Historical and Genealogical Account of the Bethunes of the Island of Sky.'' Edinburgh. *Wood, Reverend Walter (1862). ''The East Neuk of Fife: History And Antiquities, Geology, Botany, And Natural History In General.'' Edinburgh. *Wood, Reverend Walter, and Wood Brown, Reverend James (1887).'' The East Neuk of Fife Its History and Antiquities.'' Edinburgh. {{refend Bethune Dukes of Sully Béthune