The House of Laval is a family of

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 ...

s, later

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: ...

s, coming from the town of

Laval Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...

, located in Northwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, part of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

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 north ...

before the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. The Laval were one of the most powerful families of Maine during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and also had a presence in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

, where their prestige was similar to the one of the Rohan. The House of Laval played a significant role in Breton history and during the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

and the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...

. They also favored the

French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define th ...

in Northwestern France, building several

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

x. The last male heir died during the 17th century, and his possessions went to the

House of La Trémoille A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody p ...

François de Laval Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval, commonly referred to as François de Laval (30 April 1623 – 6 May 1708), was a French prelate of the Catholic Church. Consecrated a bishop in 1658, he led the Apostolic Vicariate of New France from 1658 to ...

was the first Roman Catholic bishop of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

; the city of

Laval, Quebec Laval (; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in C ...

, and the

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montmo ...

were named after him.

Branches and titles

The House of Laval appeared during the first quarter of the 11th century. Its origins are unclear and the first mentioned baron is Guy I. The direct branch became extinct in the male line in 1211, after the death of Guy VI. His sister, Edme, had previously married Matthieu II de Montmorency with a contract stipulating that her first son should take the Laval surname and arms. The branch of Montmorency-Laval died out in 1412 with Guy XII. His heiress, Anne, had married Jean de Montfort with a contract similar to Edme's one. Hence, her heirs took the name of Laval. The branch of Montfort-Laval started with Jean de Montfort, nicknamed Guy XIII of Laval, who died in 1415, and ended with Guy XVII in 1547. The branch of Rieux-Laval started with Louis de Sainte-Maure, who married the granddaughter of Guy XVI of Laval. This branch ended with Guy XX, killed in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

in 1605. The possessions of Laval passed to the La Trémoïlle, who stopped the medieval tradition according which all the counts of Laval had to be called "Guy".

Line of Descent

Barons of Laval

Guy V de Laval Guy V de Laval (died 1210) was the Lord of Laval, Mayenne. Family Guy was the son of Guy IV de Laval and Emma de Dunstanville. He married Avoise de Craon (died 1230), daughter of Maurice II de Craon. They had issue: * Guy VI de Laval kno ...

(d 1210) married Avoise de Craon and sired ** Guy VI (d 1211) who died childless ** Emma (c1200-1264, sister of Guy VI) married Mathieu II de Montmorency and gave birth to *** Guy VII (d 1267) who married Philippa de Vitre and sired **** Guy VIII (d 1295), who married Isabelle Beaumont and sired ***** Guy IX (d 1333), who married Beatrix de Gavre and sired ****** Guy X (d 1347), who married Beatrix of Brittany (daughter of Arthur II) and sired ******* Guy XI (d 1348) and ******* Guy XII (d 1412), who married Jeanne de Laval (a second cousin, descended from Guy VIII). His son Guy predeceased him in 1403. The title then passed to ********

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

(d 1466, daughter of Guy XII), who married Jean de Montfort, making him

Guy XIII de Laval Guy XIII de Laval, born Jean de Montfort, (1385- 14 August 1414, Rhodes) was seigneur of Laval and of Kergorlay. He was the son of Raoul IX de Montfort and Jeanne de Kergorlay. Guy inherited the Laval title through his marriage on 22 January ...

. They had several sons, including Guy XIV de Laval

Counts of Laval

François Clouet - Guy XVII, Conde de Laval

* Guy XIV de Laval (d 1486), who married

Isabella of Brittany Isabella of Brittany (french: Isabelle; 1411 – c. 1444) was a daughter of John V, Duke of Brittany, and his wife, Joan of Valois. Isabella was a member of the House of Dreux. Family Isabella's maternal grandparents were Charles VI of France a ...

and sired ** Guy XV (d 1501) ** Jean de Laval (brother of Guy XV) sired *** Guy XVI (d 1531), who married

Charlotte of Naples Charlotte of Naples ( – 1506), also known as Charlotte of Aragon and Princess of Taranto, was the eldest daughter and eventual heiress of King Frederick of Naples. Although her father was dispossessed of his kingdom, her descendants, the House ...

and Anne de Montmorency. By Anne, he sired **** Guy XVII (d 1547) **** Catherine (daughter of Guy XVI and Charlotte) had 2 daughters: ***** Renee (d 1567), who reigned as

Guyonne de Laval Guyonne de Laval née Renée de Rieux (1524–1567) was a French ''suo jure'' countess of Laval 1547–1567.Malcolm Walsby The Counts of Laval: Culture, Patronage and Religion in Fifteenth and Sixteenth-Century France (Ashgate, Aldershot, 2007) S ...

(counting as the 18th) and ***** Claude (d 1561), who gave birth to ****** Guy XIX (d 1586), who married Anne d'Alegre and sired *******

Guy XX de Laval Guy XX de Laval, François de Coligny (May 6, 1585 – December 3, 1605) was the Count of Laval (Mayenne) and Baron of Quintin. He was son of Guy XIX de Laval and Anne d'Algère. In 1588, Anne d'Algère took him to Sedan, France, Sedan so that he ...

(d 1605), who was the last of his line, and the last Count to take the name of Guy.

Other notable members

* Gilles de Montmorency-Laval (1404–1440), better known as Gilles de Rais, companion-in-arms of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

and inspiration for the "

Bluebeard "Bluebeard" (french: Barbe bleue, ) is a French folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in '' Histoires ou contes du temps passé''. The tale tells the s ...

" by

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales ...

* André de Laval-Montmorency (c. 1408 – 1485),

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 ...

Louis de Laval Louis de Laval (1411 – 21 August 1489) was a French nobleman, soldier, politician and bibliophile. Life A member of the House of Laval, Louis was born in 1411. He was the third son of the Baroness Anne de Laval (1385–1466), Anne de Laval and B ...

(d. 1489), governor of Dauphiné, Champagne, Touraine and Genoa * Jeanne de Laval, Queen consort of Naples and Sicily *Jean de Laval, count of Châteaubriant and Governor of Brittany, who was married to

Françoise de Foix Françoise de Foix, Comtesse de Châteaubriant (; c. 1495 – 16 October 1537) was a chief mistress of Francis I of France. Background Françoise was the daughter of Jean de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, and Jeanne d'Aydie. Her father was the son of ...

* Anne de Laval (1505–1554), who was a pretender to the throne of Naples and ancestor to kings of France and Belgium *

Henri II de Montmorency Henri II de Montmorency (1595 – 30 October 1632) was a French nobleman and military commander. Biography Born at Chantilly, Oise, Henri was the son of Henri I de Montmorency and Louise de Budos. He was the godson of Henri IV of France, Henri ...

(1595–1632), military commander * Saint-François de Montmorency-Laval, first Bishop of Quebec *

Louis-Joseph de Montmorency-Laval Louis-Joseph de Montmorency-Laval (1724-1808) was a French people, French Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal of the Catholic Church and Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz, Bishop of Metz at the time of the French Revolution. Early life He was born 11 D ...

Bishop of Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

Mathieu de Montmorency Mathieu Jean Felicité de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency-Laval (10 July 1767 – 24 March 1826) was a French statesman during the French Revolution and Bourbon Restoration. He was elected as the youngest member of the National Assembly in 17 ...

(1767–1826), statesman during the

and Bourbon Restoration

References

Sources

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