Emperor of the French Emperor of the French ( French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First and the Second French Empires. Details A title and office used by the House of Bonaparte starting when Napoleon was procl ...

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 ...

created

titles of nobility Traditional rank amongst European royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duke), ...

to institute a stable elite in the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

, after the instability resulting from 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 ...

. Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that the ability to confer titles was also a useful tool of

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

which cost the state little treasure. In all, about 2,200 titles were created by Napoleon: * Princes and Dukes: **Princes of the Imperial family ***The Imperial Prince (Napoleon's son,

Napoleon II , house = Bonaparte , father = Napoleon I, Emperor of the French , mother = Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma , birth_date = , birth_place = Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire ...

) ***Princes of France (8 close family members) ** sovereign princes (3) ** duchies grand fiefs (20) ** victory princes (4) ** victory dukedoms (10) ** other dukedoms (3) * Counts (251) * Barons (1,516) * Knights (385) Napoleon also established a new knightly order in 1802, the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, which is still in existence today. The Grand Dignitaries of the French Empire ranked, regardless of noble title, immediately behind the Princes of France.

Creation

Ennoblement started in 1804 with the creation of princely titles for members of Napoleon's family, the

House of Bonaparte Italian and Corsican: ''Casa di Buonaparte'', native_name_lang=French, coat of arms=Arms of the French Empire3.svg, caption=Coat of arms assumed by Emperor Napoleon I, image_size=150px, alt=Coat of Arms of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, typ ...

. Other titles followed: titles were created and, in 1808, those of count, baron and knight. Napoleon founded the concept of "nobility of Empire" by an imperial decree on 1 March 1808. The purpose of this creation was to amalgamate the old nobility and the revolutionary middle-class in one

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 ...

system. This step, which aimed at the introduction of a stable elite, was fully in line with the creation of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

and of life senatorial peerages. A council of the seals and the titles was also created and charged with establishing

armorial bearings A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...

, and had a monopoly of this new nobility. These creations are to be distinguished from an order such as the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

. These titles of nobility did not have any true privileges, with two exceptions: * the right to have armorial bearings; * the lands granted with the title were held in a

majorat ''Majorat'' () is a French term for an arrangement giving the right of succession to a specific parcel of property associated with a title of nobility to a single heir, based on male primogeniture. A majorat (fideicommis) would be inherited by th ...

, transmitted jointly with the title.

Hierarchy

In Napoleon's nobility, there existed a strict and precise hierarchy of the titles, which granted office to some according to their membership of the imperial family, their rank in the army, or their administrative career in the civil or

clerical Clerical may refer to: * Pertaining to the clergy * Pertaining to a clerical worker * Clerical script, a style of Chinese calligraphy * Clerical People's Party See also * Cleric (disambiguation) Cleric is a member of the clergy. Cleric may a ...

administrations: * ''Prince:'' for members of the imperial family, certain principal leaders of the Empire ( Talleyrand was a prince of Bénévent) and some marshals of the Empire * ''Duke:'' for the principal dignitaries and marshals of the Empire * ''Count:'' for the ministers, senators, archbishops, councilors of State, the president of the corps legislative, some of the generals * ''Baron:'' chairmen of the

Court of Auditors The European Court of Auditors (ECA; French: ''Cour des comptes européenne'') is one of the seven institutions of the European Union (EU). It was established in 1975 in Luxembourg in order to improve EU financial management. It has 27 members ( ...

, bishops, mayors of 37 ''good cities'', bankers, some of the generals * ''Knight:'' other functions One could receive a title without exercising one of its enumerated functions. The title of

marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

was not used during the First French Empire, and it therefore became very fashionable after the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

, since it was not perceived to be tainted by the Napoleonic creations. This nobility is essentially a "nobility of service", to a large extent made up of soldiers (67.9%), some civil servants (22%) and some collaborating members of the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

. Napoleon's nobility was not abolished after the Bourbon Restoration, but it largely disappeared gradually for natural reasons, due in part to the great number of soldiers who had been promoted and subsequently died during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. In 1975, there were 239 remaining families belonging to the First Empire's nobility. Of those, perhaps about 135 were titled. Only one princely title (

Essling Essling
Essling entry in the Viennese government's history wiki (German) () is part of

, since Sievers is no longer used and Pontecorvo is merged with Prince Murat) and seven ducal titles remain today.

Heraldry

Along with a new system of

, the First French Empire also introduced a new system of

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

. Napoleonic heraldry was based on traditional heraldry but was characterised by a stronger sense of hierarchy. It employed a rigid system of additional marks in the shield to indicate official functions and positions. Another notable difference from traditional heraldry was the

toque A toque ( or ) is a type of hat with a narrow brim or no brim at all. Toques were popular from the 13th to the 16th century in Europe, especially France. The mode was revived in the 1930s. Now it is primarily known as the traditional headgear ...

s, which replaced

coronet A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. A coronet differs from other kinds of crowns in that a coronet never has arches, and from a tiara in that a coronet completely encircles the head, while a tiara does ...

s. The toques were surmounted by ostrich feathers: dukes had 7, counts had 5, barons had 3, and knights had 1. The number of lambrequins was also regulated: 3, 2, 1 and none respectively. As many grantees were self-made men, and the arms often alluded to their life or specific actions, many new or unusual charges were also introduced. The most characteristic mark of Napoleonic heraldry was the additional marks in the

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

to indicate official functions and positions. These came in the form of quarters in various

colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

, and would be differenced further by marks of the specific rank or function. In this system, the arms of knights had an ordinary

gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

, charged with the emblem of the

; Barons a quarter gules in

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

sinister, charged with marks of the specific rank or function; counts a quarter azure in chief dexter, charged with marks of the specific rank or function; and dukes had a chief gules ''semé'' of stars argent. The said 'marks of the specific rank or function' as used by Barons and Counts depended on the rank or function held by the individual. Military barons and counts had a sword on their quarter, members of the Conseil d'Etat had a chequy, ministers had a lion's head, prefects had a wall beneath an oak branch, mayors had a wall, landowners had a wheat stalk, judges had a balance, members of Academies had a palm, etc. A decree of 3 March 1810 states: "The name, arms and livery shall pass from the father to all sons" although the distinctive marks of title could only pass to the son who inherited it. This provision applied only to the bearers of Napoleonic titles. The Napoleonic system of heraldry did not outlast the First French Empire. The

Second French Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Empire, Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the French Second Republic, Second and the French Third Republic ...

(1852–1870) made no effort to revive it, although the official arms of France were again those of Napoleon I.François R. Velde
Napoleonic Heraldry
/ref>

Titles

Princes

There were three types of princely titles: * the ''princes impériaux'' or imperial princes (members of the imperial family): ** the ''prince impérial'' or Crown Prince,

Napoleon II , house = Bonaparte , father = Napoleon I, Emperor of the French , mother = Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma , birth_date = , birth_place = Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire ...

(Napoleon's son) ** the ''princes français'' or French princes: ***

Joseph Bonaparte it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte , house = Bonaparte , father = Carlo Buonaparte , mother = Letizia Ramolino , birth_date = 7 January 1768 , birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic of ...

(from 1804), Napoleon's brother, hereditary in the male and female grandchildren line ***

Louis Bonaparte Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French cl ...

(from 1804), Napoleon's brother ***

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...

(from 1804), Napoleon's brother-in-law ***

Eugène de Beauharnais Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (; 3 September 1781 – 21 February 1824) was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marr ...

(from 1805), Napoleon's adopted son *** Élisa Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister ***

Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), King of Westphalia, between 1807 and 1 ...

(from 1806), Napoleon's younger brother ***

Stéphanie de Beauharnais Stéphanie, Grand Duchess of Baden (Stéphanie Louise Adrienne de Beauharnais; 28 August 1789 – 29 January 1860) was a French princess and the Grand Duchess consort of Baden by marriage to Karl, Grand Duke of Baden. Biography Early life Born in ...

(from 1806), Napoleon's adopted daughter, cousin of his wife ***

Joseph Fesch Joseph Fesch, Prince of France (3 January 1763 – 13 May 1839) was a French priest and diplomat, who was the maternal half-uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte (half-brother of Napoleon's mother Laetitia). In the wake of his nephew, he became Archbishop ...

(from 1807), Napoleon's uncle ***

Lucien Bonaparte Lucien Bonaparte, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano (born Luciano Buonaparte; 21 May 1775 – 29 June 1840), was French politician and diplomat of the French Revolution and the Consulate. He served as Minister of the Interior from 1799 to 1800 ...

(from 1815), Napoleon's brother * the ''princes souverains'' or sovereign princes (who had received a vassal principality of the Empire):François R. Velde
Napoleonic Titles and Heraldry: Sovereign Princes
/ref> ** Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, ''Prince de Bénévent'' **

Louis-Alexandre Berthier Louis-Alexandre Berthier (20 November 1753 – 1 June 1815), Prince of Neuchâtel and Valangin, Prince of Wagram, was a French Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was twice Minister ...

, ''Prince de

Neuchâtel , neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier , twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (France), ...

'', 1806; see below also a victory title of ''Prince de Wagram'' **

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte sv, Karl Johan Baptist Julius , spouse = , issue = Oscar I of Sweden , house = Bernadotte , father = Henri Bernadotte , mother = Jeanne de Saint-Jean , birth_date = , birth_place = Pau, ...

, '' Prince de Pontecorvo'', 1806–1810 **

Lucien Murat Lucien Charles Joseph Napoléon, Prince Français, Prince of Naples, 2nd Prince de Pontecorvo, 3rd Prince Murat (16 May 1803 – 10 April 1878) was a French politician, and the sovereign Prince of Pontecorvo between 1812 and May 1815. Early life ...

, '' Prince de Pontecorvo'', 1812–1815 **

Jean Lannes Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napoleon's ...

, ''Prince de Sievers''; see below also a victory title of ''Duc de Montebello'' **Two other titles fall into this category but are not as clear cut as the others: ***

Pauline Bonaparte Paula Maria Bonaparte Leclerc Borghese ( French: ''Pauline Marie Bonaparte''; 20 October 1780 – 9 June 1825), better known as Pauline Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess, the first sovereign Duchess of Guastalla, and the princess cons ...

was granted the principality of

Guastalla Guastalla ( Guastallese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Geography Guastalla is situated in the Po Valley, and lies on the banks of the Po River. Guastalla is located at around from the citie ...

, with title of princess and duchess of Guastalla, but held it for less than five months (from 30 March to 14 August 1806) before its cession back to the kingdom of Italy ***

received the honorary title of prince of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

* the ''titres de victoire'' or

victory title A victory title is an honorific title adopted by a successful military commander to commemorate his defeat of an enemy nation. The practice is first known in Ancient Rome and is still most commonly associated with the Romans, but it was also adop ...

s, granted after exploits and having only an honorary role (in most cases awarded as a 'promotion' to holders of ducal victory titles):François R. Velde
Napoleonic Titles and Heraldry: Victory Titles
/ref> **

Marshal Davout Louis-Nicolas d'Avout (10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and t ...

, ''Prince d' Eckmühl'', 1809 (extinct 1853); also ''duc d'Auerstaedt'' (see below) ** Marshal Berthier, ''

Prince de Wagram Prince of Wagram (; ) was a title of French nobility that was granted to Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier in 1809. It was created as a victory title by Emperor Napoleon I after the Battle of Wagram. Berthier had previously been granted the title of ...

'', 1809 (extinct 1918), for the

battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles ...

(see above); also a sovereign title of ''Prince de Neuchâtel''; also ''duc de Valengin'' (which was not a victory title). ** Marshal Masséna, '' Prince d'Essling'', 1810; also ''duc de Rivoli'' **

Marshal Ney Michel Ney, 1st Duke of Elchingen, 1st Prince of the Moskva (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one o ...

, ''Prince de la Moskowa'', 1813 (extinct 1969); also ''duc d'Elchingen''. "Bataille de la Moskowa" is the French name for the

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

Dukes

There were three types of ducal titles: * the ''duchés grands-fiefs'' or dukes of large

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

s outside the territory of the First French Empire (but with no rights of sovereignty): ** General Arrighi de Casanova, ''Duc de Padoue'', 1808 (extinct 1888) ** Marshal Bessières, ''Duc d' Istrie'', 1809 (extinct 1856) **

Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, Duke of Parma (, 18 October 17538 March 1824), was a French nobleman, lawyer, freemason and statesman during the French Revolution and the First Empire. He is best remembered as one of the authors of the N ...

, '' Duc de Parme'', 1808 (extinct 1824) ** General Caulaincourt, ''Duc de Vicenze'', 1808 (extinct 1896) ** General Clarke, ''Duc de

Feltre Feltre ( vec, Fèltre) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about from its junction with the Piave, and southwes ...

'', 1809, also Comte d'Hunebourg ** General Duroc, ''Duc de

Frioul Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia ...

'', 1808 (extinct 1829) **

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 ...

, ''

Duc d'Otrante Duke of Otranto (french: Duc d'Otrante) is a hereditary title in the nobility of the First French Empire which was bestowed in 1809 by Emperor Napoleon I upon Joseph Fouché (1759-1820), a French statesman and Minister of Police. Fouché had been ...

'', 1808 (extant) **

Martin-Michel-Charles Gaudin Martin-Michel-Charles Gaudin, 1st , Gaete (19 January 1756 – 5 November 1841) was a French people, French statesman who served as Minister of Finance of the French Empire under Napoleon I, from November 1799 to March 1814, and during the H ...

, ''Duc de Gaëte'', 1809 (extinct 1841) **

Charles-François Lebrun Charles-François Lebrun, 1st duc de Plaisance (, 19 March 1739 – 16 June 1824), was a French statesman who served as Third Consul of the French Republic and was later created Arch-Treasurer and Prince of the Empire by Napoleon I. Biog ...

, ''

Duc de Plaisance {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) The French title of duc de Plaisance (English: Duke of Piacenza) was created on 24 April 1808 by Napoleon I for Charles-François Lebrun, Arch-Treasurer of the Empire and former Consul. The tit ...

'', 1808 (extinct 1927) ** Marshal MacDonald, ''Duc de Tarente'', 1809 (extinct 1912) **

Hugues-Bernard Maret Hugues-Bernard Maret (, 1 May 1763 – 13 May 1839), 1st Duke of Bassano (''Duc de Bassano''), was a French statesman, diplomat and journalist. Biography Early career Maret was born in Dijon, in the province of Burgundy, as the second son o ...

, '' Duc de Bassano'', 1809 (extinct 1906) ** Marshal Moncey, ''Duc de

Conegliano Conegliano (; Venetian: ''Conejan'') is a town and ''comune'' of the Veneto region, Italy, in the province of Treviso, about north by rail from the town of Treviso. The population of the city is of people. The remains of a 10th-century castle ar ...

'', 1808 (extinct 1842) ** Marshal Mortier, ''Duc de Trévise'', 1808 (extinct 1912) ** Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny, ''Duc de

Cadore Cadore (; lld, Ciadòre; vec, italic=yes, Cadór or, rarely, ''Cadòria''; german: italic=yes, Cadober or ''Kadober''; Sappada German: ''Kadour'';

'', (extinct 1893) ** Marshal Oudinot, ''Duc de Reggio'', 1810 (extinct 1956) **

Claude Ambroise Régnier Claude Ambroise Régnier (6 April 1746 – 24 June 1814), Duke of Massa (''Duc de Massa''), was a French lawyer and politician. He was a deputy in 1789, a member of the Council of Ancients, a member of the Senate and a Minister. Early years Claude ...

, ''Duc de

Massa Massa may refer to: Places *Massa, Tuscany, the administrative seat of the Italian province of Massa-Carrara. *Massa (river), river in Switzerland * Massa (Tanzanian ward), administrative ward in the Mpwapwa district of the Dodoma Region of Ta ...

'', 1809 ** General Savary, ''Duc de

Rovigo Rovigo (, ; egl, Ruig) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy, the capital of the eponymous province. Geography Rovigo stands on the low ground known as Polesine, by rail southwest of Venice and south-southwest of P ...

'' (extinct 1872) **

Marshal Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Fren ...

, ''Duc de Dalmatie'', 1808 (extinct 1857) ** Marshal Victor, ''Duc de

Belluno Belluno (; lld, Belum; vec, Belùn) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region ...

'', 1808 (extinct 1853) * the ''titres de victoires'' or

s, comparable to the princely titles of the same category: ** Marshal Lefebvre, ''Duc de Dantzig'', 28 May 1807 (extinct 1820); Dantzig was then still a city republic, which became part of Prussia after Napoleon's defeat, and is now

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

in Poland **

, ''Duc d'

Elchingen Elchingen is a municipality about 7 km east of Ulm–Neu-Ulm in the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria, Germany. Municipality parts: * Thalfingen: 4 211 residents, 8.83 km² * Oberelchingen: 3 024 residents, 7.31 km² * ...

'', 1808 (extinct 1969); also ''Prince de la Moskowa'' ** General Junot, '' Duc d'Abrantès'', 1808 (extinct 1859, but extended in female line in 1869; extinct again 1982) **

, ''Duc d' Auerstaedt'', 1808 (extinct 1853, extended to collaterals); also ''Prince d'Eckmühl'' ** Marshal Augereau, ''Duc de Castiglione'', 1808 (extinct 1816) ** Marshal Lannes, ''

Duc de Montebello Duke of Montebello (french: duc de Montebello) was a title created by French Emperor Napoleon I in 1808 as a victory title for Marshal Jean Lannes, one of Napoleon's most daring and talented generals. Lannes commanded the advance guard in the cros ...

'', 1808 **

Marshal Marmont Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont (20 July 1774 – 22 March 1852) was a French general and nobleman who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire and was awarded the title (french: duc de Raguse). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeede ...

, ''Duc de Raguse'', 1808 (extinct 1852); present-day

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

, on the Croatian coast, was conquered as part of Napoleon's own Italian kingdom, soon part of France's imperial enclave the Illyrian province ** Marshal Masséna, ''Duc de Rivoli'', 1808; also '' Prince d'Essling'' ** Marshal Kellermann, ''Duc de Valmy'', 1808 (extinct 1868) ** Marshal Suchet, ''Duc d'

Albufera The Albufera, La Albufera or L'Albufera de València (, meaning "lagoon" in Valencian, from Arabic ''al-buhayra'', "small sea"), is a freshwater lagoon and estuary on the Gulf of Valencia coast of the Valencian Community in eastern Spain. It ...

'', 1813 ** General Girard, ''Duc de

Ligny Ligny ( wa, Lignè) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Sombreffe, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. Previously its own municipality, a 1977 fusion of the Belgian municipalities made it an '' ancienne commune'' ...

'', 1815, not recognized by the

* the ordinary titles, which went before the name: **Empress Joséphine, '' Duchesse de Navarre'', 1810, ducal title inherited by her grandsons (extinct 1852) **

Emmerich Joseph de Dalberg Emmerich Joseph Wolfgang Heribert de Dalberg, 1st Duke of Dalberg (31 May 1773 – 27 April 1833) was a German diplomat who was elevated to the French nobility in the Napoleonic era and who held senior government positions during the Bourbon Re ...

, '' Duc de Dalberg'', 1810 (extinct 1833) **

Denis Decrès Denis Decrès (18 June 1761 – 7 December 1820) was an officer of the French Navy and count, later duke of the First Empire. Early career Decrès was born in Châteauvillain, Haute-Marne on 18 June 1761 and joined the Navy at the age of 18, ...

, ''Duc Decrés'', 1813 (extinct 1820) For a ducal title to be hereditary, it was necessary for the holder to have at least a 200,000

franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (Style of the French sovereign, King of the Franks) used on early France, ...

s annual income and that the land which generated the income be held in a

for the inheritor of the dukedom. These titles were allotted only to Marshals of the Empire and to certain ministers.

Counts

The ordinary title of count (''comte'') always went in front of the name. It was subject to the same rules as the title of duke but with an income threshold of only 30,000 francs. Senators, Ministers, and Archbishops were all counts. From 1808 until 1814, 388 titles were created.

Barons

The title of baron was comparable with that of count, except that the income threshold fell to 15,000 francs. The mayors of the large cities and the bishops were all barons. Between 1808 and 1814, 1,090 titles of baron were created. Today, the title of baron of the First French Empire is still claimed by families including d'Allemagne, Ameil, d'Andlau, d'Astorg, Auvray,

Caffarelli Caffarelli may be *Caffarelli (castrato), stage name of the castrato Gaetano Majorano (1710-1783)Carmela Cafarelli(1889-1979) was proprietor of Cleveland Ohio's Cafarelli Opera Company *Luis Caffarelli (born 1948), American-Argentine mathematician * ...

, Christophe, Daru, Dein, Dubois, Eblé, Evain, Fabvier, de Croy, Fain, Géloes, Gourgaud, Guerrier de Dumast,

Hamelin Hamelin ( ; german: Hameln ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. H ...

Hottinguer Hottinger or Hottinguer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Swiss family * Klaus Hottinger (1467–1524), first martyr of the Swiss Protestantism movement *Johann Heinrich Hottinger (1620–1667), Swiss philologist and theologi ...

, Laffitte,

Lefebvre Lefebvre () is a common northern French surname. Other variations include Lefèbvre, Lefèvre, Lefeuvre (western France) and Lefébure (northern France and Normandy). In the Occitan and Arpitan extension area, the variation is Fabre, Favre, Faur ...

, Lepic, Méquet,

Mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...

, Marbot family, Martin de Lagarde, Massias, Nérin, Nicolas, Parmentier, Petiet, Pinoteau, Portalis, Rey, Rippert, Roederer, de Saint-Didier, de Saint-Geniès, de Saizieu,

Salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

, de Saluce, Seillère, Strolz, Testot-Ferry, Thiry, de Villeneuve, Werlein.

Knights

The title of knight (''chevalier'') also went in front of the name. There was an obligation to have an income of at least 3,000 francs, and a

on the land generating the income was not obligatory. All the knights of the

Légion d’honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

received the title of ''chevalier d'Empire'' ("knight of the Empire"), but there had to be three generations of successive knights for the title to become hereditary. Between 1808 and 1814, 1,600 titles of knight were created.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nobility Of The First French Empire