Duke of Aubigny (french: Duc d'Aubigny) is a title that was created in the
Peerage of France in 1684. It was granted by King
Louis XIV of France
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Versa ...
to
Louise de Kérouaille
Louise or Luise may refer to:
* Louise (given name)
Arts Songs
* "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005
* "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984
* "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013
* "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929
*"Louise", by Clan of ...
, the last mistress of King
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
, and to descend to Charles's illegitimate issue by her, namely to the descendants of
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox (1672–1723) of
Goodwood House
Goodwood House is a country house and estate covering in Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex, England and is the seat of the Duke of Richmond. The house was built in about 1600 and is a Grade I listed building.
Description
The house and its ...
in Sussex. Louis XIV also granted her the
Château de la Verrerie Château de la Verrerie may refer to:
* Château de la Verrerie (Saône-et-Loire)
* Château de la Verrerie (Cher)
The Château de la Verrerie is a château in Oizon, in the ancient province of Berry (now Cher) in France. It is an historic anc ...
, a former secondary seat of the Stewart Seigneurs d'Aubigny, Franco-Scottish cousins of the Stewart monarchs, seated from 1422 to 1672 at the
Château d'Aubigny
The Château d'Aubigny in the parish and manor of Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient province of Berry in France, is an historic ancestral seat of a junior branch of the Scottish House of Stewart, known by the territorial title Seigneur d'Aubigny. I ...
in the parish and
manor
Manor may refer to:
Land ownership
*Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England
*Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism
*Man ...
of
Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient
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 ...
of
Berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
in France.
The ducal title, with accompanying grant of arms and of lands, were an attempt by Charles II to place his youngest illegitimate son into the persona of his much beloved and recently extinct Franco-Scottish cousins, the Stewart Seigneurs d'Aubigny, the last in the male line of whom was
Charles Stewart, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox (1639–1672) of
Cobham Hall
Cobham Hall is an English country house in the county of Kent, England. The grade I listed building is one of the largest and most important houses in Kent, re-built as an Elizabethan prodigy house by William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham (1527 ...
in Kent and of
Richmond House in London.
During the
Auld Alliance between the
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a la ...
and 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 ...
of France, the
Château d'Aubigny
The Château d'Aubigny in the parish and manor of Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient province of Berry in France, is an historic ancestral seat of a junior branch of the Scottish House of Stewart, known by the territorial title Seigneur d'Aubigny. I ...
had been granted in 1422 by 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 ...
to Sir
John Stewart of Darnley, 1st
Comte d'Évreux
''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word 'count' (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word 'county' (Latin: ''comitatus'').
Comte or Comté may refer to:
* A count in French, from Latin ''comes''
* A ...
, 1st Seigneur de Concressault, 1st Seigneur d'Aubigny ( 1380–1429), a famous military commander who served as Constable of the Scottish Army in France, supporting the French against the English 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 a fourth cousin of King
James I of Scotland
James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...
(reigned 1406 to 1437), the third monarch of the
House of Stewart. The Stewarts of
Darnley were a junior branch of Stewart of Bonkyll, of
Bonkyll Castle in Scotland, descended from
Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland (died 1283), whose senior great-grandson was King
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, he was the first monarch of the House of Stewa ...
(1371–1390), the first monarch of the
House of Stewart.
King James VI & I of Scotland and England (grandson of Robert II) united the senior royal line of Stewart (represented by his mother
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
) with the junior branch of Stewart of Darnley, as his father (
Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley) was that family's senior representative, being the son and
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
of
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (1516–1571). King James VI & I inherited the title of
Earl of Lennox, as nominal 5th Earl, when that title merged into the crown, as had done the
Earldom of Richmond
The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of Peerage of England, England. The earldom of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond was initially held by various Breton people, Breton nobles; sometimes the holde ...
in 1485 on the accession to the throne of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, as King
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort ...
. These titles were re-granted by the Stewart monarchs to their beloved Franco-Scottish cousins, the Stewarts of Aubigny.
History
The
lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...
of
Aubigny-sur-Nère, a substantial walled town, was known in France as the ''Seigneur d'Aubigny'' ("lord of Aubigny"). It was a territorial title rather than a
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 ...
title, and thus was able to be given by a Seigneur to a younger son, where for example the elder son already had a great estate and titles.
The first ducal holder was
Louise de Kérouaille
Louise or Luise may refer to:
* Louise (given name)
Arts Songs
* "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005
* "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984
* "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013
* "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929
*"Louise", by Clan of ...
, the French-born last mistress of King
Charles II of England and Scotland. In 1684, at the request of Charles II, the French King Louis XIV created her "Duchess of Aubigny" in the
Peerage of France. However, the
letters patent
Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...
creating the Duchy were not registered by the
Paris Parliament, so the dukedom became extinct at the Duchess' death in 1734. In 1777, King
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
issued ''lettres de suranation'', which restored the 1684 peerage to her heirs.
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox (1672–1723), her son by King Charles II, had predeceased her, but her grandson
Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, had already received a ''brevet de duc'' (i.e., a ducal patent), which gave him the honours of a duke at the French royal court. The French dukedom was confiscated during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1803 and 1806–1814), but it was finally returned to
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
General Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Aubigny, (9 December 176428 August 1819) was a Scottish peer, soldier, politician, and Governor-general of British North America.
Background
Richmond was born to Ge ...
, the nephew and heir of the 3rd Duke of Richmond, who also succeeded to the Dukedom of Aubigny according to ancient
Salic law
The Salic law ( or ; la, Lex salica), also called the was the ancient Frankish civil law code compiled around AD 500 by the first Frankish King, Clovis. The written text is in Latin and contains some of the earliest known instances of Old Du ...
.
The English coat of arms of the Lennox Dukes of Richmond display an
inescutcheon of ''gules, three buckles or'', which are their French arms as Dukes of Aubigny. These arms were created as a
difference from the French arms granted in 1428 by King Charles VII of France to
John Stewart of Darnley, 1st Seigneur d'Aubigny, 1st Seigneur de Concressault, 1st Comte d'Évreux, and Constable of the Scottish Army in France, the outstanding warrior who commanded the Scottish army in France that was instrumental in saving the throne of
Charles VII from the English invasionary forces under King
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
of England. In 1428, John Stewart of Darnley was awarded by King Charles VII of France "the glorious privilege of quartering the royal arms of France with his paternal arms".
This was in the form of the royal French arms differenced by ''a bordure gules charged with buckles or'', specified to appear in the 1st and 4th quarters of greatest honour.
The ''bordure gules charged with buckles or'' is a reference to the arms of Stewart of Bonkyll, who bore Stewart differenced by ''a bordure gules charged with buckles or'' (an example of
canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus.
French heralds used the term (), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial allus ...
: buckles for Bonkyl).
The
chateau and appurtenances are no longer the family's, as they were sold off to maintain their other legacies or assets. Aubigny is the chief tourist attraction in France which attests to the
Auld Alliance. The honour is now only an historic title.
Stewart Seigneurs d'Aubigny
*
John Stewart, 1st Lord of Aubigny
Sir John Stewart of Darnley, 1st Comte d'Évreux, 1st Seigneur de Concressault, 1st Seigneur d'Aubigny (1429) was a Scottish nobleman and famous military commander who served as Constable of the Scottish Army in France, supporting the French a ...
(killed 1429)
*
John Stewart, 2nd Lord of Aubigny (died 1482)
*
Bernard Stewart, 3rd Lord of Aubigny (died 1508)
*
Robert Stewart, 4th Lord of Aubigny
Robert Stewart (or Stuart) (c. 1470–1544), 5th Lord of Aubigny, Count of Beaumont-le-Roger, was a French soldier belonging to the family of Stewart of Darnley.
Robert was the fourth son of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox and Margaret Mont ...
(died 1543)
* John Stewart, 5th Lord of Aubigny (died 1567)
*
Esmé Stewart, 6th Lord of Aubigny (died 1583)
*
Esmé Stewart, 7th Lord of Aubigny (died 1624)
*
Henry Stewart, 8th Lord of Aubigny (died 1632)
*
George Stewart, 9th Lord of Aubigny (killed 1642)
*
Ludovic Stewart, 10th Lord of Aubigny (died 1665)
*
Charles Stewart, 11th Lord of Aubigny (died 1672)
Lennox Dukes of Aubigny
![10th Duke of Richmond & Gordon 4 Allan Warren](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/10th_Duke_of_Richmond_%26_Gordon_4_Allan_Warren.jpg)
*
Louise de Kérouaille, 1st Duchess of Portsmouth, Duchess of Aubigny (1649-1734). Dukedom and Peerage extinct at her death.
*
Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny (1672-1723), jointly with his mother Louise de Kéroualle.
*
Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, 2nd Duke of Lennox (1701-1750). Only a "Brevet Duke" and not a Duke and Peer.
*
Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 3rd Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny (1734-1806). Restored to Peerage in 1777.
*
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny (1764-1819)
*
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, 5th Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny (1791-1860)
*
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny, 1st Duke of Gordon (1818-1903)
*
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond, 7th Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny, 2nd Duke of Gordon (1845-1928)
*
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 8th Duke of Richmond, 8th Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny, 3rd Duke of Gordon (1870-1935)
*
Frederick Charles Gordon-Lennox, 9th Duke of Richmond, 9th Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny, 4th Duke of Gordon (1904-1989)
*
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond, 10th Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny, 5th Duke of Gordon (1929-2017)
*
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond, 11th Duke of Lennox, Duke of Aubigny, 6th Duke of Gordon (b. 1955)
See also
*
List of French peerages
For an explanation of the French peerage, see the article Peerage of France. Note that peerages and titles were distinct, and the date given for the extinction of the peerage is not necessarily the same as that of the extinction of the title. Fo ...
*
Duke of Richmond
Duke of Richmond is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created four times in British history. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor dynasty, Tudor and House of Stuart, Stuart families.
The current dukedom of Richmond was ...
*
Duke of Lennox
*
Duke of Gordon
The title Duke of Gordon has been created once in the Peerage of Scotland and again in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
The Dukedom, named after the Clan Gordon, was first created for the 4th Marquess of Huntly, who on 3 November 1684 was c ...
Further reading
*
Cust, Lady Elizabeth, ''Some Account of the Stuarts of Aubigny, in France'', London, 189
*G. E. Cokayne, ''
The Complete Peerage'', n.s., vol.VII, 1929, p. 602, note (e)
References
External links
The Stuarts of Darnley, seigneurs d'Aubigny
{{Dukes of Lennox, Richmond, and Gordon family tree
House of Stuart
Aubigny