The first

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

s of

Thouars Thouars () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. On 1 January 2019, the former communes Mauzé-Thouarsais, Missé and Sainte-Radegonde were merged into Thouars. It is on the River Thouet. Its inhabitants are known ...

appeared at the end of the 9th century, somewhat earlier than those of Châtellerault,

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries duri ...

, etc. They represented the

count of Poitou Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or ''Poitou'', in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became part of Aquitaine) are: *Bodilon * Warinus (638–677), son of Bodilon * Hatton (735-778) Carolingian Counts ...

(also the

duke of Aquitaine The Duke of Aquitaine ( oc, Duc d'Aquitània, french: Duc d'Aquitaine, ) was the ruler of the medieval region of Aquitaine (not to be confused with modern-day Aquitaine) under the supremacy of Frankish, English, and later French kings. As su ...

) in the territory he had

enfeoffed In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...

to them. The family of the viscounts of Thouars doubtless originated in the surroundings of Poitiers where they held lands in the 10th century. At this era, they were patrons of the abbeys at Saint-Cyprien de Poitiers, Saint-Jouin de Marnes (15 km to the south of Thouars), Saint-Florent de Saumur and

Saint-Martin de Tours , native_name_lang = , image = Tours Cathedral Saint-Gatian.jpg , imagesize = , caption = Tours Cathedral , country = , osgridref = , osgraw ...

. In the 11th century, following Geoffrey II of Thouars's marriage with Agnes of Blois they added to this list the abbeys of

Bourgueil Bourgueil () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Population Bourgueil wine Bourgueil is an ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) for wine in the Loire Valley region, and produces primarily red wine from th ...

and

Marmoutier :''See Marmoutier Abbey (Tours) for the former abbey in Tours.'' Marmoutier (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The origin of the place is the former Marmoutier Abbey, of which the abbey church st ...

List

House of Thouars

Before 876-903: Geoffroy I. His successors Savary and Aimery are likely his sons or his nephews. 903-929: Savary I. A follower of the Count of Poitou

Ebles Manzer Ebalus, or Ebles Manzer, or Manser (c. 870 – 935), was Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine on two occasions: from 890 to 892; and then from 902 until his death in 935 (Poitou) and from 928 until 932 (Aquitaine). Early life Ebles was an illegi ...

. He participated in meetings held by the Count of Poitiers. In 903 Ebles rewarded him by giving him the authority of the Abbey of Saint Maixent. 929-936: Aimery I. Brother of Savary I, he owned property near Poitiers and was admitted to the Abbey of Saint Maixent (which was very rich). He married Aremburge, and they had two sons, Savary II and Aimery II. 936-943:

Savary II Savary is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Amandine Savary (born 1984), French pianist *Alain Savary (1918–1988), French Socialist politician * Alfred William Savary (1831–1920), Nova Scotia member of the 1st Canadian ...

. Son of Aimery I; he had no sons. 943-960:

Aimery II Aimeric or Aymeric or Aimery (from '' Haimirich'' or ''Amalric'') is a male given name: * Aimeric de Belenoi (fl. 1215–1242), troubadour * Prince Aymeric of Belgium (born 2005) * Aymeric Jaubert de Barrault (died 1613), mayor of Bordeaux. * A ...

. Son of Aimery I. He was a faithful ally of his suzerain Geoffroy Grisegonnelle, Count of Anjou, who awarded him the goods Chavagne near the monastery of Saint Maixent to Faye near the Abbess and Bressuire Miss south of Thouars. In 955 he donated land, the Abbess Faye always to the benefit of the Abbey Saint Bonneval lès Thouars. Aimery II married Eleanor by 935, with whom he had a son, Herbert I. Abt 960-987:

Herbert I Herbert I may refer to: * Herbert I, Count of Vermandois Herbert I (c. 848/850 – 907) or Heribertus I, Count of Vermandois, Count of Meaux, Count of Soissons, and lay abbot of Saint Quentin. He was a Carolingian aristocrat who played a sign ...

. Son of Aimery II. Geoffroy Grisegonnelle, Count of Anjou, appears as suzerain and protector of Viscount Herbert (it will be the same, however, vis-à-vis his son Aimery III). About 973, Geoffroy was in possession of the strengths of

Loudun Loudun (; ; Poitevin: ''Loudin'') is a commune in the Vienne department and the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, western France. It is located south of the town of Chinon and 25 km to the east of the town Thouars. The area south of Loudun ...

and

Mirebeau Mirebeau (; Poitevin: ''Mirebea'') is a commune in the Vienne department, in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, western France. History Fulk Nerra (970-1040), Count of Anjou conquered Mirebeau and built a castle there. His son, Geoffrey of An ...

and then encircled the area of the Vicomte of Thouars. Herbert married in 956 Aldéarde (or Hildegarde), daughter Cadelon I, Viscount of Aunay (

Aulnay, Charente-Maritime Aulnay, commonly referred to as Aulnay-de-Saintonge (), is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aulnaysiens'' or ''Auln ...

) and Sénégonde. Herbert and Aldéarde had several children: Aimery III, Savary III, Raoul I, Thibault and Geoffroy. Aldéarde was famous for a mishap which happened around the year 980. Having had an affair with the Count of Poitiers William IV of Poitiers, it was exposed to the vengeance of the latter's wife, Emma de Blois. Emma took revenge by bullying her rival during a meeting. Emma took refuge in the castle of Chinon, where she waited for her husband to forgive this action. 987-997: Aimery III. Son of Herbert I and Aldéarde (or Hildegarde) Aunay. He was a firm vassal of the Count Poitiers, but he was also a vassal of the Count of Anjou Fulk III Nerra, who was very present in this part of Poitou. Viscount Thouars assisted in 992 Fulk against the Britons for the possession of the County of Nantes and especially during the

Battle of Conquereuil The Battle of Conquereuil was fought on June 27, 992 AD between the Bretons under Conan I, Duke of Brittany and the Angevins under Fulk the Black. Siege of Nantes Duke Conan had the Breton city of Nantes under siege, when he learned that Fulk w ...

. Fulk awarded custody of Nantes Aimery during the minority of small Comte Judicaël. In 994, however, Aimery away lasting alliance Angevine and Fulk built a fortress at Passavant to control it. He married Elvis, but they had no children together, however Aimery was a natural son, of Haimon Aymon Dinan, born about 975, who was Lord of Dinan, dit Vicomte, Comte Domnonia. 997-1004: Savary III. Son of Herbert I. He married twice: from the first marriage he had Geoffroy II; from the second marriage Hugues was born about 995. Having taken a field belonging to Lusignan, Savary was always in conflict with his neighbor Hugh IV of Lusignan. 1004-1015: Raoul I. Son of Herbert I. With his wife called Aremburge (or Ascelin), he had two children, Thibault Aimery and Aldegarde (Audéarde, Aldiarde), wife of

Hugh IV of Lusignan Hugh IV (died c. 1026), called ''Brunus'' (Latin for ''the Brown''), was the fourth Lord of Lusignan. He was the son of Hugh III Albus and Arsendis de Vivonne. He was a turbulent baron, who brought his family out of obscurity and on their way to ...

. The Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers William the Great practiced a policy of balance (with a lot of duplicity) between Raoul and the Sire de Lusignan to neutralize them. William wrecked a marriage between the daughter of Raoul and Hugh de Lusignan by offering the latter the widow of Parthenay Josselin I (who had left an infant son). But in fact, the Duke arranged for that marriage to fail too, which caused a war between the Viscount of Thouars on one hand and the Sire de Lusignan, and even the duke on the other. The Vicomte Raoul died at the end of 1014 while ravaging the lands of Hugh de Lusignan. 1015-1055: Geoffroy II. Son of Savary III. He was married to Agnes de Blois, daughter of Eudes I of Blois and Berthe de Bourgogne. 1055-1093: Aimery IV. Son of Geoffroy II. He is one of the proven

Companions of William the Conqueror William the Conqueror had men of diverse standing and origins under his command at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. With these and other men he went on in the five succeeding years to conduct the Harrying of the North and complete the Norman conqu ...

. His first wife was Aregarde, daughter of Geoffrey de Mauleon and sister of Raoul de Mauleon. His second wife was Ameline. 1093-1104: Herbert II. Son of Aimery IV. He died at the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic r ...

in Jaffa ( Palestine) in 1104. He was the son of Aimery IV and Ameline. He immediately succeeded his father Aimery IV. On February 10, 1096, Bishop Peter of Poitiers restores Airvault Abbey, with the agreement of Herbert, Viscount of Thouars, son of the late Viscount Aimery. On December 7, 1099, his family surrounding Arbert at the dedication of the Church of St. Nicolas de la Chaise, started by his father and has been completed; then found him with his brother Geoffrey, told Tiffauges, its Sister Hildegard is wife of Hugues de Lusignan, Raoul and his uncle, said Maule. At that time we can measure the extent of

Viscount of Thouars The first viscounts of Thouars appeared at the end of the 9th century, somewhat earlier than those of Châtellerault, Lusignan, etc. They represented the count of Poitou (also the duke of Aquitaine) in the territory he had enfeoffed to them. ...

by fiefs under its control. These are Bressuire, Gifted, Passavant, the Argenton Chateau, Airvault, La Foret sur Sevre, Montaigu, La Roche sur yon, Till, Châteaumur, Pouzauges, Les Essarts, Lezay, Commequiers, and more. Like many of his contemporaries, Viscount Herbert went to Palestine, the first time in 1098. He left with his brother Geoffrey in 1102 as part of the crusade led by the Duke

William IX of Aquitaine William IX ( oc, Guilhèm de Peitieus; ''Guilhem de Poitou'' french: Guillaume de Poitiers) (22 October 1071 – 10 February 1126), called the Troubadour, was the Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Poitou (as William VII) between 1086 an ...

. His banner was golden strewn with fleur de lys Azure, Gules franc area. These arms have remained those of his house, they then become those of the city of

. Many pilgrims died during the journey from

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Although Herbert wanted to go back to France, he died in Jaffa in 1104. He was buried near the church of Saint Nicolas de Jaffa. He married 1095 to Agnes with whom he had two sons: Herbert and Aimery VI. 1104-1123: Geoffroy III. Son of Aimery IV. He was married in 1094 to Ameline. 1123-1127: Aimery V. Son of Geoffroy III. He was married to Agnes, daughter of

1127-1139: Aimery VI. Son of Herbert II. He was married to Mathilde d'Aquitaine. 1139-1151:

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

. Son of Aimery V. 1151-1173: Geoffroy IV. Son of Aimery V. He was married Aenor de Lusignan, daughter of

Hugh VII of Lusignan Hugh VII the Brown of Lusignan or Hugues II de La Marche (French: ''Hugues le Brun'') (1065–1151), Sire de Lusignan, Couhé and Château-Larcher and Count of La Marche, was the son of Hugh VI of Lusignan. He was one of the many notable Crus ...

and Saracena de Lezay. He married one of his younger sons,

Guy of Thouars Guy of Thouars (died 13 April 1213) was the third husband of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, whom he married in Angers, County of Anjou between August and October 1199 after her son Arthur of Brittany entered Angers to be recognized as count of ...

, to

Constance, Duchess of Brittany Constance ( Breton: ''Konstanza''; c. 1161c. 5 September 1201) was Duchess of Brittany from 1166 to her death in 1201Judith Everard, Michael Jones, ''The Charters of Duchess Constance of Brittany and her Family (1171-1221)'', The Boydell Press, ...

. Geoffroy's granddaughter by Guy and Constance,

Alix ''Alix'', or ''The Adventures of Alix'', is a Franco-Belgian comics series drawn in the ligne claire style by Jacques Martin. The stories revolve around a young Gallo-Roman man named Alix in the late Roman Republic. Although the series is re ...

would become

Duchess of Brittany This is a list of rulers of the Duchy of Brittany. In different epochs the sovereigns of Brittany were kings, princes, and dukes. The Breton ruler was sometimes elected, sometimes attained the position by conquest or intrigue, or by hereditary r ...

in her own right. Alix would be the only member of the House of Thouars to hold this ducal crown. 1173-1226: Aimery VII. Son of Geoffroy IV. He was married to Agnes de Laval, daughter of Baron

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 ...

and Agathe. Then he married his second wife Mary. 1226-1229: Hugues I. Son of Geoffroy IV. He was married to Marguerite de Vihiers. In 1236, his widow, Marguerite, would marry

Pierre Mauclerc Peter I (french: Pierre; 1187 – 26 May 1250), also known as Peter Mauclerc, was Duke of Brittany ''jure uxoris'' from 1213 to 1221, and regent of the duchy for his minor son John I from 1221 to 1237. As duke he was also 1st Earl of Richmond fr ...

, the widowed husband of

Alix of Thouars Alix of Thouars (1200 – 21 October 1221) (in Breton Alis) ruled as Duchess of Brittany from 1203 until her death. She was also Countess of Richmond in the peerage of England. Life Alix was born in 1200. She was the daughter of Const ...

(the granddaughter of Geoffrey IV of Thouars above). 1229-1233: Raymond I. Brother of Aimery VII and Hugues I. 1233-1242: Guy I. Son of Aimery VII. He was married Alix de Mauleon, daughter of Savary de Mauleon I and Belleassez Pouzauges Dame de Pareds. 1242-1246: Aimery VIII. Son of Aimery VII. He was married to Beatrix Machecoul Lady of La Roche sur Yon (widow of William de Mauleon Lord Talmond). 1246-1256: Aimery IX. Son of Guy I. He was married to Marguerite de Lusignan, widow of Raymond VII Count of Toulouse. 1256-1269: Renaud or Reginald of Thouars. Son of Guy I. He was married to Eleanor of Soissons. 1269-1274: Savary IV. Son of Guy I. He was married to Agnes de Pons. 1274-1308: Guy II. Son of Aimery IX. He was married to Marguerite de Brienne. 1308-1332: Jean I. Son of Guy II. He was married to Blanche de Brabant. 1332-1333: Hugues II. Son of Guy II. He was married to Jeanne de Beaucay. 1333-1370:

Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois ...

. Son of Jean I. He was married to Jeanne de Dreux, daughter of John of Dreux and Péronelle de Sully. Then he married his second wife, Isabella of Avaugour widow of Geoffroy de Chateaubriand VIII. 1370–1397: Péronelle. Daughter of Louis I. She married twice: first to

Amaury IV de Craon Amaury IV of Craon (16 August 1326 – 30 May 1373), Lord of Craon, Chantocé, Ingrandes, Briollé, Châteauneuf-sur-Sarthe, Précigné and Sablé , Sainte-Maure, Nouâtre, Pressigny and Marcillac, Châteauneuf-sur-Charente and Jarnac, w ...

; following his death in 1376, she married Tristan Rouault de Boleménard. * With her was extinguished the old branch of the first House of Thouars that possessed the viscounty for more than five centuries.

House of Amboise

House of Valois The Capetian house of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589. Junior members of the f ...

In 1469 king Louis XI of France awarded the viscountcy of Thouars to his daughter

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 ...

when she was betrothed to Nicolas d'Anjou. However, Nicholas handed the title back to the king on becoming

Duke of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...

in 1472 (dying a year later, aged 25). The viscountcy thus reverted to the king, who started the proceedings to grant it to Louis I de La Trémoille but the king died in 1483 leaving his successor to complete them.

House of La Trémoille

Viscounts

* Louis I de La Trémoille * Louis II de La Trémoille, son, called the ''chevalier sans reproche'', defeated and captured

Francis II, Duke of Brittany Francis II ( Breton: ''Frañsez II'', French: ''François II'') (23 June 1433 – 9 September 1488) was Duke of Brittany from 1458 to his death. He was the grandson of John IV, Duke of Brittany. A recurring theme in Francis' life would be ...

at the Battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier (1488), distinguished himself in the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

, and was killed at the

Battle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as well as ruler of Spain, ...

(1525). * Charles I de La Trémoille, son, died in his father's lifetime and under his command at the

Battle of Marignano The Battle of Marignano was the last major engagement of the War of the League of Cambrai and took place on 13–14 September 1515, near the town now called Melegnano, 16 km southeast of Milan. It pitted the French army, composed of the b ...

(1515). *

François II de La Trémoille François de La Trémoille (1505–1541) was a French nobleman of the La Tremoille family. He was the son of Charles I de la Trémoille (killed in 1515 at the battle of Marignano) and of Louise de Coëtivy. Titles François held the title of 36t ...

, son, acquired a claim on the Kingdom of Naples by his marriage with Anne de Laval, daughter of Charlotte of Aragon

Dukes

Louis III de La Trémoille Louis III de La Trémoille (1521 – 25 March 1577), 1st Duke of Thouars, was a sixteenth-century French nobleman of the La Tremoille family. He was the son of François II de La Trémoille and his wife, Anne de Laval. Louis accompanied the d ...

, son, became duke of

in 1563, and his son *

Claude de La Trémoille Claude de La Trémoille, 2nd Duke of Thouars (1566 – 25 October 1604) was a sixteenth-century French nobleman of the La Tremoille family. He was the son of Louis III de La Trémoille and his wife, Jeanne de Montmorency. King Henry IV of Fra ...

, son, turned

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, was created a peer of France in 1595, and married a daughter of

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

in 1598. ** Charlotte de la Tremoüille, Countess of Derby, daughter *

Henry de La Trémoille Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

, son of Claude, 3rd duke of Thouars (died 1674) * Henry Charles de La Trémoille, son of Henry (died 1672) *

Charles Belgique Hollande de La Trémoille Prince Charles Belgique Hollande de La Trémoïlle (May 1655 – 1 June 1709), 4th Duke of Thouars, was a French nobleman. Early life He was the second child and eldest son of Prince Henri Charles de La Trémoille (son and heir of Prince Hen ...

, son of Henry, 4th duke of Thouars (died 1709) *

Charles Louis Bretagne de La Trémoille Charles Louis Bretagne de La Trémoille (15 March 1683 – 9 October 1719), 6th duke of Thouars, was the son of Charles Belgique Hollande de La Trémoille and Madeleine de Créquy, daughter and heiress of Charles III de Créquy. He became duke of ...

, son of Charles-Belgique, 5th duke of Thouars (died 1719) *

Charles Armand René de La Trémoille Charles Armand René de La Trémoille (14 January 1708, in Paris – 23 May 1741), 6th duc de Thouars, was the son of Charles Louis Bretagne de La Trémoille and his wife, Marie Madeleine Motier de la Fayette. La Trémoille was a French soldie ...

, son of Charles-Louis, 6th duke of Thouars (died 1741) *

Jean Bretagne Charles de La Trémoille Prince Jean-Bretagne-Charles de La Trémoille (5 February 1737 – 19 May 1792), 7th Duke of Thouars, was a French soldier and the son of Charles Armand René de La Trémoille and his wife, Marie Hortense de La Tour d'Auvergne of Bouillon. Life ...

, son of Charles-Armand, 7th duke of Thouars (died 1792) * Charles Bretagne Marie de La Trémoille, son of Jean-Bretagne, 8th duke of Thouars (died 1839) * Louis Charles de La Trémoille, son of Charles-Bretagne, 9th duke of Thouars (died 1911) * Louis Charles Marie de La Trémoille, son of Louis-Charles, 10th duke of Thouars (died 1921) *

Louis Jean Marie de La Trémoille Prince Louis Jean Marie de La Trémoïlle (8 February 1910 – 9 December 1933) was a French aristocrat. He was the 11th Duke of Thouars, 10th Duke of La Trémoïlle, 13th prince de Tarente, 17th prince de Talmond and 17th Count of LavalAlmanach ...

, son of Louis-Charles-Marie, 11th duke of Thouars (died without issue 1933)

Notes

Sources

*Hugues Imbert, Histoire of Thouars, Mémoire de la Société de Statistique des Deux-Sèvres, t. X, Niort, édition Clouzot, 1870. {{ISBN, 2-84178-083-X. *H. Imbert, "Notice sur les vicomtes of Thouars"; Mémoires de la Société des Antiquaires de l'Ouest, year 1864, p. 321-431. *Publié dans le bulletin de la Société Historique et Scientifique des Deux-Sèvres, third series, vol II, 1st semester 1994, p. 11-20. Thouars, viscounts