The county of Perche was a medieval county lying between

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and

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 ...

. It was held by an independent line of counts until 1226. One of these, Geoffroy V, would have been a leader of the Fourth Crusade had he not died before the assembled forces could depart. The county then became a possession of the crown, which removed part of it to create the county of Alençon. After 1325, both counties were generally held by a member or members of a cadet line of the

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 ...

. Upon the death without children of the last Duke of Alençon in 1525, it returned to the crown, and was granted only sporadically thereafter.

Lords of Mortagne, lords of Nogent-le-Rotrou and viscounts of Châteaudun

The lords of Perche were originally titled lords of

Mortagne-au-Perche Mortagne-au-Perche () is a commune in the Orne department in Normandy, north-western France. Heraldry Population People *Geoffrey II, Count of Perche and Mortagne, grandfather of Queen Margaret of L'Aigle. * Marie of Armagnac, duchess of ...

, until Routrou III adopted the style of count of Perche in 1126, thus uniting the lordship of Mortagne-au-Perche, the viscountcy of Châteaudun and the lordship of Nogent-le-Rotrou in the countship of Perche and Montagne.

Lords of Mortagne

House of Rorgonid

* Hervé I, 941- 955 * Hervé II, 974–980, son of the previous Here after, the title is merged with the viscount of Châteaudun and the lord of Nogent-le-Rotrou.

Lords of Nogent-le-Rotrou

House of Nogent-le-Rotrou

* Rotrou I, 960–996 * Fulcois, son of the previous and husband of Melisende, Viscountess of Châteaudun, daughter of Herve I Here after, the title is merged with the viscount of Châteaudun and the lord of Mortagne-au-Perche

Viscounts of Châteaudun

House of Châteaudun

* ...

Lords and counts of Perche and Mortagne

House of Châteaudun

* Fulcuich, c. 1000 * Geoffroy I, d. bef. 1041 (viscount of Châteaudun, lord of Nogent-le-Rotrou and of Mortagne-au Perche) * Hugh I, d. c. 1077–1080 (viscount of Châteaudun, lord of Nogent-le-Rotrou and of Mortagne-au Perche) * Rotrou II, d. c. 1077–1080 (viscount of Châteaudun, lord of Nogent-le-Rotrou and of Mortagne-au Perche) Here after, the title is separated in count of Perche and count of Mortagne.

Counts of Perche

House of Châteaudun

* Geoffroy II, d. 1100, a companion of William the Conqueror * Rotrou III the Great, d. 1144 (also Count of Mortagne 1126–1144), married to Matilda (second wife) and Hawise of Salisbury, daughter of Walter of Salisbury (third wife) * Rotrou IV, under the regency of his mother Hawise and her second husband Robert I of Dreux. Married to Matilda (d. 1184), daughter of Theobald IV. Killed at

Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: * Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade * Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of A ...

, 1191. * Geoffroy III, d. 1202 (married Matilda of Saxony (1172-1209/10)) * Thomas, killed at the Battle of Lincoln, 1217 * William II, d. 1226 (

Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

) Here after the county returned to the royal domain. The title of count of Perche was granted anew by the king to members of the House of Maine and the House of Châteaudun. * ...

House of Valois

* 1325–1346 :

Charles II of Alençon Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

* 1346–1377 :

Robert of Alençon Robert of Alençon (1344–1377) was the son of Charles II of Alençon and Maria de La Cerda y Lara. He succeeded his father in 1346 as Count of Perche The county of Perche was a medieval county lying between Normandy and Maine. It was held by ...

* 1377–1404 : Peter II of Alençon * 1404–1415 :

John I of Alençon John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

* 1415–1474 : John II of Alençon The county was confiscated by the crown between 1474 and 1478, but was then returned to the family. * 1478–1492 : René of Alençon * 1492–1525 : Charles IV of Alençon, son of, married Margareth of Navarre * 1525–1549 : Margareth of Navarre, widow of After the death of Margareth of Navarre the fief went to the royal domain. Here after the title of duke of Perche was personally granted by the king from time to time.

Dukes of Perche

House of Valois

* Francis, duke of Perche (1566–1584)

House of Bourbon

* Louis, duke of Perche (1771–1814)

English title

Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury, KG (13 June 13883 November 1428) of Bisham in Berkshire, was an English nobleman and one of the most important English commanders during the Hundred Years' War. Origins He was the eldest son of John Mont ...

was created ''Earl of Perche'' in 1419 as part of Henry V of England's policy of creating Norman titles for his noblemen.''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 11th Ed. Vol XXIV. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1910. pg 78. *

Thomas Beaufort, Count of Perche Thomas Beaufort, styled 1st Count of Perche (c. 1405 – 3 October 1431) was a member of the Beaufort family and an English commander during the Hundred Years' War. He was the third son of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and his wife, Margaret ...

was created Count of Perche in December 1427, but the title was contested with John II of Alençon. * Humphrey Stafford, 6th Earl of Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham was created count of Perche in 1431 by Henry VI of England as titular king of France.

References

{{reflist Perche People associated with Sandleford, Berkshire