The de Becdelièvre family is a surviving French noble family originating from

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, ennobled in 1442 by letters patent from the Duke of Brittany. The family branched into three main lines, which were further subdivided into several offshoots across Brittany,

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, and

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. Since the mid-19th century, only the second branch, descended from Pierre de Becdelièvre, lord of Bois-Basset in the parish of

Maure A Moor's head, also known as a Maure, since the 11th century, is a symbol depicting the head of a black moor. The term moor came to define anyone who was African and Muslim. Origin The precise origin of the Moor's head as a heraldic symbol is ...

, has persisted. Under 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 ...

, the family was prominent among Breton magistrates, producing counselors and presidents at the Parlement of Brittany, as well as counselors and two mortar chairmans at the Parlement of Normandy. It also contributed an attorney general, a president, and five first presidents to the Chamber of Accounts of Brittany, alongside two first presidents at the Court of Aids in Normandy. Notable members include Counselors of State,

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

, and the

bishop of Nîmes A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in 1738.

History

The family traces its origins to the small town of

Lohéac Lohéac (; ; Gallo: ''Lozeiac'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. The town is well known for cars and motorsport, hosting a rallycross track part of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, a ta ...

in Brittany. Its documented lineage begins with Thomas Becdelièvre, a resident of Lohéac, whose son, Guillaume Becdelièvre of Saint-André-des-Eaux (diocese of Dol), served as secretary to Duke John IV. Guillaume was ennobled, along with his estates, on July 12, 1442, by ducal letters patent. In 1775, the Becdelièvre de Cany branch sought admission to the Honneurs de la Cour (Honors of the Court). The royal genealogist tasked with reviewing their titles reported to Marshal du Muy: "This family descends from Guillaume Becdelièvre of Lohéac, Brittany, secretary to Duke John V in 1426, ennobled by letters patent on July 12, 1442. During the 1669 reformation of the Breton nobility, François Becdelièvre, Viscount of Bouëxic, a descendant, claimed descent from Thomas (living 1411) and Pierre (living 1350), asserting their nobility, though no supporting documents were provided." The manuscripts of genealogist Bernard Chérin include a note reflecting local perceptions: "The common opinion among Nantais is that the Becdelièvre family stems from a Poitiers apothecary. However, Father Lobineau's 'Remarks on Some Breton Families' suggests a more plausible origin: a family from Lohéac that rose through minor judicial roles to occupy prominent positions in higher courts." On May 14, 1669, the Chamber for the Reformation of the Breton Nobility issued a decree affirming the family's ancient noble status, tracing Guillaume Becdelièvre (ennobled 1442) as the grandson of Pierre Becdelièvre, an esquire and lord of Bouëxic, living in 1350. The Becdelièvre de Cany branch was admitted to the Honors of the Court in 1775. Since 1955, the family has been a member of the (ANF).

Notable members

* Guillaume Becdelièvre, Lord of Bouëxic – Secretary to John IV of Brittany, ennobled in July 1442. * Pierre Becdelièvre – Mayor of Rennes from 1485 to 1489.

La Busnelaye Branch, Marquises of Becdelièvre

* François Becdelièvre – Lord of La Busnelaye, counselor at the Parlement of Brittany (1620), first president of the Chamber of Accounts of Brittany in

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

(1633). Married Jeanne Blanchard in 1621. * Jean-Baptiste de Becdelièvre – Lord of La Busnelaye, son of François, attorney general at the Chamber of Accounts (1646), counselor (1649), and mortar chairman (1652) at the Parlement of Brittany. Married Louise Harrouys in 1647. * Jean-Baptiste de Becdelièvre (1651–1736) – Son of the above, president of the Parlement of Brittany. Married Renée de Sesmaisons in 1677. * Guillaume-Jean-Baptiste-François de Becdelièvre (1651–1733) – Son of Jean-Baptiste, made Marquis de Becdelièvre in 1717, first president of the Chamber of Accounts of Brittany (1716). Married Françoise Le Nobletz in 1705. * Hilarion-François, Marquis de Becdelièvre (1707–1787) – Son of Guillaume, counselor to the king, first president of the Chamber of Accounts (1733). Married Marie-Anne d'Anviray de Machonville in 1740; co-founder of the Literary Chamber of Nantes. * Hilarion-Anne-François-Philippe, Marquis de Becdelièvre (1743–1792) – Son of Hilarion-François, president at the Chamber of Accounts. Married Marie-Victoire de Coutances in 1778. * His daughter, Marie Madeleine Juliette de Becdelièvre (1775–1840), married

Louis Auguste Victor de Ghaisne de Bourmont Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

in 1800. * Charles-Prudent de Becdelièvre (1705–1784) – Bishop of

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

Quevilly Branch

* René Becdelièvre – Lord of Sazilly and Quevilly, accompanied

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

in the Milanese conquests. Appointed governor and podestà of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

in 1502, later rewarded with a counselor position in Normandy's Exchequer (1512) and keeper of the seals after

Cardinal d'Amboise Georges d'Amboise (1460 – May 25, 1510) was a French Roman Catholic cardinal and minister of state. He belonged to the house of Amboise, a noble family possessed of considerable influence: of his nine brothers, four were bishops. His fath ...

. * Charles de Becdelièvre (1579–1622) – Lord of Hocqueville, gentleman of

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

's chamber, Counselor of State, and

mestre de camp Mestre de camp or Maître de camp (; "camp-master") was a military rank in the Ancien Régime of France, equivalent to colonel. A mestre de camp commanded a regiment and was under the authority of a Colonel General, who commanded all the regiments ...

of infantry. * Pierre de Becdelièvre – Marquis of Quevilly (1654), Baron of Cany and Archigny, Counselor of State (1644), first president of Normandy's Court of Aids, founder of Rouen's Discalced Carmelites (1660). Married Madeleine de Moy de Breurville. * Thomas-Charles de Becdelièvre (died 1711) – Son of Pierre, Marquis of Quevilly, Baron of Archigny, mortar chairman at the Parlement of Normandy. Married Anne Pellot in 1674.

Val-Hammon and Brossay branches

* Henri de Becdelièvre – Royal Navy guard, killed on August 24, 1704, aboard the flagship ''Le Foudroyant'' under Prince of Toulouse during the

Battle of Vélez-Málaga A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

. * Pierre-Joseph de Becdelièvre –

Knight of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

(1718), naval ensign, died aboard the ''Mercure'' on September 13, 1746, during the Duc d'Anville expedition. * Antoine-Pierre de Becdelièvre (1734–1759) – Royal Navy guard, killed at age 25 aboard ''Le Thésée'' on November 20, 1759, during the

Battle of Quiberon Bay The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as the ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' by the French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off ...

. * François-Gabriel-Philippe-Narcisse de Becdelièvre, Lord of Val-Hamon (1778–1858) – Painter and scholar. * Antoine-Gabriel de Becdelièvre (1800–1863) – Known as Count de Becdelièvre, historian, author of ''Biographie Liégeoise'' (1837). * Louis-Aimé-Victor de Becdelièvre (1826–1871) – Known as Viscount de Becdelièvre, Saint-Cyr graduate (1848), fought in Italy (1850–1852), the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

(1854–1856), and as a major in the Franco-Belgian Tirailleurs and lieutenant-colonel in the

Papal Zouaves The Papal Zouaves () were an infantry battalion (later regiment) dedicated to defending the Papal States. Named after the French zouave regiments, the ' were mainly young men, unmarried and Catholic, who volunteered to assist Pope Pius IX in his ...

. Awarded the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, Crimean Medal, Pro Petri Sede Medal, and Commander of the

Order of Pius IX The Order of Pope Pius IX (), also referred as the Pian Order (, ), is a papal order of knighthood originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. It is the highest honor currently conferred by the Holy See (two higher honors, the Supreme Order of C ...

. * Aloÿs Anne Marie de Becdelièvre (1843–1911) – Known as Viscount de Becdelièvre, secret chamberlain to Popes

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...

and

Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

Arms and Titles

"Sable, two crosses flory fitchy in chief and a scallop shell in base, all argent." * The senior Breton branch (extinct) received the title of Viscount of Bouëxic in 1637 (extinct in the 18th century) and Marquis de Becdelièvre in 1717. Louis Philippe de Becdelièvre (1830–1882) of the Brossay branch inherited the marquisate. * The cadet Normandy branch (extinct) obtained the Marquisate of Quevilly in May 1654, extinct by the 18th century. * The surviving branch uses the courtesy titles of marquis, count, and viscount.

Estates

* Château du Bouëxic * Château de la Seilleraye * Château de Boussay * Château du Grand-Quevilly * Château de l'Épinay *

Château de Cany The Château de Cany is a château located in Cany-Barville, a France, French municipality in the Seine-Maritime, department of Seine-Maritime. It was built by Pierre Le Marinier towards the end of Louis XIII of France, Louis XIII's reign and ser ...

* Château de Brumare * Château de La Bancalié * Château du Brossay

Gallery

File:Charles de Becdelièvre.jpg, Charles de Becdelièvre File:Renedebecdelievre.jpg, René de Becdelièvre File:PierredeBecdelièvre.jpg, Pierre de Becdelièvre File:Cénotaphe de Charles et Pierre de Becdelièvre.jpg, Cenotaph of Charles and Pierre de Becdelièvre, lords and marquises of Quevilly (Saint-Godard, Rouen) File:Thomas Charles de Becdelièvre.png, Thomas-Charles de Becdelièvre File:La marquise de Becdelièvre.jpg, The Marquise de Becdelièvre, by

Robert Tournières Robert Le Vrac de Tournières (17 June 1667 – 18 May 1752) was a French painter. After the Second World War, a street in the new Saint-Paul district of his home city of Caen was named ''rue Robert Tournières''.''Les 50.000 adresses du Calvado ...

File:Marquise de Becdelièvre, par Alexandre Roslin.jpg, The Marquise de Becdelièvre, by

Alexandre Roslin Alexander Roslin (; spelled Alexandre in French, ; 15 July 17185 July 1793) was a Swedish painter who worked in Scania, Bayreuth, Paris, Italy, Warsaw and St. Petersburg, primarily for members of aristocratic families. He combined insightful psyc ...

File:Narcisse de Becdelièvre.jpg, Narcisse de Becdelièvre File:Renee de Sesmaisons, Marquise de Becdelièvre, mariée en 1677.jpg, Renée de Sesmaisons, Marquise de Becdelièvre, by

Pierre Mignard Pierre Mignard or Pierre Mignard I (; 17 November 1612 – 30 May 1695), called "Mignard le Romain" to distinguish him from his brother Nicolas Mignard, was a French painter known for his religious and mythological scenes and portraits. He was a ...

Alliances

Key alliances include: de Goulaine, Harouys, Cornulier, de Charette, Blanchard, de Sesmaisons, du Plessis-Mauron, de Derval, de Bourgneuf de Cucé, Le Nobletz, and others such as de Lorgeril, de Roquefeuil, and de Montmorency (1797).

References

Bibliography

* {{Portal, History, France French nobility History of Rennes