The Brézé family was an old and distinguished French noble Angevin family.

History

The founder and most famous member of the family was

Pierre de Brézé Pierre II de Brézé or de Brezé ( – 16 July 1465), Count of Maulevrier and Évreux (), was a French soldier and courtier in the service of kings Charles VII and Louis XI. He is sometimes distinguished from others of his house as Pierre II. ...

(–1465), one of the trusted soldiers and statesmen of Charles VII. He was succeeded as

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

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 ...

by his eldest son,

Jacques de Brézé Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

(–1490), count of Maulevrier; and then by his grandson,

Louis de Brézé Louis de Brézé, Seigneur d'Anet and Comte de Maulevrier ( – 23 July 1531) was a French nobleman, the grandson of King Charles VII of France by his natural daughter with his mistress Agnès Sorel. Early life Louis was the son of Jacques de B ...

(died 1531), husband of the famous

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and courtier who wielded much power and influence as King Henry II of France, Henry II's Maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position inc ...

, whose tomb in

Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral () is a Catholic church architecture, church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the Episcopal see, see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, b ...

, attributed to

Jean Goujon Jean Goujon ()Thirion, Jacques (1996). "Goujon, Jean" in ''The Dictionary of Art'', edited by Jane Turner; vol. 13, pp. 225–227. London: Macmillan. Reprinted 1998 with minor corrections: . was a French Renaissance sculptor and architect. Bio ...

and

Jean Cousin the Elder Jean Cousin (1500 – before 1593) was a French painter, sculptor, etcher, engraver, and geometrician. He is known as "Jean Cousin the Elder" to distinguish him from his son Jean Cousin the Younger, also an artist. Career Cousin was born a ...

, is a splendid example of

French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define ...

work. The lordship of Brézé passed eventually to Claire Clémence de Maillé,

Princess of Condé The title Princess of Condé refers to the wife of the Prince of Condé, a noble title in France. The House of Condé is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, which played a significant role in French history. Princess of Condé See also *Duc ...

, who sold it to Thomas Dreux, who took the name of Dreux-Brézé when it was erected into a

marquisate A marquess (; ) 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 with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

Henri Evrard, marquis de Dreux-Brézé Henri is the French form of the masculine given name Henry, also in Estonian, Finnish, German and Luxembourgish. Bearers of the given name include: People French nobles * Henri I de Montmorency (1534–1614), Marshal and Constable of France * H ...

(1762–1829) succeeded his father as master of the ceremonies to

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

in 1781. He died on 27 January 1829, when he was succeeded in the peerage and at court by his son Scipion (1793–1845).

Notable members of the Brézé family

(–1465), courtier and soldier *

(–1490), Count of Maulevrier (son of Pierre) *

Charlotte de Brézé Charlotte de Brézé also known as Charlotte de Valois (c. 1446–1477), was an illegitimate daughter of Charles VII of France by Agnès Sorel. She was the sister of Marie de Valois (1444–1473) and Jeanne de Valois (b. 1448), and the half sist ...

(–1477), illegitimate daughter of Charles VII of France (wife of Jacques) *

Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet 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, HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy Se ...

(–1531), Sénéchal of Normandy and Master of the Hunt (grandson of Pierre) *

Françoise de Brézé Françoise de Brézé (ca. 1518 – 14 October 1577), ''Suo jure'' Countess of Maulévrier, was a French noblewoman and courtier. She served as ''Première dame d'honneur'' to Queen Catherine de' Medici from 1547 until 1560 and was the regent of ...

(–1577), ''suo jure'' Countess of Maulévrier (daughter of Louis) *

Louise de Brézé Louise de Brézé (1521–1577), Duchess of Aumale and ''Dame d'Anet'', was a French noblewoman of the 16th century, the second daughter of Diane de Poitiers and Louis de Brézé. Early life Louise was born to the influential Norman landowner Lo ...

(1521–1577), Duchess of Aumale and Dame d'Anet (daughter of Louis) *

Urbain de Maillé-Brézé Urbain is a name of French origin which may refer to: ;Family name * Achille Urbain (1884–1957), French biologist * Georges Urbain (1872–1938), French chemist * Ismael Urbain (1812–1884), French journalist and interpreter * Jacques Urbain ...

(1597–1650), Marshal of France, Marquis de Brézé *

Claire Clémence de Maillé Brézé Clair or Claire may refer to: People and fictional characters * Claire (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Clair or Claire * Clair (surname), a list of people with the surname Clair or Claire Pl ...

(1628–1694), Princess of Condé and Duchess of Fronsac (daughter of Urbain) *

Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

(1619–1646), Admiral (brother of Claire Clémence)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breze French noble families Surnames