During the Middle Ages, the counts of Blois were among the most powerful

vassals A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

of the

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...

. This title of nobility seems to have been created in 832 by Emperor Louis ''the Pious'' for Count William, the youngest son of Adrian, Count of Orléans. Over a few decades, the county was gathered to the royal lands of France until the end of the 9th century, before being relegated to the status of

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 judicial ...

. From its second creation in 956 to the definitive integration to the Dukedom of Orleans in 1397, the county was directed by the last viscount's descendants, Theobald I. His descendants, called

House of Blois The House of Blois () is a lineage derived from the Frankish nobility, whose principal members were often named Theobald (''Thibaud'', ''Thibault'', ''Thibaut'' in French). History Heirs of the viscounts of Blois, the House of Blois accumulated ...

ended up related to a large number of European noble families. In 1397, the title was ceded by Count Guy II in the favor of Duke Louis I of Orléans, who was the second son of King Charles V. The very last hereditary count of Blois was his grandson, Duke Louis II, who annexed the county to the

Crown lands of France The crown lands, crown estate, royal domain or (in French) ''domaine royal'' (from demesne) of France were the lands, fiefs and rights directly possessed by the kings of France. While the term eventually came to refer to a territorial unit, ...

when he was crowned King of France in 1498 under the name of

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...

. The title reappeared in 1626 when Duke Gaston of Orléans was offered a newly independent

County of Blois The County of Blois was a feudal principality centred on Blois, south of Paris, France. It was created just after king Clovis I conquered Roman Gaul around AD 500. Between the 8th and the 13th centuries, it was amongst the most powerful vassa ...

from

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and King Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

refused this favor to his brother, Duke Philippe, when he received the traditional

apanage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...

in 1660.

Carolingian county (832–c.900)

It is likely, but not certain, that the title of count of Blois was granted before the year 832.

Viscounty (c.900–956)

House of Blois (956–1230)

House of Avesnes (1230–1241)

''Title held by

House of Avesnes The Avesnes family played an important role during the Middle Ages. The family has its roots in the small village Avesnes-sur-Helpe, in the north of France. One branch produced a number of Counts of Holland during the 13th century. The family di ...

''.

House of Châtillon (1241–1397)

''Title held by

House of Châtillon The House of Châtillon was a notable French family, with origins in the 9th century. The name comes from that of Châtillon-sur-Marne in Champagne, where members of the family were tenants in a castle belonging to the Counts of Champagne. Gauch ...

''.

House of Orléans (1397–1498, 1626–1660)

Even though the rights on the county were given to Duke Louis I of Orléans,

Bloisian Bloisian (''Blésois'' in French) is a natural region of France located around the city of Blois ( Loir-et-Cher). This term also refers to the locals living there. Historically, Bloisian was part of the County of Blois, and from 1498 part of the ...

was not immediately integrated in the Crown's land. As a results, Dukes of Orléans also did hold the title of Count of Blois, until 1498 when Duke Louis II became

King Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the t ...

. On August 6, 1626, after a failed conspiracy in Nantes, Duke Gaston reluctantly accepted to marry the wealthy lady Duchess Marie of Montpensier, as

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

wanted him to do. As a gift, he received the duchies of Orléans and of

Chartres Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...

, plus the

county of Blois The County of Blois was a feudal principality centred on Blois, south of Paris, France. It was created just after king Clovis I conquered Roman Gaul around AD 500. Between the 8th and the 13th centuries, it was amongst the most powerful vassa ...

. When Gaston died, his

decided to give it to his own younger brother, Duke Philippe, excepted

(and so the châteaux of

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...

and

Chambord Chambord can refer to: * Chambord (liqueur), a brand of raspberry-flavored liqueur * Château de Chambord, a French ''château'' built in the 16th century * Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, the French commune where the ''château'' is located * Chambord, ...

) as well as

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

. Therefore, the county became definitively part of French territory.

References

Sources

* * {{cite book , first=Rene , last=Merlet , url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k57102242.texteImage , title=Les Comtes de Chartres de Chateaudun et de Blois, aux IX et X siecles , year=1900 , publisher=Impriemerie Garnier , language=fr