Duke of Châtellerault () is a
French noble title that has been created several times, originally in the
Peerage of France
The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages.
The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...
in 1515. It takes its name from
Châtellerault
Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; ) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the residents are cal ...
, in the
Vienne region.
The first title was created for François de Bourbon-Montpensier, a younger son of
Gilbert, Comte de Montpensier, who was created Viscount of Châtellerault (''Vicomte de Châtellerault'') in February 1514. He received the duchy-peerage of Châtellerault in 1515, but was killed the same year, being succeeded by his brother Charles, ''
jure uxoris
''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...
''
Duke of Bourbon
Duke of Bourbon () is a title in the peerage of France. It was created in the first half of the 14th century for the eldest son of Robert of France, Count of Clermont, and Beatrice of Burgundy, heiress of the lordship of Bourbon. In 1416, wi ...
and
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France.
As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...
. This title was confiscated in 1527 after the Duke, who was
Constable of France
The Constable of France (, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and chancellor) and the commander-in ...
, betrayed the
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
by allying himself with the Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
Kings and Emperors
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
Others
* Charles V, Duke ...
.
The duchies of Châtellerault and Bourbon were then conferred on
Louise of Savoy
Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess ''suo jure'' of Auvergne (province), Auvergne and House of Bourbon, Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours and the mother of King Francis I of France, Francis I ...
, the mother of King
Francis I, but the latter title became extinct in 1530 when she ceded the territory of the duchy to
Louis de Bourbon, Prince de la Roche-sur-Yon and later also
Duc de Montpensier. However, the dukedom was again conferred on Louise of Savoy that year, and she retained it until her death in 1532.
The dukedom was next created for Louise's grandson
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
, son of King Francis I, who was created
Duke of Orléans
Duke of Orléans () was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King Philip VI for his yo ...
, Duke of Châtellerault and
Duke of Angoulême
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
in 1544. He died unmarried in 1545, when these titles became extinct.
The next creation of the dukedom was in 1548, for
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran
James may refer to:
People
* James (given name)
* James (surname)
* James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician
* James, brother of Jesus
* King James (disambiguation), various kings named James
* Prince Ja ...
,
and
Regent of Scotland, who arranged the marriage of
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legit ...
, to the
Dauphin Francis, son of King
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
, and who had been promised a
duchy
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition.
There once existed an important differe ...
by the
Treaty of Châtillon, 1548. However, he turned against the Queen in 1559, and his French estates and title were confiscated.
The next recipient of the dukedom was
Diane de France, legitimated daughter of
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
and
Filippa Duci, in 1563. However, she exchanged Châtellerault for the
duchy of Angoulême in 1582.
The next year, the dukedom was given to François, Duke of Montpensier, son of Louis above-mentioned, in 1584. His granddaughter Marie, Duchesse de Montpensier, in 1626 married
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
''Monsieur'' Gaston, Duke of Orléans (Gaston Jean Baptiste; 24 April 1608 – 2 February 1660), was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his second wife, Marie de' Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a . He later acquired the title ...
, son of King
Henry IV, and their daughter Anne-Marie-Louise, "La Grande Mademoiselle", inherited the dukedoms of Montpensier and Châtellerault.
She died in 1693, when the titles became extinct, and left the territory of the dukedom to her paternal first cousin
Philip I, Duke of Orléans, son of King
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.
...
.
In the 1720s, he sold the lands to
Frédéric Guillaume de la Trémoille, Prince de Talmont, whose son Anne-Charles-Frédéric was created Duke of Châtellerault in 1730. He succeeded his father as
Prince de Talmont in 1738 and died without issue in 1759, when the dukedom became extinct, and the lands passed to another branch of the La Trémoille family.
That was the last legally defined creation of the dukedom, but in 1864, the Hamilton creation of 1548 was revived by the Emperor
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
.
However, this revival was neither in favour of the heir under the original letters patent, the
14th Earl of Derby, nor in favour of the heir-male, the
2nd Marquess of Abercorn, but rather in favour of the 12th Duke of Hamilton, who was a
third cousin once removed of the Emperor through his mother the former
Princess Marie Elisabeth of Baden. He died without male issue in 1895, and was succeeded as Duke of Hamilton by his
fourth cousin Alfred, Duke of Hamilton. The
Dukes of Hamilton and the
Dukes of Abercorn have since then used the title in France, though without any legal justification.
Dukes of Châtellerault, first creation (1515)
*
François de Bourbon-Montpensier, 1st Duke of Châtellerault (1492–1515)
*
Charles de Bourbon-Montpensier, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault (1490–1527), title forfeit 1527
Dukes of Châtellerault, second and third creations (1527 and 1530)
*
Louise of Savoy
Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess ''suo jure'' of Auvergne (province), Auvergne and House of Bourbon, Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours and the mother of King Francis I of France, Francis I ...
(1476–1532)
Dukes of Châtellerault, fourth creation (1540)
*
Charles de Valois, 1st Duke of Orléans and Châtellerault (1522–1545)
Dukes of Châtellerault, fifth creation (1548)
*
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Châtellerault (1515–1575)
Dukes of Châtellerault, sixth creation (1563)
*
Diane de France, 1st Duchess of Châtellerault (1538–1619), duchy exchanged for that of Angoulême in 1582
Dukes of Châtellerault, seventh creation (1583)
*
François de Bourbon-Montpensier, 1st Duke of Châtellerault (d. 1592)
*
Henri de Bourbon-Montpensier, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault (1573–1608)
*
Marie de Bourbon-Montpensier, 3rd Duchess of Châtellerault (1605–1627)
*
Anne Louise d'Orléans, 4th Duchess of Châtellerault (1627–1693)
The title was then used by the
House of Orléans
The 4th House of Orléans (), sometimes called the House of Bourbon-Orléans () to distinguish it, is the fourth holder of a surname previously used by several branches of the House of France, Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimat ...
.
Dukes of Châtellerault, eighth creation (1730)
*
Anne-Charles-Frédéric de La Trémoille, 1st Duke of Châtellerault (1711–1759)
Dukes of Châtellerault, fifth creation, revived (1864)
*
William Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault (1845–1895), 12th Duke of Hamilton
''For further succession, see
Duke of Abercorn
The title Duke of Abercorn () is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1868 and bestowed upon James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn. Although the Dukedom is in the Peerage of Ireland, it refers to Abercorn, West Lothian, and t ...
.''
References
Sources
* http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/peerage2.htm
* http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/scotfr.htm#arran
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatellerault, Duke of
Noble titles created in 1515
Noble titles created in 1540
Noble titles created in 1548
Noble titles created in 1583
Noble titles created in 1730