The House of La Trémoïlle ''(Maison de La Trémoille in French)'' was an ancient French noble family from

Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...

whose name comes from the village La Trimouille in the '' department'' of Vienne. This family has been known since the middle of the 11th century, and since the 14th century its members have been conspicuous in French history as nobles, military leaders and crusaders, and influential as political leaders, diplomats,

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

and courtiers. The

male line Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

of the family died out in 1933, while female line heirs of the last duke have kept the La Trémoïlle surname alive in both France and Belgium.

Lords and crusaders

Pierre, the first known ''

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

'' (or '' sire'') of La Trémoïlle, was settled in

, and died after 1040. His descendant, Guy, accompanied Godefroy de Bouillon to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

as a crusader in 1096. Upon his return, he had the abbey of

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

rebuilt, and died after 1145. His son, Guillaume, joined the expedition of

Louis VII of France Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

to the Holy Land as a crusader. Guillaume's great-grandson, Thibaut, crusaded alongside St. Louis, and was killed, along with three of his sons, on 8 February 1250 in battle at

Mansoura Mansoura (; ', , rural: ) is a city in Egypt located on the eastern bank of the Damietta branch of the Nile river. The city is the capital of the Dakahlia Governorate and has a population of 621,953 as of 2021. Etymology ''Mansoura'' in Arabic ...

in Egypt. In 1269 another Guy de La Trémoïlle, who is numbered "I" in the family lineage, paid homage to his liege, Alphonse, Count of Poitou, and died sometime after 1301. Guy IV (d. 1350), predeceased his father, Guy III, having been designated Grand Panetier of France. His son, Guy V (1346–1398), was called "The Valiant" according to Père Anselme, being a renowned warrior, the confidante of Philip the Hardy of

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

, and later counselor in the service of

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved () and in the 19th century, the Mad ( or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychosis, psychotic episodes t ...

, whose

Oriflamme The Oriflamme (from Latin ''aurea flamma'', "golden flame"), a pointed, blood-red banner flown from a gilded lance, was the sacred battle standard of the King of France and a symbol of divine intervention on the battlefield from God and Saint ...

he carried into battle against the English in 1382. He journeyed with Louis II, Duke of Bourbon on crusade to Africa, and died in

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

en route to France, having been ransomed in 1396 following imprisonment at Nicopolis. His son George (1382–1444), became Grand Chamberlain of France in 1406 and husband in 1416 of Joan II, Countess of Auvergne, thereby also acquiring the counties of

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

and

Guînes Guînes (; ; ) is a commune in the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais. Historically, it was spelt ''Guisnes''. On 7 January 1785, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, a French pioneer in hydrogen-balloon flight, completed the first aerial crossi ...

. His rivalry with Arthur de Richemont, rather than hostility to

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

, is believed to have slowed her crusade's momentum against the English, allowing them to capture and burn her at the stake in 1431.Pernoud, Marie-Véronique and Clin, Régine
Louis of Luxembourg
Joan of Arc: Her Story. Palgrave Macmillan. 1999. p. 80. . His family's rise to wealth and power made him a target, and he was ransomed after capture thrice; after the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...

, once again by the English, and at

Chinon Chinon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Indre-et-Loire Departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. The traditional province around Chinon, Touraine, became a favorite resort of French kings and their nobles beginn ...

, whence he was taken from the king's side and held prisoner at Montrésor. His grandson Louis II (1460–1525), commanded French troops in the conquest of

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

for

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 ...

. Defeated and wounded fighting the Swiss at Novarra in 1513, he redeemed his reputation by raising the siege of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

against the Constable de Bourbon's Imperial troops in 1523 before being killed at the

Battle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg Empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, Holy Roman Empero ...

in 1525. In 1485 he had wed the '' princesse du sang'' Gabrielle de Bourbon, daughter of Louis I, comte de Montpensier, subsequently marrying the daughter of

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was a Cardinal (Catholic Church)#Cardinal_deacons, cardinal deacon and later an Italians, Italian ''condottieri, condottiero''. He was the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI of the Aragonese ...

. He inherited from his mother Marguerite d'Amboise, vicomtesse de Thouars, the title, "prince de Talmond", which Du Cange noted, in his ''Glossarium mediæ et infimæ latinitatis'', had become attached to an

allod Allod, deriving from Frankish language, Frankish ''alōd'' meaning "full ownership" (from ''al'' "full, whole" and ''ōd'' "property, possession"; Medieval Latin ''allod'' or ''allodium''), also known as allodial land or proprietary property, was ...

ial ''seigneurie'' in the

Vendée Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.Heraldica.org, Francois Velde,
Talmond: A list of French Princes and Principalities
', 21 January 2008, retrieved 7 November 2018 It was his grandson, François de La Trémoïlle (1505–1541), who succeeded Louis II in his titles, his father Charles, prince de Talmond (1486–1515), having been killed at the Battle of Marignano. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Pavia at which his grandfather was killed, but was subsequently ransomed. François wed the heiress Anne de Laval in 1521, who eventually brought to their descendants the

pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimat ...

ship to a royal throne. Their two younger sons, George (died 1584) and Claude (died 1566) founded, respectively, the branches of the marquis d'Royan (extinct 1698) and of the ducs de Noirmoutier (extinct 1733). The eldest son of François de La Trémoïlle, Louis III (1521–1577), was the first of his family to obtain ducal status when Charles IX conferred that honor upon him in 1563. His son with Jeanne de Montmorency, Claude (1566–1604), had the dukedom elevated into a

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

in 1595, although it was not registered as hereditary in the ''

Parlement Under the French Ancien Régime, a ''parlement'' () was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 ''parlements'', the original and most important of which was the ''Parlement'' of Paris. Though both th ...

'' until 1599. He had converted to Protestantism and fought for the

during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

at the battles of Coutras in 1587, Ivry in 1590 and Fontaine-Française in 1595, and at the sieges of Paris and

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

. In 1598 he married Charlotte Brabantine of Orange-Nassau (1580–1631), daughter of the Protestant Dutch leader

William the Silent William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburg Netherlands, Habsburgs that set off the ...

. Claude's sister, Charlotte Catherine de La Trémoille (d. 1619), married Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé (1552–1588) in 1586, but when he died suddenly six months before the birth of their only son in September 1588, she was imprisoned on suspicion of having poisoned her husband to prevent the child's rejection as a bastard, although the king recognized the child as '' premier prince du sang'' and heir presumptive to the crown until the birth of his own son, the future

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 1601. The third duc de Thouars, Henri (1599–1674), was present at the

Siege of La Rochelle The siege of La Rochelle (, or sometimes ) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–1628. The siege marked the height of Huguenot rebellions, the struggle between ...

in October 1628, after which he was obliged to abjure Protestantism for Catholicism while face-to-face with the victorious

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

. He fought for France thereafter, at Pas-de-Suze in 1629, at the siege of Corbie in 1636, and was wounded at Carignano in 1629. Of his marriage with his cousin in 1619, Marie de La Tour d'Auvergne (1601–1665), daughter of Henri, Duke of Bouillon, was born Henri-Charles de La Trémoïlle (1620–1672), fourth duc de Thouars and prince de Tarente. He lived much of his life outside of France, serving as a cavalry general in the service of the Estates of Holland and holding the post of governor of Bois-le-Duc. He married a German princess, Emilie of Hesse-Cassel (1626–1693), in 1648, and only returned to France and converted to Catholicism two years before his death, in September 1670. His great-grandson, Charles Armand René de La Trémoïlle (1683–1719) became the seventh duc de Thouars in father-to-son succession. He received the position of '' Premier Gentilhomme de la Chambre du Roi'', which had become a family

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...

. In 1725 he married his cousin, Marie Hortense de La Tour d'Auvergne (1704–1788), daughter of Emmanuel-Théodose, Duke of Bouillon.

Claim to Kingdom of Naples

In the 17th century the La Trémoïlle family put forth a claim to the throne of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

. Henry de La Trémoïlle, in representation of his great-grandmother Anne de Laval (1505–1554), wife of François de la Trémoïlle, was the sole heir to King

Frederick of Naples Frederick (19 April 1452 – 9 November 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the second son of Ferdina ...

. Ferdinand I (1423–1494), an illegitimate son of King

Alfonso V of Aragon Alfonso the Magnanimous (Alfons el Magnànim in Catalan language, Catalan) (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfons V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfons I) from 1442 until his ...

, managed to become king of Naples in 1458, although upon his death his son Alfonso II (1452–1504) was driven out by France. Alfonso II's only legitimate child, Charlotte (1480–1506), was married in 1500 to Nicolas de Montmorency, comte de Laval. Her younger daughter Anne married in 1521 Louis I de La Trémoïlle, vicomte de Thouars. By this connection the La Trémoïlle claimed the title "Prince of Tarento", along with the inheritance of Montmorency-Laval (it had passed to the Rieux family on the death of Guy XVI in 1531, then through Claude de Rieux, comtesse de Laval et Montfort, to

François de Coligny François de Coligny, Count of Coligny and Lord of Châtillon (28 April 1557 – 8 October 1591) was a French Protestant general of the Wars of Religion. Early life Coligny was born on 28 April 1557 at Châtillon-Coligny. He was the son of Admi ...

in 1547, and on the death in 1605 of his grandson Guy XX, to the La Trémoïlle). Henri-Charles (1599–1674), duc de Thouars, received royal confirmation of the rank of

foreign prince Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

in 1651; he bore as

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

''Quarterly Or a chevron gules between three eagles azure'' (La Trémoïlle), France,

Bourbon-Montpensier The House of Bourbon-Montpensier or ''Maison de Bourbon-Montpensier'' was a semi royal family. The name of Bourbon comes from a marriage between Marie de Valois, comtesse de Montpensier (1375–1434) who married Jean de Bourbon - the duc de ...

and Montmorency-Laval. His eldest son Charles-Belgique-Hollande (1655–1709) bore ''Quarterly France and Two-Sicilies, over all La Trémoïlle'', the younger son Frédéric-Guillaume (d. 1739) was titled prince de Talmond; he acquired the lordship of Châtellerault and had it raised to a dukedom for his son in 1730, but the latter died without issue in 1759 and the title of Talmond returned to the eldest branch. The 13th and last duke of Thouars, 13th prince de Tarente and 17th prince de Talmond died in 1933. In 1643 he asserted his rights to that crown ''

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 ...

'', and his descendants would continue to do so at various diplomatic conferences, in vain.

, however, recognized the duc de La Trémoïlle's assumption of "Prince of

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

" as a title of pretence and, by patent issued in 1629, granted him and his family the rank and prerogatives of ''

princes étrangers A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fema ...

'' at the French

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

.''Mémoires de la société des antiquaires de l’Ouest'', 1867, page 40.
/ref> In 1648, Louis XIV allowed him to send a representative in presented their claims before the Congress of Munster, where the

Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two Peace treaty, peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy R ...

was concluded. The princes de Tarente also sought to their

dynastic A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. Historians ...

rights recognized at the congresses of Munster, Nijmegen and Ryswyk, but without success. On November 6, 1748, the La Trémoïlle family made a final protest concerning their rights to the kingdom of Naples which had been yielded by the Treaty of Vienna of 1738 to the King of Sicily.

Extinction

Louis Jean Marie de La Trémoille (8 February 1910 – 9 December 1933), prince and 12th duc de La Trémoille, 13th duc de Thouars, 13th prince de Tarente and 17th prince de Talmond,

Almanach de Gotha The ''Almanach de Gotha'' () is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published in 1763 by C. W. Ettinger in ...

, ''La Trémoïlle''.

Justus Perthes Johann Georg Justus Perthes (11 September 1749 – 2 May 1816) was a Germans, German publisher and founder of Justus Perthes (publishing company), the publishing house that bears his name. Life He was born in the Thuringian town of Rudolstadt, t ...

, 1944, p.463. French. was the only son and heir of Louis Charles de La Trémoïlle, 12th duc de Thouars and 12th Prince of Taranto, and was the last male of the historic La Trémoille family. He died, unmarried and childless, at the age of 23 at the estate of Leander J. McCormick (son of L. Hamilton McCormick) in

Whitchurch, Hampshire Whitchurch is a town in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane in Hampshire, England. It is on the River Test, south of Newbury, Berkshire, north of Winchester, east of Andover, Hampshire, Andover and west of Basingstoke. Much of the town is ...

. It was noted in the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

at the time that his mysterious death by fire in England evoked the martyrdom at English hands of

five centuries earlier, who had been betrayed by the young duke's ancestor,

Georges de La Trémoïlle Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia * Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses * Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 19 ...

, founder of the family's fortune in France. Although the 1944 ''

'' states that his successor, as 14th duchesse de Thouars, was the eldest of his four sisters, Charlotte (1892–1971), the ''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'' of 1991 refrains from doing so,Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Furstlicher Hauser Bande XIV, C.A. Starke Verlag, ''Ligne'', Limburg, 1991, pp. 498-499. German. a 1959 ruling of the French courts having found that

hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...

s may only be transmitted "male-to-male" in "modern law".Heraldica.org, Francois Velde,
Nobility and Titles in France
', 18 June 2008, retrieved 31 July 2011 The original grant of the

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

dom, in July 1563 by Charles IX, stipulated that it was heritable by both male and female successors, although when erected into a ''

pairie 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 ...

'' by Henry IV in 1599, the

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

restricted succession to the peerage—but not the dukedom—to male heirs, restrictions inapplicable to the title of pretence, Prince of Taranto, traditionally borne by the representative heir to the historical throne of Naples, which was heritable in the female line. The only son of the 1910 marriage of Charlotte de La Trémoïlle with Prince Henri Florent de Ligne (1881–1967), head of the

Antoing Antoing (; ) is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut (province), province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Antoing, Bruyelle, Calonne, Wallonia, Calonne, ...

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of that princely family, had ''de La Trémoïlle'' appended to his own surname in the

Kingdom of Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southe ...

as "

Jean Charles, Prince de Ligne de La Trémoille 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 ...

" (1911–2005) on 20 December 1934, and his only son, Prince Charles-Antoine (born 1946), bears the same title and name.

Chief line

Viscounts of

Thouars Thouars () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. On 1 January 2019, the former communes Mauzé-Thouarsais, Missé and Sainte-Radegonde were merged into Thouars. It is on the River Thouet. Its inhabitants are known ...

(elevated to duke 1563), Princes of Talmont, etc. * Louis I de La Trémoille *

Louis II de La Trémoille Louis II de la Trémoille (29 September 1460 – 24 February 1525), also known as La Trimouille, was a French general. He served under three kings: Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francis I. He was killed in combat at the Battle of Pavia. Mili ...

(1460–1525), son, called the ''chevalier sans reproche'' ("knight beyond reproach"), defeated and captured

Francis II, Duke of Brittany Francis II ( Breton: ''Frañsez II'', French: ''François II'') (23 June 1433 – 9 September 1488) was Duke of Brittany from 1458 to his death. He was the grandson of John IV, Duke of Brittany. A recurring theme in Francis' life would be ...

at the

Battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier (1488) 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 ...

, distinguished himself in the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts fought between 1494 and 1559, mostly in the Italian Peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the House of Valois, Valois kings o ...

, and was killed at the

(1525). * Charles I de La Trémoille, son, died in his father's lifetime and under his command at the Battle of Marignano (1515). * François II de La Trémoille (1505–1541), son, acquired a claim on the

by his marriage with Anne de Laval, daughter of Charlotte of Aragon *

Louis III de La Trémoille 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 * ...

(1521–1577), son, became duke of

in 1563, and his son ** Charlotte Catherine de La Trémoille, '' princesse de Condé'' (1568–1629), daughter of the above * Claude de La Trémoille (1566–1604), son, turned

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, was created a

peer 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 1595, and married a daughter of

in 1598. ** Charlotte de La Trémoille, Countess of Derby, daughter *

Henri de La Trémoille 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 * ...

, son of Claude, 3rd duke of Thouars (died 1674) *

Henri Charles de La Trémoille 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 * ...

, son of Henry (died 1672) *

Charles Belgique Hollande de La Trémoille 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 ...

, son of Henry, 4th duke of Thouars (died 1709) ** Marie Armande Victoire de La Trémoille, daughter of the above, wife of

Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne Emmanuel-Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne, cardinal de Bouillon (24 August 1643 – 2 March 1715, Rome) was a French prelate and diplomat. Biography Originally known as the Duc d'Albret, he was the son of Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne ...

* Charles Louis Bretagne de La Trémoille, son of Charles-Belgique, 5th duke of Thouars (died 1719) *

Charles Armand René de La Trémoille 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 ...

, son of Charles-Louis, 6th duke of Thouars (died 1741) * Jean Bretagne Charles de La Trémoille, son of Charles-Armand, 7th duke of Thouars (died 1792) * Charles Bretagne Marie de La Trémoille, son of Jean-Bretagne, 8th duke of Thouars (died 1839) * Louis Charles de La Trémoille, son of Charles-Bretagne, 9th duke of Thouars (died 1911) * Louis Charles Marie de La Trémoille, son of Louis-Charles, 10th duke of Thouars (died 1921) * Louis Jean Marie de La Trémoille, son of Louis-Charles-Marie, 11th duke of Thouars (died without issue 1933) * After the male family line died out in 1933, it was the female heirs of the last duke that have kept the La Trémoïlle surname alive in both France and Belgium.

Branches

The family was divided into several branches including, among others: * viscounts and

dukes of Thouars Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

* dukes of La Trémoïlle * marquis of La Trémoïlle * counts of La Tremoïlle * countess of La Tremoïlle * princes of Talmont * princes of Tarente * dukes of Châtellerault * dukes of Noirmoutier * marquis of Royan * count of Joigny

Notable family members

* Guy de la Trémoille, standard-bearer of France, was taken prisoner at the

Battle of Nicopolis The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied Crusader army (assisted by the Venetian navy) at the hands of an Ottoman force, raising the siege of the Danubian fortress of Nicopolis and le ...

(1396), and *

Georges de la Trémoille Georges de la Trémoille (c. 1382 –6 May 1446) was Count of Guînes from 1398 to 1446 and Grand Chamberlain of France to King Charles VII of France. He sought reconciliation between Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Charles VII during their ...

(c. 1382 - 6 May 1446) was count de Guînes, the favorite of King

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

, took part in the

Praguerie The Praguerie () was a revolt of the French nobility against King Charles VII from February to July 1440. It was so named because a similar rising had recently taken place in Prague, Bohemia, at that time closely associated with France through ...

and was captured at Battle of Azincourt (1415). * Jean de la Trémoille (1377-1449) *

Marie Anne de La Trémoille, princesse des Ursins Marie Anne de La Trémoille, princesse des Ursins (1642 – 5 December 1722), was a French courtier and royal favourite known for her political influence, being a '' de facto'' ruler of Spain from 1701 until 1714. She spent most of her lif ...

(1642–1722)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Tremoille Tremoille