Orléanais
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The Duchy of Orléanais () is a former province of France, which was created during the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
by merging four former counties and towns. However after the French Revolution, the province was dissolved in 1791 and succeeded by five ''départments'' (less some communes to others).


Dukedom

The Duchy of Orléanais was created in 1344 by raising the former County of Orléans to a Dukedom under King Philip VI for his second son Philip de Valois. With the creation of the duchy, several localities around the former county were also integrated, they included the County of Beaugency and the
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 ...
ities of Neuville-aux-Bois, Yèvre-le-Châtel,
Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais () is a Communes of France, commune in Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in northern France. The commune was once an important stronghold reigning over the whole natural and historic province of Thymerais. ...
, Lorris, and Boiscommun. In 1375, Prince Philip died without a legitimate heir, the title of 'Duke of Orléans' and the duchy itself were merged into the royal domain (crown lands) of the King of France. In 1392, the duchy was re-created by King Charles VI for his younger brother Louis de Valois-Orléans. The duke was later succeeded by his son Charles de Valois-Orléans who reigned until 1465 when he died of natural causes. He was succeeded by his own son Louis de Valois-Orléans, who became King Louis XII in 1495 and the title was merged into the crown once more. In 1519, the dukedom was once again created by King Francis I for his second son Henri de Valois-Angoulême. However, Henri later renounced his title when he became
Dauphin of France Dauphin of France (, also ; ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin'' is French for dolphin and ...
(heir to the throne) in 1536. He was then succeeded by his son Charles de Valois-Angoulême who reigned as duke until he died of the flu in 1545. In 1549, the dukedom was again created for the one year old Prince Louis de Valois-Angoulême, who died just a few months into his tenure. He was succeeded by his older brother Charles, who became King Charles IX in 1560 and renounced his dukedom. Charles was succeeded by Henri de Valois-Angoulême, but dropped his title in 1566 in exchange for the Dukedom of Anjou. In February 1566, the title was transferred to Queen Consort Chatherine de' Medici as Duchess of Orléans. She died in 1589 and the dukedome was once again merged into the crown. In 1626,
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. ...
re-created the Dukedom of Orléans for his younger brother Gaston, Duke of Anjou who reigned as duke until 1660 when he died of natural causes. Once again the title merged into the crown for the last time. Finally in 1661 the Dukedom of Orléans was created for the final time by King
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
for his brother Prince Philip, Duke of Anjou. He was succeeded by his son, then his grandson, great-grandson, and finally great-great grandson Louis Philippe II. In 1793, he was executed for treason during the
Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...
and succeeded by his son Louis Philippe III (later King Louis Philippe). The title then transferred for the last time to Prince Ferdinand Philippe de Orléans who died in an accident in 1842 and the title was dissolved as the Kingdom of France itself was dissolved in 1830.


Province

The Province of Orléanais roughly corresponds to the old Duchy of Orléanais and was created on 7 April 1498 when Louis II became King Louis XII. The new province incorporated local counties, including the
Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and
Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, 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 mos ...
,
Vendôme Vendôme (, ) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Loir-et-Cher, France. It is also the department's third-biggest Communes of France, commune with 15,856 inhabitants (2019). It is one of th ...
, Chartrès, and
Étampes Étampes () is a Communes of France, commune in the functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a Subprefectures in ...
. With the duchy absorbed into the royal domain, it was transformed into a province (really a military district instead of the equivalent of an
English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...
or American state).de Lavergne, p. 161–162Masson, p. 33 In 1558, the province was elevated into a Generality (''Géneralité'') or General Government (''Gouvernment Général'') and a permanent governor was installed in the region. During this period, the Duke of Orléans was de jure owner of the land, but the Governor was de facto overseer of the province. In 1776, as part of a reorganisation of the military general governments (provinces), the governments were divided into three categories. The highest or "most important" were the First Category including notably
Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
,
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
,
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,
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
, and
Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
; the Second Category included Orléanais,
La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...
,
Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture. Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...
,
Nevers Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...
; and the Special Category including
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and
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. The first category's military governor was to be a
Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...
, the second class were reserved for
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, and the special regions were assigned by the King. In 1791, under the auspicious of 'unity of France', the provinces were dissolved and succeeded by smaller ''départments''. The former province was split between several new ''départments'':
Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.
,
Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region of France. It is named after two rivers which run through it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher (river), Cher in its southern p ...
,
Eure-et-Loir Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. It is located in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. In 2019, Eure-et-Loir had a population of 431,575.Seine-et-Oise Seine-et-Oise () is a former department of France, which encompassed the western, northern and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris. Its prefecture was Versailles and its administrative number was 78. Seine-et-Oise was disbanded in ...
, and
Yonne Yonne (, in Burgundian: ''Ghienne'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight con ...
. Some communes joined other ''départments'', including: *
Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...
( Brinon-sur-Sauldre) *
Essonne Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.Abbéville-la-Rivière, Angerville, Authon-la-Plaine, Auvers-Saint-Georges, Blandy, Boigneville, Bois-Herpin, Boissy-la-Rivière, Boissy-le-Cutté, Bouville, Brouy, Cerny, Chalo-Saint-Mars, Chalou-Moulineux, Chatignonville, Champmotteux, Chauffour-lès-Étréchy, Courdimanche-sur-Essonne, D'Huison-Longueville, Estouches,
Étampes Étampes () is a Communes of France, commune in the functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a Subprefectures in ...
, Étréchy, Fontaine-la-Rivière, La Forêt-Sainte-Croix, Gironville-sur-Essonne, Guillerval, Maisse, Marolles-en-Beauce, Méréville, Mérobert, Mespuits, Monnerville,
Morigny-Champigny Morigny-Champigny () is a commune in the Essonne department in ÃŽle-de-France in northern France. Geography The village lies on the right bank of the Juine, which flows northward through the western part of the commune. Population Inhabitant ...
, Ormoy-la-Rivière, Orveau, Plessis-Saint-Benoist, Prunay-sur-Essonne, Puiselet-le-Marais, Pussay, Richarville, Roinvilliers, Saclas, Saint-Cyr-la-Rivière, Saint-Escobille, Congerville-Thionville, Valpuiseaux, Vayres-sur-Essonne, and Villeneuve-sur-Auvers) *
Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Chemillé-sur-Dême, Épeigné-sur-Dême, La Ferrière, Les Hermites, and Monthodon) *
Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...
( La Chapelle-Huon, Marolles-lès-Saint-Calais, Poncé-sur-le-Loir, Ruillé-sur-Loir, Saint-Calais, and Saint-Gervais-de-Vic) *
Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...
( Boulancourt and Buthiers) *
Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Ablis Ablis () is a commune in the Yvelines department in north-central France. History During the Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second ...
, Allainville,
Boinville-le-Gaillard Boinville-le-Gaillard () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Yvelines department References

Communes of Yvelines {{Yvelines-geo-stub ...
, Orsonville, Paray-Douaville, Prunay-en-Yvelines, and
Saint-Martin-de-Bréthencourt Saint-Martin-de-Bréthencourt () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Yvelines department A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or com ...
)


Administration


Governors

A governor of a province in France before the revolution was initially the representative of the King in the area and held no real power. Until the transformations under
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, the governorship of a province was more of a ''de jure'' appointment, and had no status in decision making. However, after Louis XIV's reforms, the governorship of a province transformed into a military-held appointment. From then, the governor was not just the King's representative, but also military commander of the area. In addition to his military duties, the governor was ''de facto'' leader of the province while the titular holder (ex: Duke of Orléans) was ''de jure'' owner of the province. Below is a list of the
Governors A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of Orléanais:


Assemblies

In 1558, most provinces in France were separated further into tax districts or ''Élections''. Orléanais included the following: Beauce, Blésois, Vendômois, Bas-Vendômois, Chartrès, Dunois, and
Gâtinais Gâtinais () or Gâtine () was a province of France, containing the area around the valley of the Loing, corresponding roughly to the northeastern part of the département of Loiret, and the south of the present department of Seine-et-Marne. U ...
(only part).de Lavergne, p. 172 The ''Généralite'' of Orléanis had a 52 member assembly in Orléans who worked alongside the Duke of Orléans to run the province. Among the notable presidents was Anne-Charles-Sigismond de Montmorency-Luxembourg, Duke of Montmorency-Luxembourg.


Footnotes


References

* * * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Orleanais French language Former provinces of France History of Île-de-France History of Centre-Val de Loire History of Pays de la Loire History of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté History of Cher (department) History of Essonne History of Eure-et-Loir History of Indre-et-Loire History of Loir-et-Cher History of Orléans History of Sarthe History of Seine-et-Marne History of Yonne History of Yvelines 1498 establishments in Europe 1791 disestablishments in France