Duke of Nemours was a title in the Peerage of France. The name refers to Nemours in the Île-de-France region of north-central France.
History In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gâtinais, France, was a possession of the house of Villebéon, a member of which, Gautier, was marshal of France in the middle of the 13th century. The lordship was sold to King Philip III of France in 1274 and 1276 by Jean and Philippe de Nemours. It was then made a county and given in 1364 to Jean III de Grailly, captal de Buch.
In 1404, Charles VI of France gave it to Charles III of Navarre and elevated it into a duchy in the peerage of France, in exchange to his ancestral county of Évreux in Normandy.
After being confiscated and restored several times, the duchy reverted to the French crown in 1504, after the extinction of the house of Armagnac-Pardiac. In 1507, it was given by Louis XII to his nephew, Gaston de Foix, who was killed at the Battle of Ravenna in 1512.
The duchy then returned to the royal domain and was detached from it successively for Giuliano de Medici and his wife Philiberta of Savoy in 1515, for Louise of Savoy in 1524, and for Philip of Savoy, Count of Genevois, in 1528. The descendants of Philip of Savoy held the duchy until its sale to Louis XIV of France.
In 1672, Louis XIV gave it to his brother Philippe de France, Duke of Orléans, whose descendants held it until the French Revolution. It was one of the many subsidiary titles held by the House of Orléans. The title of Duke of Nemours was afterwards given to Louis Charles d'Orléans, the second son of King Louis Philippe I of the French.
List of lords House of Château-Landon Orson (1120–1148) Aveline (1148–1174), died 1196
Aveline married Walter of Villebéon, lord of Beaumont-du-Gâtinais, in 1150 and shared the lordship with him. They left it to their son in 1174.
House of Villebéon Walter I [Gautier I] (1150–1174), died 1205 Philip I [Philippe I] (1174–1191) Walter II [Gautier II] (1191–1222) Philip II [Philippe II] (1222–1255) Walter III [Gautier III] (1255–1270) Philip III [Philippe III] (1270–1274)
The lordship was sold to the king in 1274.
List of dukes
House of Évreux (1404–1504)
Charles d'Évreux (1361–1425), also King Charles III of Navarre
After the death of Charles III in 1425, the Duchy was claimed by the descendants of both his younger daughter, Beatrice, and his elder daughter and heiress, Blanche I of Navarre. Louis XI settled the claim on Jacques d'Armagnac, grandson of Beatrice, in 1462, though Blanche's descendants, the Kings of Navarre, claimed the title until 1571.
Éléonore de Bourbon (1425–c.1462) Jacques d'Armagnac (1462–1477) confiscated from Jacques at his execution for treason in 1477, restored to his son Jean in 1484 Jean d'Armagnac (1484–1500) Louis d'Armagnac (1500–1503) Marguerite d'Armagnac (1503) Charlotte d'Armagnac (1503–1504) The last descendant of Béatrix d'Évreux, she died without issue.
House of Foix (1507–1512)
Gaston of Foix (1507–1512)
House of Medici (1515–1524)
Giuliano de' Medici (1515–1516), married to: Philiberta of Savoy (1516–1524)
House of Savoy (1524–1672)
Louise of Savoy (1524–1531), Duchess of Angoulême, Francis I of France's mother.
She received the duchy of Nemours in 1524 with the duchy of Anjou. It was later transferred to her half-brother in 1528 and she received the duchy of Touraine in exchange.Pères Anselme & Ange, Histoire de la Maison Royale de France & des grands officiers, 1728, Tome III, p. 229-232 (Duchy of Touraine).Pères Anselme & Ange, Histoire de la Maison Royale de France & des grands officiers, 1728, Tome III, p. 247 (Duchy of Nemours) She also received later the Duchy of Auvergne.
Philippe of Savoy (1528–1533) Jacques of Savoy (1531–1585) Charles Emmanuel of Savoy (1567–1595) Henri I of Savoy (1572–1632) Louis I of Savoy (1615–1641) Charles Amadeus of Savoy (1624–1652) Henri II of Savoy (1625–1659)
House of Orléans (1672–1848)
Philippe de France (1640–1701) Philippe d'Orléans (1674–1723), Regent of France 1715–1723, son of the above Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans (1703–1752), son of the above Louis Philippe d'Orléans (1725–1785), son of the above Philippe d'Orléans, Philippe Égalité (1747–1793), son of the above Louis Philippe d'Orléans (1773–1850), King of the French, 1830–1848, son of the above
Titular Dukes of the House of Orléans
Louis Charles d'Orléans (1814–1896), son of the above Charles Philippe d'Orléans (1905–1970), great-grandson of the above
Potential claimants of the House of Orléans-Braganza In 1909, members of the House of Orléans and the House of Orléans-Braganza signed the Pact of Brussels (also known as the Declaration of Brussels), the Duke of Orléans being present. The dynastic pact created the title of Prince of Orléans-Braganza for the Count d'Eu and his descendants, thus maintaining the princely status of his house, although this is considered a house distinct from the Royal House of France, and the Count d'Eu did not in fact recover his former position in the line of Orleans succession to the French throne.
Under the Pact of Brussels the Count d'Eu and his sons equally undertook in his name and the name of his descendants not to contest in any way to the branch of the Duke d'Alençon the possession of the title of Duke of Nemours.
Nevertheless, Charles Philippe d'Orléans, the last Duke of Nemours and only descendant of the Alençon, died without heirs. His death opened the theoretical possibility for the Head of the House of Orléans-Braganza to claim said title without violating the family pact.
List of duchesses This is a list of duchesses of Nemours and their original houses.
House of Évreux
PictureName FatherBirthMarriageBecame Duchess Ceased to be Duchess DeathSpouse Eleanor of Castile Henry II of Castile(Trastamara) circa 1363 1375 27 February 1416 Charles III of Navarre Louise d'Anjou Charles, Count of Maine(Anjou) 1445 1462 1477 Jacques, Duke of Nemours Yolande de La Haye (La Haye) unknown 24 April 1492 1500 1517 Jean, Duke of NemoursPictureName FatherBirthMarriageBecame Duchess Ceased to be Duchess DeathSpouse
House of Medici
PictureName FatherBirthMarriageBecame Duchess Ceased to be Duchess DeathSpouse Philiberta of Savoy Philip II, Duke of Savoy(Savoy) 1498 25 January 1515 4 April 1524 Giuliano de' MediciPictureName FatherBirthMarriageBecame Duchess Ceased to be Duchess DeathSpouse
House of Savoy
PictureName FatherBirthMarriageBecame Duchess Ceased to be Duchess DeathSpouse Charlotte d'Orléans Louis, Duke of Longueville(Orléans) 1 November 1512 8 September 1549 25 November 1533 8 September 1549 Philippe Anna d'Este Ercole II, Duke of Ferrara(Este) 16 November 153129 April 1566 15 June 1585 15 May 1607 Jacques Anne of Lorraine Charles, Duke of Aumale(Lorraine) 1600 18 April 1618 10 July 1632 10 February 1638 Henri I Élisabeth de Bourbon César, Duke of Vendôme(Bourbon) August 1614 11 July 1643 30 July 1652 19 May 1664 Charles Amadeus Marie d'Orléans Henri II, Duke of Longueville(Orléans) 5 March 1625 22 May 1657 14 January 1659 16 June 1707 Henri IIPictureName FatherBirthMarriageBecame Duchess Ceased to be Duchess DeathSpouse
House of Orléans PictureName FatherBirthMarriageBecame Duchess Ceased to be Duchess DeathSpouse Elizabeth Charlotte, Madame Palatine Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine (Palatinate) 27 May 1652 16 November 1671 1672peerage awarded to husband 9 June 1701husband's death 9 December 1722 Philippe, Duke of Orléans Françoise Marie de Bourbon, Légitimée de France Louis XIV of France (Bourbon (Illegitimate)) 25 May 1677 18 February 1692 9 June 1701husband's accession 2 December 1723husband's death 1 February 1749 Philippe, Duke of Orléans Margravine Johanna of Baden-Baden Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden (Zähringen) 10 November 1704 13 July 1724 8 July 1726 Louis, Duke of Orléans Louise Henriette de Bourbon Louis Armand, Prince of Conti (Bourbon) 20 June 1726 17 December 1743 4 February 1752husband's accession 9 February 1759 Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon Louis Jean Marie, Duke of Penthièvre(Bourbon) 13 March 1753 8 May 1768 18 November 1785husband's accession 6 November 1793husband's execution 23 June 1821 Philippe, Duke of Orléans Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies(Two Sicilies) 26 April 1782 25 November 1809 9 August 1830became Queen consort 24 March 1866 Louis Philippe I Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha(Wettin) 14 February 1822 27 April 1840 10 December 1857 Prince LouisPictureName FatherBirthMarriageBecame Duchess Ceased to be Duchess DeathSpouse
References