Duke of Valentinois (; ) is a title of nobility, originally in the French peerage. It is currently one of the many hereditary titles claimed by the Prince of Monaco despite its extinction in French law in 1949. Though it originally indicated administrative control of the Duchy of Valentinois, based around the city of Valence, the duchy has since become part of France, making the title simply one of courtesy.

It has been created at least four times: on August 17, 1498, for Cesare Borgia, in 1548 for Diane of Poitiers, in 1642 for Prince Honoré II of Monaco, and most recently in 1715 for Prince Jacques I of Monaco.

Counts of Valentinois

First creation King Louis XII of France and Naples created Cesare Borgia Duke of Valentinois in 1498. Both the Italianized form of this title and his previous appointment as Cardinal of Valencia led to his commonly used nickname: "Il Valentino" (or "Duke Valentino"). After Cesare's death, his daughter Louise Borgia (15001553) did not become Duchess suo jure due to the male-only succession of the title, but was instead styled "Dame Valentinois", titular Duchess of Romagna and Countess of Diois.

Duke Birth Tenure Death Marriage(s)Issue Claim Cesare BorgiaOther titles 13 September 1475Rome, PapacyNatural son of Pope Alexander VIand Vannozza dei Cattanei 17 August 149812 March 1507 12 March 1507Viana, NavarreKilled duringthe Siege of Viana(aged 31) Charlotte of Albret( 1499; 1507) Created duke by King Louis XII

Second creation King Henry II of France created his mistress Diane de Poitiers Duchess of Valentinois in 1548. She was the only suo jure Duchess and her title was destinated to end after her death, due to the Salic law commonly used among French nobility.

Duke Birth Tenure Death Marriage(s)Issue Claim Diane de PoitiersOther titles 3 September 1499Saint-Vallier, DauphinéDaughter of Jean de Poitiersand Jeanne de Batarnay 17 August 154825 April 1566 25 April 1566Château d'Anet, OrléanaisDied by natural causes(aged 66) Louis de Brézé( 1515; 1531) Created duchess by King Henry II

Third creation King Louis XIII created the title by letters patent, signed in May 1642 and registered on 18 July 1642, as a conglomeration of several estates in the French province of Dauphiné which he had previously given to Honoré II, Prince of Monaco.

The first person to hold the title was Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, reigning Prince at the time of its creation; on his death it passed to his grandson Louis I, and thence to Louis's son Antoine. However, since the title's inheritance was restricted to male heirs, and because Antoine had only daughters and no sons, it was due to pass his brother, François-Honoré Grimaldi, but became extinct on 22 July 1715 when François-Honoré forfeited his right to succeed Antoine.

Duke Birth Tenure Death Marriage(s)Issue Claim Honoré IIOther titles 24 December 1597MonacoSon of Ercole of Monacoand Maria Landi 18 July 164210 January 1662 10 January 1662MonacoDied by natural causes(aged 64) Ippolita Trivulzio( 1616; 1538) Created duke by King Louis XIII Louis IOther titles 25 July 1642MonacoSon of Ercole, Marquis of Bauxand Maria Aurelia Spinola 10 January 16623 January 1701 3 January 1701Rome, PapacyDied by natural causes(aged 58) Catherine de Gramont( 1660; 1678) Grandson of Honoré II(male proximity) Antoine IOther titles 25 January 1661Paris, FranceSon of Louis Iand Catherine de Gramont 3 January 170122 July 1715(Devolved his rights) 20 February 1731MonacoDied by natural causes(aged 70) Marie of Lorraine( 1688; 1724) Son of Louis I(male proximity)

Fourth creation On 20 October 1715, Antoine's eldest daughter and heiress Louise-Hippolyte married Jacques-François de Goyon-Matignon, who had signed a contract on 5 September 1715 by which he was obliged to take the surname Grimaldi. King Louis XV thereupon recreated the title of Valentinois by letters patent, signed in December 1715 and registered on 2 September 1716, for Jacques, who was to succeed his father-in-law Antoine as Prince Jacques I; like the previous creation, its inheritance was restricted to male heirs.

After Jacques's abdication in 1733, the title passed uninterrupted for several generations from Prince to Prince: from Jacques to Honoré III, Honoré IV, Honoré V, Florestan I, Charles III, Albert I. Albert bestowed the title of Duchess of Valentinois upon his adopted granddaughter Charlotte, thenceforth known as Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois, on 20 May 1919. On 20 March 1920, shortly after Charlotte's marriage to Pierre de Polignac, he, like Jacques-François de Goyon-Matignon, took the title of Duke of Valentinois, having already changed his surname to Grimaldi.

Duke Birth Tenure Death Marriage(s)Issue Claim Jacques IOther titles 21 November 1689Torigni-sur-VireSon of Jacques de Matignonand Charlotte de Thorigny 2 September 17167 November 1733(Ceded his title) 23 April 1751Hôtel Matignon, ParisDied by natural causes(aged 61) Louise Hippolyte of Monaco( 1715; 1731) Created duke by King Louis XV Honoré IIIOther titles 10 November 1720Hôtel Matignon, ParisSon of Jacques Iand Louise Hippolyte of Monaco 7 November 173321 March 1795 21 March 1795Paris, FranceDied imprisoned byrevolutionaries(aged 74) Maria Caterina Brignole( 1751; 1795) Son of Jacques I(male proximity) Honoré IVOther titles 17 May 1758Hôtel Matignon, ParisSon of Honoré IIIand Maria Caterina Brignole 21 March 179516 February 1819 16 February 1819MonacoDied by natural causes(aged 60) Louise d'Aumont( 1777; 1798) Son of Honoré III(male proximity) Honoré VOther titles 13 May/14 May 1778Hôtel Matignon, ParisSon of Honoré IVand Louise d'Aumont 16 February 18192 October 1841 2 October 1841Hôtel Matignon, ParisDied by natural causes(aged 63) Never married Son of Honoré IV(male proximity) Florestan IOther titles 10 October 1785Hôtel Matignon, ParisSon of Honoré IVand Louise d'Aumont 2 October 184120 June 1856 20 June 1856Hôtel Matignon, ParisDied by natural causes(aged 70) Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz( 1816; 1856) Son of Honoré IV(male proximity) Charles IIIOther titles 8 December 1818Hôtel Matignon, ParisSon of Florestan Iand Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz 20 June 185610 September 1889 10 September 1889Château de MarchaisDied by natural causes(aged 70) Antoinette de Mérode( 1846; 1864) Son of Florestan I(male proximity) Albert IOther titles 13 November 1848Hôtel Matignon, ParisSon of Charles IIIand Antoinette de Mérode 10 September 188926 June 1922 26 June 1922Hôtel Matignon, ParisDied by natural causes(aged 73) Mary Victoria Hamilton( 1869; 1880) Alice Heine( 1889; 1922) Son of Charles III(male proximity) Louis IIOther titles 12 July 1870Baden, BadenSon of Albert Iand Mary Victoria Hamilton 26 June 19229 May 1949 9 May 1949MonacoDied by natural causes(aged 78) Ghislaine Dommanget( 1946; 1949) Son of Albert I(male proximity)

Although Albert I had granted the title of Valentinois to his granddaughter Charlotte, its right to succession remained with Louis II and his legitimate male descendants; consequently, on his death without a male heir in 1949, it became extinct in French law and under Salic Law. However, his successor, Rainier III (son of Charlotte), still claimed it, possibly in the belief, as suggested by François Velde, that it was "implicitly recreated for Charlotte by the French Republic in 1919 when her adoption was approved". However, the various French Republics have never created nor re-created any dukedom.

According to the Almanach de Gotha, the title used in Monaco corresponds to a Monegasque concession of a title which otherwise would not be recognized in France, specially having in account that when Charlotte was created Duchess by her father, her grandfather was still the living Prince of Monaco with the right to the title of Duke, and only his son could succeed to the French title. Beside, only legitimate children can inherit French titles.

Princess Charlotte (1919–1977) Rainier III (15 November 1977–6 April 2005) Albert II (6 April 2005–Present)

References

See also List of French dukedoms