The Counts of Dreux were a noble family of France, who took their title from the chief stronghold of their domain, the château of

Dreux Dreux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise (river), Blaise, a tributary of the Eure (river), Eure, about 35 km north of Cha ...

, which lies near the boundary between

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

and the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

. They are notable for inheriting the

Duchy of Brittany The Duchy of Brittany (, ; ) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of France, bordered by the Bay of Biscay to the west, and the English Channel to the north. ...

through Pierre de Dreux's marriage to Alix de Thouars in the early 13th century.

History

In the tenth century the lands belonged to the forebears of the Capetians; they passed by marriage to

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

, Count of the Vexin, then to

Richard I of Normandy Richard I (28 August 932 – 20 November 996), also known as Richard the Fearless (French: ''Richard Sans-Peur''; Old Norse: ''Jarl Rikard''), was the count of Rouen from 942 to 996.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln, Europäische S ...

. In 1017 the lands were given as

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

to Richard's illegitimate daughter Matilda, who married

Odo II, Count of Blois Odo II () ( 985 – 15 November 1037) was the count of Blois, Chartres, Châteaudun, Champagne, Beauvais and Tours from 1004 and count of Troyes (as Odo IV) and Meaux (as Odo I) from 1022. He twice tried to make himself a king: first in Italy aft ...

. King

Robert II of France Robert II ( 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious () or the Wise (), was List of French monarchs, King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted his father on military matters ...

confiscated the lands of Dreux from Odo, and they formed part of the royal domain until Louis the Fat granted the county of Dreux as an

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

to his son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

. The descendants of Robert held the county of Dreux until 1355, when the heiress, Countess Joan II of Dreux, married Simon de Thouars. Simon and Joan had three daughters and no sons; their daughters sold their interests in the county of Dreux to King Charles VI. King Charles gave the county of Dreux as a dowry in the marriage of his kinswoman Marguerite de Bourbon, daughter of

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

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 of Isabella de Valois, daughter of

Charles of Valois Charles, Count of Valois (12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, which ruled over France from 1328. He was the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella o ...

, with Arnaud-Amanieu d'Albret in 1382. The county returned to the crown in 1556, and thereafter formed part of the royal domain, then the lands of François, Duke of Anjou, and after his death was sold to the

Duke of Nemours 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 th ...

. It returned to the

royal domain Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

in the reign of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

List of counts of Dreux

Capetian House of Dreux

, width=auto, Robert I ''the Great''
1137–1184 , Robert Dreux

, c. 1123
fifth son of

Louis VI of France Louis VI (1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat () or the Fighter (), was List of French monarchs, King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Like his father Philip I of France, Philip I, Louis made a lasting contribution to centralizing ...

and Adélaide of Maurienne , (1) Agnes of Garlande (1122–1143), daughter of Anseau de Garlande, Count of Rochefort; married 1139/41, one son
(2) Hawise of Salisbury (1118 – 13 Jan 1152), daughter of Walter Fitz Edward of Salisbury, Sheriff of Wiltshire; married 1144/45, one daughter
(3) Agnes of Baudemont (1130 – 24 July 1204), daughter of Guy de Baudement, Count of Braine; married 1152, ten children , 11 October 1188

Braine Braine may refer to: People * Braine (surname) Places * Braine, Aisne, a commune in the department of Aisne, France * Braine-l'Alleud Braine-l'Alleud (; ; ) is a Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, in the Provinces of Belgium, ...

aged 64–65 , - , width=auto, Robert II
1184–1218 , Robert II of Dreux

, c. 1154
eldest son of

and Agnes of Baudemont , (1) Matilda of Burgundy
1178
no issue
(2) Yolande of Coucy
1184
twelve children , 28 December 1218

aged 63–64 , - , width=auto, Robert III ''Gasteblé''
1218–1234 , Robert 3 count of dreux

, c. 1185
eldest son of Robert II and Yolande of Coucy , Aénor of Saint-Valery
1210
four children , 3 March 1234

aged 48–49 , - , width=auto,

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

1234–1249 , Blason Robert III de Dreux avant 1198

, c. 1215
eldest son of Robert III and Aénor of Saint-Valery , Marie of Bourbon-Dampierre
April 1240
three children , c. 1249

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

aged 33–34 , - , width=auto, Robert IV
1249–1282 , Robert IV of Dreux

, c. 1241
eldest son of

and Marie of Bourbon-Dampierre , Beatrice of Montfort
1260
six children , 12 November 1282

aged 40–41 , - , width=auto, John II ''the Good''
1282–1309 , Blason Robert III de Dreux avant 1198

, c. 1265
eldest son of Robert IV and Beatrice of Montfort , (1) Joan of Montpensier
1292
five children
(2) Perrenelle of Sully
January 1308
one daughter , c. 1309

aged 43–44 , - , width=auto,

Robert V Robert V may refer to: * Robert V, Count of Dreux * Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale Robert V de Brus (Robert de Brus), 5th Lord of Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway, Annandale (ca. 1215 – 31 March or 3 May 1295), was a feudal lord, just ...

1309–1329 , Blason Robert III de Dreux avant 1198

, c. 1293
eldest son of John II and Joan of Montpensier , Marie of Enghien
April 1321
no issues , 22 March 1329

aged 35–36 , - , width=auto, John III
1329–1331 , Blason Robert III de Dreux avant 1198

, c. 1295
second son of John II and Joan of Montpensier , Ida of Rosny
1329
no issues , c. 1331

aged 35–36 , - , width=auto, Peter I
1331–1345 , Blason Robert III de Dreux avant 1198

, c. 1298
third son of John II and Joan of Montpensier , Isabeau de Melun
1341
one daughter , 3 November 1345

aged 46–47 , - , width=auto, Joan I
1345–1346
''under the regency of Countess Isabeau'' , Blason Robert III de Dreux avant 1198

, c. 1345
Chateau de Gamaches
only daughter of Peter I and Isabeau de Melun , ''never married'' , c. 1346

aged 1 , - , width=auto, Joan II
1346–1355
''with

Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...

'' ,

, c. 1309
only daughter of John II and Perrenelle of Sully , Louis I of Thouars

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 ...

1330
five children , c. 1355
aged 45–46 , - , width=auto,

1346–1355
''with Joan II'' , Blason famille fr Thouars

, c. 1310

eldest son of John I of Thouars and Blanche of Brabant , (1) Joan II of Dreux

1330
five children
(2) Isabeau d'Avaugour

July 1361
no issues , 7 April 1370
Talmont
aged 59–60

House of Thouars

* 1355-1365 : Simon (son of) * 1365-1377 : Péronelle (sister of) * 1365-1377 : Isabeau (sister of) * 1365-1377 : Margaret (sister of) ''In 1377, the three sisters sold Dreux to the French crown.''

House of Albret The House of Albret, which derives its name from the lordship (''seigneurie'') of Albret (Labrit), situated in the Landes of Gascony, Landes, was one of the most powerful feudal families of Kingdom of France, France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarr ...

* 1382-1401 : Arnaud Amanieu (also lord of Albret) * 1401-1415 : Charles I (son of, also lord of Albret) * 1415-1471 : Charles II (son of, also lord of Albret) ** John IV (associated, also viscount of Tartas) * 1471-1522 : Alain - ''Alain the Great'' (son of) **

John V John V may refer to: * Patriarch John V of Alexandria or John the Merciful (died by 620), Patriarch of Alexandria from 606 to 616 * John V of Constantinople, Patriarch from 669 to 675 * Pope John V (685–686), Pope from 685 to his death in 686 ...

(associated) * 1522-1555 : Henry I (son of, also king of Navarre) * 1555-1572 : Jeanne (daughter of, also queen of Navarre)

House of Valois-Angoulême

, width=auto,

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

1559–1569 , Catherine de medici widow clouet

, 13 April 1519

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

only daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino and Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne ,

Henry II of France Henry II (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...

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 ...

28 October 1533
ten children , 5 January 1589

Château de Blois A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

aged 69 , - , width=auto, Hercule-François
1569–1584
duc de Dreux , , 18 March 1555

Château de Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the French monarchs, includ ...

fifth son of

and

, ''never married'' , 19 June 1584

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry (; Picard: ''Catieu-Thierry'') is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is u ...

aged 29

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

, width=auto,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

1594–1612 , CharlesdeBourbonComtedeSoissonCustos

, 3 November 1566
Nogent-le-Rotrou
sixth son of Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé and Françoise d'Orléans-Longueville , Anne de Montafié
27 December 1601
five children , 1 November 1612

Château de Blandy A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking reg ...

aged 45 , - , width=auto,

Louis III Louis III may refer to: * Louis the Younger, sometimes III of Germany (835–882) * Louis III of France (865–882) * Louis the Blind, Louis III, Holy Roman Emperor, (c. 880–928) * Louis the Child, sometimes III of Germany (893–911) * Louis III ...

1612–1641 , , 1 May 1604
Hôtel de Soissons
only son of

and Anne de Montafié , ''never married'' , 6 July 1641
Sedan
aged 36 , - , width=auto, Marie
1641–1656 , , 3 March 1606
Hôtel de Soissons
second daughter of

and Anne de Montafié ,

Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano Thomas Francis of Savoy, 1st Prince of Carignano (; ; 21 December 1596 – 22 January 1656) was an Italian military commander and the founder of the Carignano branch of the House of Savoy, which reigned as kings of Piedmont–Sardinia from 1 ...

Paris
6 January 1625
seven children , 3 June 1692
Hôtel de Soissons
aged 86

House of Savoy-Carignano The House of Savoy-Carignano (; ) originated as a cadet branch of the House of Savoy. It was founded by Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano (1596–1656), an Italian military commander who was the fifth son of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy. ...

, width=auto, Eugene Maurice, Count of Soissons
1656–1673 , Eugen Moritz von Soissons Pierre Mignard

, 2 May 1635 Chambéry, Savoie, Rhone-Alpes, France , Olympia Mancini
Paris
21 February 1657
eight children , 6 June 1673

Unna Unna () is a city of around 59,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the seat of the Unna (district), Unna district. The newly refurbished Unna station has trains to all major cities in North Rhine Westphalia including Dortmund, Köln H ...

aged 38 , - , width=auto, Emmanuel Philibert of Carignano
1673–1676 , Arms of the House of Savoie-Carignan-Soissons

, 16 October 1662
fourth son of Eugene Maurice and Olympia Mancini , ''never married'' , 12 June 1676

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

aged 13

House of Longueville

, width=auto, Marie
1676–1707 , , 5 March 1625
Paris
eldest daughter of

Henri II d'Orléans, duc de Longueville 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 * ...

and Louise de Bourbon , Henri II, Duke of Nemours

Trie In computer science, a trie (, ), also known as a digital tree or prefix tree, is a specialized search tree data structure used to store and retrieve strings from a dictionary or set. Unlike a binary search tree, nodes in a trie do not store t ...

22 May 1657
no issues , 16 June 1707
Paris
aged 82

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

, width=auto, Louis Joseph
1707–1712 , Duc de Vendome 1706

, 1 July 1654
Paris
eldest son of Louis de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme and

Laura Mancini Laura Mancini, Duchess of Mercœur (6 May 1636 – 8 February 1657) was a niece of Cardinal Mazarin. She was the eldest of the five famous Mancini sisters, who along with two of their female Martinozzi cousins, were known at the court of Louis ...

, Marie Anne de Bourbon
Chateau de Sceaux
21 May 1710
no issues , 11 June 1712
Vinaros
aged 57 , - , width=auto, Marie Anne
1712–1718 , , 24 February 1678

Hôtel de Condé The hôtel de Condé () was a private mansion and the main Paris seat of the princes de Condé, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, from 1612 to 1764/70. The hôtel gave its name to the present ''rue de Condé'', on which its forecourt face ...

fifth daughter of Henri Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé and Anne Henriette , Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme
Chateau de Sceaux
21 May 1710
no issues , 11 April 1718
Hôtel de Vendôme
aged 40

House of Palatinate-Simmern The House of Palatinate-Simmern () was a Germany, German-Bavaria, Bavarian cadet branch of the House of Wittelsbach. The house was one of the collateral lineages of the Electoral Palatinate, Palatinate. It became the main branch in 1559. The Pala ...

, width=auto, Anne Henriette
1718–1723 , , 13 March 1648
Paris
second daughter of Edward of the Palatinate-Simmern and Anna Gonzaga , Henri Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Chateau de Sceaux
11 December 1663
ten children , 23 February 1723

Petit Luxembourg The Petit Luxembourg (; "Little Luxembourg") is an ''hôtel particulier'' and the official residence of the President of the French Senate. It is located at 17–17 bis, Rue de Vaugirard, just west of the Luxembourg Palace, which serves as the s ...

aged 74

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

{{Monarchs - table header , width=auto, Anne Louise Bénédicte
1723–1753 , Duchesse du Maine

, 8 November 1676

fourth daughter of Henri Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé and Anne Henriette ,

Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine (31 March 1670 – 14 May 1736) was an illegitimate son of Louis XIV and his official mistress, Madame de Montespan. The king's favourite son, he was the founder of the semi-royal House of Bourbon-Maine n ...

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

19 May 1692
seven children , 23 January 1753
Hôtel du Maine
aged 76 , - , width=auto, Louis Auguste
1753–1755 , , 4 March 1700

second son of

and Anne Louise Bénédicte , ''never married'' , 1 October 1755

Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the List of French monarchs ...

aged 55 , - , Louis Charles
1755–1775 , , 5 October 1701

Château de Sceaux The Château de Sceaux () is a grand Château, country house in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, approximately south-southwest of the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. Situated in a large park laid out by André Le Nôtre, partly in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, ...

third son of

and Anne Louise Bénédicte , ''never married'' , 13 July 1775

aged 73 , - , width=auto, Louis Jean Marie
1775–1793 , , 16 November 1725

Château de Rambouillet The Château de Rambouillet (), also known in English as the Castle of Rambouillet, is a château in the town of Rambouillet, Yvelines department, in the region in northern France, southwest of Paris. It was the summer residence of the Presi ...

only son of

Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse Louis Alexandre de Bourbon (6 June 1678 – 1 December 1737), a Legitimacy (family law), legitimated prince of the blood royal, was the son of Louis XIV and of his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. At the age of five, he ...

and

Marie Victoire de Noailles ''Marie Victoire'' Sophie de Noailles, Countess of Toulouse (6 May 1688 in Versailles – 30 September 1766 in Paris), was a French noble and courtier. Her second spouse was Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse, Louis Alexandre de Bourb ...

, Maria Teresa d'Este

29 December 1744
seven children , 4 March 1793
Château de Bizy
aged 67

French noble families House of Capet