The Duchy of Bouillon () was a

duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important differe ...

comprising

Bouillon Bouillon can refer to: Food * Bouillon (broth), a simple broth ** Court-bouillon, a quick broth * Bouillon (soup), a Haitian soup * Bouillon (restaurant), a traditional type of French restaurant ** Bouillon Chartier, a bouillon restaurant fou ...

and adjacent towns and villages in present-day

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 southeas ...

. The state originated in the 10th century as property of the

Lords of Bouillon The lordship of Bouillon was in the 10th and 11th centuries one of the core holdings of the Ardennes–Bouillon dynasty, and appears to have been their original patrimonial possession. The Bouillon estate was a collection of fiefs, allodial land ...

, owners of

Bouillon Castle Bouillon Castle (, ) is a medieval castle located in Wallonia in the town of Bouillon in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. Although it was mentioned first in 988,Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey of Bouillon (; ; ; ; 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a preeminent leader of the First Crusade, and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Although initially reluctant to take the title of king, he agreed to rule as pri ...

, later the first

King of Jerusalem The king or queen of Jerusalem was the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a Crusader state founded in Jerusalem by the Latin Church, Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade, when the city was Siege of Jerusalem (1099), conquered in ...

, sold Bouillon to the

Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as ...

, in 1095. The Prince-Bishops of Liège consequently became lords of Bouillon and eventually adopted the title of duke. The duchy was later claimed by members of the Houses of

La Marck The House of La Marck () was an ancient German noble family, which from about 1200 appeared as the Counts of Mark. History The family history started with Count Adolf I, scion of a cadet branch of the Rhenish Berg dynasty residing at Altena ...

and

La Tour d'Auvergne The House of La Tour d'Auvergne () was an important French nobility, French noble dynasty. Its senior branch, extinct in 1501, held two of the last large fiefs acquired by the French crown, the counties of count of Auvergne, Auvergne and count of ...

. From 1678, it was a sovereign duchy under French protection and ruled by La Tour. It was annexed by France in 1795.

Geography

The Duchy of Bouillon was a sovereign duchy until 1795. In 1789, it had a population of 2,500. The largest town was

, situated on the

Semois The Semois (; ''Simwès'' in Walloon, often under elided form ''Smwès''; ''Semoy'', ''Sesbach'' in German, ''Setzbaach'' in Luxembourgish of Arlon; and known as the ''Semoy'' in France) is a river flowing from the Ardennes uplands of Belgium a ...

. It also consisted of the surrounding villages: Sugny, Corbion,

Alle Alle or Allé may refer to: *The German name for the Łyna River, a river since 1945 in Poland and the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast *Alle, Switzerland, a community in the Swiss canton of Jura *Alle, Belgium in the province of Namur, Belgium *Little ...

, Rochehaut, Ucimont, Botassart, Sensenruth, Noirefontaine, Gros-Fays, Fays-les-Veneurs,

Bertrix Wanlin (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 137.7 km², had 8,164 inhabitants, giving a population density of 59.3 inhabitants per km². Bertri ...

, Carlsbourg,

Paliseul Paliseul (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 112.96 km2, had 5,055 inhabitants, giving a population density of 44.8 inhabitants per km2. The mu ...

, Jehonville, Opont, Anloy, Porcheresse, Gembes,

Gedinne Gedinne (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 4,405 inhabitants. The total area is , giving a population density of . It is situated in the Ardennes east of Meuse ...

, Sart-Custinne, and Tellin. Bouillon is located in a Walloon-speaking region.

History

The Duchy of Bouillon's origins are unclear. The first reference to

Bouillon Castle Bouillon Castle (, ) is a medieval castle located in Wallonia in the town of Bouillon in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. Although it was mentioned first in 988,freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England *Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

held by the

House of Ardennes The House of Ardenne (or Ardennes, French ''Maison d'Ardenne'') was an important medieval noble family from Lotharingia, known from at least the tenth century. They had several important branches, descended from several brothers:Parisse, ‘Généa ...

, who styled themselves

. On the death of

Godfrey III, Duke of Lower Lorraine Godfrey III ( – 1069), called the Bearded, was the eldest son of Gothelo I, Duke of Upper and Lower Lorraine. Biography Disputed succession By inheritance, Godfrey was Count of Verdun and he became Margrave of Antwerp as a vassal of t ...

in 1069, Bouillon passed to his nephew,

Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey of Bouillon (; ; ; ; 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a preeminent leader of the First Crusade, and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Although initially reluctant to take the title of king, he agreed to rule as pri ...

. In 1095, Godfrey of Bouillon sold Bouillon to Otbert, the

Prince-Bishop of Liège A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the B ...

, in order to finance his participation in the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

. Godfrey later became first ruler of the

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...

. The Prince-Bishop of Liège granted the châtellenie of Bouillon to the

House of La Marck The House of La Marck () was an ancient German nobility, German noble family, which from about 1200 appeared as the Counts of Mark. History The family history started with Count Adolf I, Count of the Mark, Adolf I, scion of a cadet branch of th ...

in 1415. In 1456,

Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liège Louis de Bourbon (1438 – 30 August 1482 in Liège) was Prince-Bishop of Liège from 1456 until his death. Family He was the son of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon, and Agnes of Burgundy. His own sister Isabella was the second wife of Charles the ...

became the first individual to style himself "Duke of Bouillon". In 1482, the then

Châtelain Châtelain was originally the French title for the keeper of a castle.Abraham Rees Ebers, "CASTELLAIN", in: The Cyclopædia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature' (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1819), vol. 6. H ...

of Bouillon, William de La Marck, ordered the assassination of Louis in a plot to install his son, Jean de la Marck, as Prince-Bishop. This plot proved unsuccessful: John of Hornes was elected as successor of Louis de Bourbon as Prince-Bishop of Liège. John then fought a war with William that ended with the Treaty of

Tongeren Tongeren (; ; ; ) is a city and former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the only Roman administrative capital wit ...

, signed May 21, 1484, with the de la Marck family relinquishing its claim on Liège, though they retained Bouillon Castle as a

pledge Pledge may refer to: Promises * a solemn promise * Abstinence pledge, a commitment to practice abstinence, usually teetotalism or chastity * The Pledge (New Hampshire), a promise about taxes by New Hampshire politicians * Pledge of Allegianc ...

for a loan of 30,000

livres Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * F ...

and for their support for the Prince-Bishop against the emperor Maximilian I. In 1492 Robert II de la Marck began calling himself "Duke of Bouillon", but in 1521, Érard de La Marck, Prince-Bishop of Liège (and Robert's brother), with the backing of the troops of

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

, managed to regain Bouillon for the Prince-Bishopric. On becoming chatelain in 1536

Robert Fleuranges III de La Marck Robert III de La Marck (1491–1537), ''Seigneur'' of Florange, Fleuranges, was a Marshal of France and historian. Self-styled "The Young Adventurer," he was one of Francis I's close companions in the last years of Louis XII's life, and remained c ...

also styled himself "Duke of Bouillon" and his successor Robert IV maintained the right to this title. During the

Italian War of 1551–1559 The Italian War of 1551–1559 began when Henry II of France declared war against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V with the intent of recapturing parts of Italy and ensuring French, rather than Habsburg, domination of European affairs. The war e ...

, Bouillon was occupied by the forces of

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 ...

to keep them free from Habsburg influence, but Henry confirmed Robert IV as Duke of Bouillon. From 1560 to 1642, the Dukes of Bouillon were also the rulers of the independent

Principality of Sedan The Principality of Sedan ( French: ''Principauté de Sedan'') was an independent Protestant state centered on the Château de Sedan (now the city of Sedan) in the Ardennes. It was ruled by the Prince of Sedan ( French: ''Prince de Sedan'') ...

. With the death of

Charlotte de La Marck Charlotte de La Marck (5 November 1574 – 15 May 1594) was a ruling Princess of Sedan and a Duchess of Bouillon in her own right between 1588 and 1594.Pierre Congar, Jean Lecaillon et Jacques Rousseau, Sedan et le pays sedanais, vingt si ...

in 1594, the duchy and the title passed to her husband

Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne (), was a French general and one of only six marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of th ...

and thereafter became the possession of the

House of La Tour d'Auvergne A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

. France again invaded Bouillon in 1676 during the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

, but

Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon (21 June 1636 – 26 July 1721) was a French nobleman and member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, one of the most important families in France at the time. He married Marie Anne Manc ...

retained the title. From this point on, although the Duchy of Bouillon was officially still a part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, it was in actuality a French

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

. This state of affairs was confirmed by the 1678

Treaties of Nijmegen The Treaties or Peace of Nijmegen (; ; ) were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sw ...

. In the wake of the French Revolution, the

French Revolutionary Army The French Revolutionary Army () was the French land force that fought the French Revolutionary Wars from 1792 to 1802. In the beginning, the French armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour, their poor equipment and their great nu ...

invaded the Duchy of Bouillon in 1794, creating the short-lived

Republic of Bouillon The Republic of Bouillon was perhaps a short-lived French client republic, around the city of Bouillon in present-day Belgium, based on the Duchy of Bouillon, which had existed between France and the Austrian Netherlands since the 15th century. R ...

. In 1795, Bouillon was annexed to France. The last duke,

Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne Jacques Léopold de La Tour d'Auvergne (Jacques Léopold Charles Godefroy; 15 January 1746 – 7 February 1802) was a member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the sovereign dukes of Bouillon, Belgium, Bouillon. He was the last Duke of Bouil ...

, died in 1802 without any children (which was the extinction of the

family). In 1815 the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

established an arbitral commission to determine the "Duke of Bouillon" and decided in favor of Charles Alain Gabriel de Rohan (the last duke's closest relative on his paternal side) over

Philippe d'Auvergne } Vice admiral (Royal Navy), Vice-Admiral Philippe d'Auvergne (13 November 1754 – 18 September 1816) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. D'Auvergne also worked as ...

(a postulated relative, who had been adopted and declared an heir by Jacques' father,

Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne (Godefroy Charles Henri; 26 January 1728, Paris – 3 December 1792) was a member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the Sovereign Dukes of Bouillon. He was subsequently the penultimate Duke of Bouillon succeed ...

, when he was the duke). Meanwhile the Duchy of Bouillon was annexed to the

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg ...

, then in

personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

with the

Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (, ;, , ), commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The re ...

(later becoming part of the Kingdom of the Belgians in 1830). The title, territory and the debt of Bouillon remained a bone of contention between the bishopric and the noble houses before and after the French annexation of Bouillon in 1795. Court rulings about claimants were not resolved until 1825.

List of dukes of Bouillon

Prince bishops of Liege 1456–?

House of La Marck, ?–1588

House of La Tour d'Auvergne, 1588–1802

House of Rohan, 1816–1975

In 1816, the

restored the title of "Duke of Bouillon", giving it to Charles Alain Gabriel de Rohan, grandson of

Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne (Marie Louise Henriette Jeanne; 15 August 1725 – 1793) was a French noblewoman and member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne. She was the Princess of Guéméné by marriage. Biography Early life and fami ...

, who was the daughter of the former duke

Charles Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne Charles Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne (16 July 1706 – 24 October 1771) was a French nobleman and member of the powerful House of La Tour d'Auvergne. Biography His parents, Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne (1668–1730) and Marie Arm ...

. In 1918 Austria became a republic so the ducal titles ceased to exist.

Bibliography

* Jacques Marsollier (1647-1724): ''Histoire du maréchal duc de Bouillon; où l'on trouve ce qui s'est passé de plus remarquable sous les regnes de François II, Charles IX, Henry III, Henry IV, la minorité & les premières années du regne de Louis XIII'' ** Vol I (1726)
online
** Vol II (1726)
online
** Vol III (1726)
online

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouillon House of La Marck La Tour d'Auvergne House of Rohan

Duke of Bouillon The Duchy of Bouillon () was a duchy comprising Bouillon, Belgium, Bouillon and adjacent towns and villages in present-day Belgium. The state originated in the 10th century as property of the Lords of Bouillon, owners of Bouillon Castle. Crusad ...

Duchies of the Holy Roman Empire

Duchy of Bouillon The Duchy of Bouillon () was a duchy comprising Bouillon and adjacent towns and villages in present-day Belgium. The state originated in the 10th century as property of the Lords of Bouillon, owners of Bouillon Castle. Crusader Godfrey of Bou ...

Southern Netherlands