The

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 ...

of Joyeuse was created in 1581 by King

Henry III of France Henry III (; ; ; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575. As the fourth son of King Henry II of France, he ...

for his favourite

Anne de Joyeuse Anne de Joyeuse, baron d'Arques then duc de Joyeuse (–20 October 1587) was a French noble, governor, Admiral, military commander and royal favourite during the reign of Henri III of France, Henri III in the French Wars of Religion. The eldest so ...

Origins

The lordship of Joyeuse, named for the town of

Joyeuse, Ardèche Joyeuse (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardèche Departments of France, department. It is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in southern France, and is supposedly named for Joyeuse, Charlemagne's legendar ...

, came, in the 13th century, into the possession of the house of Châteauneuf-Randon, and was made into a

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

ship in 1432. Guillaume, viscount of Joyeuse, was bishop of Alet, but afterwards left the church, and became 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) ...

; he died in 1592. Anne de Joyeuse was his eldest son.

House of Joyeuse

*1581–1587 : Anne de Joyeuse (1560–1587), son of Guillaume de Joyeuse and Marie de Batarnay. *1587–1592 : Antoine Scipion de Joyeuse (1565–1592), brother of the above. *1592–1608 :

Henri de Joyeuse Henri, Duc de Joyeuse (Toulouse, 21 September 1563 – Rivoli, 28 September 1608) was the youngest brother of Anne de Joyeuse and François de Joyeuse. He was a General in the French Wars of Religion and a member of the Catholic League, who beca ...

(1563–1608), brother of the above. *1608–1615 : cardinal

François de Joyeuse François de Joyeuse (24 June 1562 – 23 August 1615) was a French churchman and politician. Biography Born at Carcassonne, François de Joyeuse was the second son of Guillaume de Joyeuse and Marie Eléanor de Batarnay. As the younger son of ...

(1562–1615), archbishop of Toulouse and Rouen, brother of the above. *1615–1647 :

Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse Henriette may refer to: People Nobles :''Ordered chronologically'' * Henriette of Cleves (1542–1601), Duchess of Nevers, Countess of Rethel and Princess of Mantua * Henriette Marie of the Palatinate (1626–1651), daughter of Elizabeth Stuart, ...

(1585–1656), daughter of Henri de Joyeuse. Henriette Catherine married twice: first to the vastly wealthy Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier; then to Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Guise. From her first marriage, she was the maternal grandmother of ''la Grande Mademoiselle''. In 1647, Henriette Catherine gave the duchy to her son Louis de Lorraine.

House of Guise

*1647–1654 : Louis de Lorraine (1622–1654), son of

. ::married Marie Françoise de Valois, '' duchesse d'Angoulême'', daughter of

Louis Emmanuel, Duke of Angoulême Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

, who succeeded her father in 1653. *1654–1671 : Louis Joseph de Lorraine (1650–1671),

Duke of Guise Count of Guise and Duke of Guise ( , ) were titles in the French nobility. Originally a Fiefdom, seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René I of Naples, René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou. While disputed by the House of ...

and Joyeuse, son of the above. ::married

Élisabeth Marguerite d'Orléans Élisabeth Marguerite d'Orléans (26 December 1646 – 17 March 1696), known as Isabelle d'Orléans, was the Duchess of Alençon and, during her husband's lifetime, Duchess of Angoulême. She was the first cousin of Louis XIV of France, being the ...

, first cousin of

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 ...

. *1671–1675 : Francis Joseph de Lorraine, Duke of Guise and Joyesue, son of the above. *1675–1688 : Marie de Lorraine, Duchess of Guise, Princess of Joinville, daughter of

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

and Henriette Catherine of Joyeuse. Without any heirs, Marie ceded the duchy of Joyeuse to her third cousin once removed Charles François de Lorraine in 1688.

Branch of Elbeuf

*1688–1690 : Charles François de Lorraine (1661–1702), Prince of Commercy, grandson of

Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf Charles II, Duke of Elbeuf (5 November 1596 – 5 November 1657), was a French nobleman, the son of Charles I, Duke of Elbeuf, by his wife, Marguerite de Chabot. He succeeded his father in the Elbeuf dukedom (Elbœuf is an alternate, anglicized s ...

and nephew of the previous. ::1690–1693 : ''Louis XIV confiscated the duchy after Charles François entered into the service of

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I (Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician; ; 9 June 1640 – 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia, and List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Rom ...

. It was given to Charles François' brother Jean Paul.'' *1693–1693 : Jean Paul de Lorraine (1672–1693), Prince of Lillebonne, brother of the above, died without issue. *1693–1694 :

François Marie de Lorraine François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...

(1624–1694), Prince of Lillebonne, Duke of Joyeuse, father of the above and youngest son of

. *1694–1714 : Anne de Lorraine (1639–1720), wife of the above, daughter of

Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine Charles IV (5 April 1604 – 18 September 1675) was Duke of Lorraine from 1624 until his death in 1675, with a brief interruption in 1634, when he abdicated under French pressure in favor of his younger brother, Nicholas Francis. Life He came ...

. The duchy was transmitted to the grandson of François Marie and Anne,

Louis de Melun Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS Louis, HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy Se ...

, who was created Duke of Joyesue in 1714.

House of Melun

*1714–1724 :

, Prince of Epinoy, Baron of Antoing then Duke of Joyeuse. Son of Louis de Melun and

Élisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ( ...

. Élisabeth Thérèse, Princess of Epinoy, was the daughter of the previous duke and duchess of Joyeuse. ::He married Armande de La Tour d'Auvergne and had no issue; married

Marie Anne de Bourbon Marie Anne de Bourbon, ''Légitimée de France'', born Marie Anne de La Blaume Le Blanc, by her marriage Princess of Conti then Princess Dowager of Conti, ''suo jure'' Duchess of La Vallière and of Vaujours (; 2 October 1666 – 3 May 1739) was ...

secretly and had no issue. ::At his death, the title passed to his nephew Charles de Rohan (1715–1787), son of Jules de Rohan, prince de Soubise and Anne Julie de Melun, sister of Louis.

References and notes

{{Reflist

Joyeuse Joyeuse (; ; meaning 'joyous, joyful') was, in medieval legend, the sword wielded by Charlemagne as his personal weapon. A sword identified as Joyeuse was used in French royal coronation ceremonies since the 13th century, and is now kept at the L ...

Duchesses of Joyeuse