The first rulers of

Rethel Rethel () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture and third-most important city and economic center in the department. It is situated on the river Aisne, near the northern border of Champagne and 37 ...

might have governed under the Abbey of Saint-Remi and later independently, before the county passed first to the counts of Nevers, then to the counts of Flanders, and finally to the

dukes of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

. In 1405 the county became part of the

peerage of France The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...

, and in 1581 it was elevated to a duchy. In 1663 it became the Duchy of Mazarin. The county was active in the

crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

s. King

Baldwin II of Jerusalem Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to the Holy Land during the ...

was the brother of Count Gervais and Countess Matilda of Rethel, while Beatrice of Rethel married

Leo I, Prince of Armenia Leo I (), also Levon I or Leon I, (unknown – Constantinople, February 14, 1140) was the fifth King of Cilicia, lord of Armenian Cilicia (1129/1130–1137). He expanded his rule over the Cilicia#Geography, Cilician plains and even to the Medit ...

Rethel Dynasty

*Manasses I * Manasses II (?–1032) * Manasses III (1032–1056) * Hugh I (1065–1118) * Gervais (1118–1124) * Matilda (1124–1151)

Vitre Dynasty

Odo of Vitry Odo of Vitry (Eudes) (died 1158) was a French nobleman. Counts and dukes of Rethel, Count of Rethel and Châtelain de Vitry. His parentage is unclear. It is sometimes stated that he was a son of André, castellan of Vitré and of Agnès de Mort ...

(1124–1158), married Matilda of Rethel *Ithier (1158–1171) * Manasses IV (1171–1199) * Hugh II (1199–1227) *Hugh III (1227–1242) *John (1242–1251) *Walter (1251–1262) * Manasses V (1262–1272) * Hugh IV (1272–1285) * Joan (1285–1328)

Dampierre dynasty

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 ...

(1285–1322; married Joan; also

count of Nevers The counts of Nevers were the rulers of the County of Nevers, in France, The territory became a duchy in the peerage of France in 1539 under the dukes of Nevers. History The history of the County of Nevers is closely connected to the Duchy of Bu ...

) * Louis II (1322–1346; also

count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

and Nevers; married Margaret,

countess of Artois The count of Artois (, ) was the ruler over the County of Artois from the 9th century until the abolition of the countship by the French revolutionaries in 1790. House of Artois *Odalric () *Altmar () *Adelelm (?–932) *''Conquered by Arn ...

) *

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 ...

(1346–1384; also count of Flanders, Nevers, and

Artois Artois ( , ; ; Picard: ''Artoé;'' English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities include Arras (Dutch: ...

) *

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

(1384–1402; also countess of Flanders, Nevers, Artois, and duchess of Burgundy)

Burgundian dynasty

Philip the Bold Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and ''jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg. Philip was th ...

(1384–1402; also duke of Burgundy; married Margaret of Dampierre) *

Antoine Antoine is a French language, French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton (name), Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is most common in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada ...

(1402–1407; later

duke of Brabant The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I, Duke of Brabant, Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Le ...

) * Philip II (1407–1415; also count of Nevers) *

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

(1415–1464; also count of Nevers) * John II (1464–1491; also count of Nevers and Eu) * Charlotte (1491–1500)

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 ...
dynasty

*John of Albret (1491–1500; also lord of Orval; married Charlotte of Rethel) * Marie of Albret (1500–1549)

Cleves Kleve (; traditional ; ; ; ; ; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Cleves was capital of a county and later a duchy ...
dynasty

*Charles II (1500–1521; also count of Nevers; married Marie of Albret) * François I (1549–1561; also duke of Nevers) * François II (1561–1563; also duke of Nevers) *

Jacques Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...

(1563–1564; also duke of Nevers) *

Henriette of Cleves Henriette de La Marck (31 October 1542 – 24 June 1601), also known as Henriette of Cleves, was a French noblewoman and courtier. She was the 4th Duchess of Nevers, ''suo jure'' Countess of Rethel, and Princess of Mantua by her marriage with ...

(1564–1601; also duchess of Nevers)

Gonzaga dynasty

* Louis IV (1566–1595; married

; first duke of Rethel) *

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 ...

(1595–1637; also duke of Nevers,

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

Montferrat Montferrat ( , ; ; , ; ) is a historical region of Piedmont, in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Province of Alessandria, Alessandria and Province of Asti, Asti. Montferrat ...

, and

Mayenne Mayenne ( ) is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Il ...

) * Charles IV (1637–1659; also duke of Nevers, Mantua and Montferrat)

House of Mazarin

* Jules Cardinal Mazarin (1659–1661); minister of

Louis XIV of France 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 ...

; purchased Rethel from Charles IV *

Hortense Mancini Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin (6 June 1646 – 2 July 1699), was a niece of Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister of France, and a mistress of Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She was the fourth of the five famous Mancini ...

(1661–1699); the niece of Cardinal Mazarin, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye, mistress of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

* Paul-Jules de la Porte (1699–1731; also Duke of Meilleraye) * Paul de la Porte (1731–1738; also Duke of Meilleraye) * Louise Jeanne de Durfort (1738–1781; also Duchess of Mayenne and Meilleraye) * Louise d'Aumont (1781–1789; also Duchess of Mayenne and Meilleraye) Nowadays, the title is still claimed by her descendants, the Sovereign Princes of Monaco.

Bibliography

* Alan V. Murray, ''The crusader Kingdom of Jérusalem, A Dynastic History 1099-1125'', Linacre College Oxford, 2000, {{ISBN, 1-900934-03-5 Monegasque titles