Duchy of Orléans
The Duchy of Orléanais (French: Duché d'Orléans) is a former royal duchy, which was created during reign of Hugh Capet by elevating the former County of Orléans. In 1498, as part of a centralisation of France under Louis XII, the duchy was dissolved and replaced by the Province of Orléanais which was informally still known as the 'Duchy of Orléanais'.
| Duchy of Orléans Duché d'Orléanais | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 987–1498 | |||||||||
.svg.png.webp) Coat of arms
| |||||||||
 Location of the duchy within France (1477 borders) | |||||||||
| Capital | Orléans | ||||||||
| Demonym | Orléanois | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| • Type | Feudalism (Royal duchy) | ||||||||
| King of France | |||||||||
• 987–996 | Hugh Capet | ||||||||
• 1498 | Louis XII | ||||||||
| Duke of Orléans | |||||||||
• 1344–1375 | Prince Philip de Valois | ||||||||
• 1465–1498 | Prince Louis de Orléans | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 987 | ||||||||
• Became a province | 1498 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of |  France | ||||||||
History
The Duchy of Orléanais was created in 1344 by raising the former County of Orléans to a Dukedom under King Philip VI for his second son Philip de Valois. With the creation of the duchy, several localities around the former county were also integrated, they included the County of Beaugency and the Seigneurities of Neuville-aux-Bois, Yèvre-le-Châtel, Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais, Lorris, and Boiscommun. In 1375, Prince Philip died without a legitimate heir, the title of 'Duke of Orléans' and the duchy itself were merged into the royal domain (crown lands) of the King of France.[1][2]
In 1392, the duchy was re-created by King Charles VI for his younger brother Louis de Valois-Orléans. The duke was later succeeded by his son Charles de Valois-Orléans who reigned until 1465 when he died of natural causes. He was succeeded by his own son Louis de Valois-Orléans, who became King Louis XII in 1498 and the title was merged into the crown once more.[2][3][4]
In 1498, as part of a centralisation of the different regions of France, the duchy was dissolved and replaced by the new Province of Orléanais.[5][6][7][8]
| Duke | Birth | Tenure | Death | Marriage(s)
Issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_duc_d'Orl%C3%A9ans.svg.png.webp) Philip
Other titles |
 |
1 July 1336
Son of Philip VI of France and Joan of Burgundy |
1344
– 1 September 1375 |
1 September 1375
Died by natural causes (aged 39) |
Blanche of France(m. 1345; wid. 1375)
Childless |
Louis I Other titles |
 |
13 March 1372 Hôtel Saint-Pol, Paris Son of Charles V of France and Joanna of Bourbon |
4 June 1392 – 23 November 1407 |
23 November 1407 Le Marais, Paris Murdered by Duke of Burgundy's hitmen (aged 35) |
Valentina Visconti (m. 1389; wid. 1407) 8 children |
.svg.png.webp) Charles I Other titles List |
.jpg.webp) |
24 November 1394 Hôtel Saint-Pol, Paris Son of Louis I and Valentina Visconti |
23 November 1407 – 5 January 1465 |
5 January 1465 Château d'Amboise Died of natural causes (aged 70) |
(1) Isabella of France (m. 1406; d. 1409) 1 children (2) Bonne of Armagnac (m. 1410; d. 1430/35) Childless (3) Maria of Cleves (m. 1440; wid. 1465) 3 children |
Louis II Other titles List |
 |
27 June 1462 Château de Blois Son of Charles and Maria of Cleves |
5 January 1465 – 7 April 1498 (Merged into the Crown titles) |
1 January 1515 Hôtel des Tournelles, Paris Died of gout (aged 52) |
(1) Joan of France (m. 1476; ann. 1498) Childless (2) Anne of Brittany (m. 1498; d. 1514) 2 children (3) Mary of England (m. 1514; wid. 1515) Childless |
Footnotes
- Madelaine, p. 404
- Polluche, Daniel (1778). Essais historiques sur Orléans ou description topographique et critique de cette capitale et de ses environs (in French). Couret de Villeneuve.
- "Provinces of France to 1791". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- "Orléanais", Wikipédia (in French), 2022-02-23, retrieved 2022-10-27
- "Provinces of France to 1791". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- Lavergne, Léonce de (1809-1880) Auteur du texte (1879). Les assemblées provinciales sous Louis XVI (2e édition) / par M. Léonce de Lavergne,...
- de Lavergne, p. 161–162
- Masson, p. 33
References
- de la Madelaine, Philipon (1845). L'Orléanais, histoire des ducs et du duché d'Orléans : comprenant l'histoire et la description de la Beauce, du Pays Chartrain, du Blésois, du Vendômois, du Gâtinais, du Perche et de ce qui constituait l'ancienne généralité d'Orléans (in French). Paris, France: Mallet Publishing.
- de Vassal, C. (1863). Nobiliaire de l'Orléanais (in French). Orléans, France: H. Herbuison.
- de Lavergne, Louis Gabriel Léonce (1864). Les Assemblées Provinciales sous Louis XVI [The Provincial Assemblies under Louis XVI] (in French). Paris, France: Michel Lévy frères.
- Duquesne, Jean (2003). Dictionnaire des Gouverneurs de Province: Novembre 1315 – Février 1791 [Dictionary of Provincial Governors: November 1315 – February 1791] (in French). Paris, France: Christian. ISBN 978-2864960997. OCLC 53216067.