Houses & Titles

The French nobility during the Ancien Regime was a complicated net of titles and families. To make it even more complicated the families could not be distinguished merely by the title the head of the family had. Most noble families had several titles and intermarriage meant that titles changed hands several times over. I have tried to combine a list of the individual titles and the families they belonged to.

The titles are listed alphabetically and are followed by the family that held it. Note that the possession of a title of duke does not necessarily mean the possession of the actual duchy. Also, some titles are taken directly from the family's name.

A

Comte d'Agenois
      Held by the House of Vignerot du Plessis

Duc d'Aiguillon

      Held by the House of Vignerot du Plessis

Duc d'Albret

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé (1641-1651)

      Held by the House of de La Tour d'Auvergne (1651-1790)

Duc d'Amboise

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre

Duc d'Antin

      Held by the House of Pardaillon

Comte d'Armagnac

      Held by the House of Lorraine-Guise

Marquis d'Argenson

      Held by the House of de Voyer

Duc d'Arpajon

      Held by the House of d'Arpajon

Duc d'Aumale

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre

Duc d'Aumont

      Held by the House of d'Aumont de Rochebaron

Duc d'Auvergne

       Held by the House of Bourbon

Duc d'Ayen

       Held by the House of Noailles

B

Duc de Bar

      Held by the House of Lorraine

Duc de Beaumont

      Held by the House of Luxembourg. Given to the third son of the Duc de Luxembourg

Duc de Beaupréau
      Held by the House of Bourbon-Orlèans

Duc de Beauvilliers

      Held continually by the House of Beauvilliers

Duc de Bellegarde

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé

Marquis de Belle-Isle

      Held by the House of Fouquet

Duc de Béthune-Charost

      Held by the House of Béthune-Charost

Duc de Biron

      Held by the House of Gontaut

Comte de Blois

      Held by the House of Orlèans

Duc de Bouillon

      Held by the House of La Tour d’Auvergne

Duc de Bournonville

      Held by the House of Bournonville

Duc de Bourbon

      Held by the House of Condé

Comte de Bousset
      Held by the House of Bourbon-Bousset

Comte de Brienne

      Held by the House of Brienne

Duc de Brissac

      Held by the House of Cossé-Brissac

Duc de Broglie

      Held continually by the House of Broglie

C

Comte de Cagny 

      Held by the House of Boufflers

Prince de Carignan

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre (1751-1793)

Baron de Chalus
      Held by the House of Bourbon-Bousset

Duc de Chaulnes

      Held by the House of d'Albert d'Ailly

Duc de Chateauvillain 

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre

Duc de Charost

      Held by the House of Béthune

Duc de Chartres
      Held by the House of Bourbon-Orlèans

Marquis de Chaste

       Held by the House of Clermont-Tonnerre

Duc de Château-Thierry

      Held by the House of de La Tour d'Auvergne

Duc de Châteauroux

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé

Duc de Châtellerault
      Held by the House of Bourbon-Orlèans

Duc de Châtillon

      Held by the House of Châtillon

Duc de Chevreuse

      Held by the House of d'Albert  

Duc de Choiseul 

       Held by the House of Choiseul

Comte de Clermont

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé

Duc de Clermont-Tonnerre

      Held by the House of Clermont-Tonnere

Duc de Coislin

      Held by the House of Cambout

Prince de Condé

      Held by the House of Condé

Prince de Conti

      Held by the House of Condé

Marquis de Courville

      Held by the House of Béthune

Duc de Créquy

      Held by the House of Bonne de Blanchefort

D

Duc de Damville

     Held by the House of Montmorency

Prince de Dombes
     Held by the House of Bourbon-Maine

Comte de Dreux

     Held by the House of Bourbon (1594-1656)

     Held by the House of Savoy-Carignano (1656-1676)

     Held by the House of Longueville (1676-1707)

     Held by the House of Bourbon (1707-1718)

     Held by the House of the Palatinate (1718-1723)

     Held by the House of Bourbon (1723-1793)

Duc de Duras

      Held by the House of Durfort

E

Duc d'Elbeuf

      Held by the House of Lorraine

Duc d'Enghien

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé
               Reserved for the eldest son of the Prince de Condé

Comte d’Épinac

      Held by the House of Clermont-Tonnerre

Duc d’Estouteville

      Held by the House of Orlèans-Longueville

Duc d'Estrées

      Held by the House of d'Estrées

Duc / Duchesse d'Etampes
      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé

Comte d'Eu

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Maine

F

Duc de La Ferté-Senneterre

      Held by the House of Senneterre

Duc de Fleury

     Held by the House of Rosset

Duc de La Force

     Held by the House of Caumont

Duc de Fronsac

      Held by the House of du Plessis

G

Duc de Gesvres

      Held by the House of Poitier

Duc de Gisors

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre

Duc de Gramont

      Held by the House of Gramont

Prince de Guéméné

      Held by the House of Rohan

Duc de Guise

      Held by the House of Lorraine (1528-1688)

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé (1688-1830)

H

Duc d'Harcourt

      Held by the House of Lorraine

Duc d'Havre

       Held by the House of Cröy

Duc d'Houstin

       Held by the House of d'Houstin

I

J

Duc de Joyeuse

      Held by the House of Melun

K

L

Prince de Lamballe

     Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre. Served as a courtesy title for the heir to the duchy

Duc de Lauzun

      Held by the House of Caumont

Duc de Laval
      Held by the House of Montmorency

Duc de Lesdiguières

      Held by the House of Bonne de Blancefort

Duc de Lesparre

      Held by the House of Gramont

Duc de Liancourt

      Held by the House of Rochefoucauld

Comte de Lillebonne

      Held by the House of d’Harcourt

Duc de Luxembourg

      Held by the House of Montmorency

Duc de Luynes

      Held by the House of d'Albert

M

Duc du Maine 

      Held by Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, illegitimate son of Louis XIV

Comte de La Marche

      Held by the House of Conti

Duc de Meilleraye

      Held by the House of de La Porte de Mazarin

Duc de Mercoeur

      Held by the House of Lorraine (1524-1669)

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Vêndome (1669-1712)

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Conti (1712-1776)

Marquis de Mirabeau

      Held by the House of Bauffremont

Duc de Mirepox

      Held by the House of Lévis

Duc de Montausier

      Held by the House of Sainte-Maure

Duc de Montbazon

      Held by the House of Rohan

Duc de Montpensier

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Orlèans

Duc de Montmorency

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé

Duc de Mortemart 

       Held by the House of Rochechouart

N

Duc de Nemours

      Held by the House of Orlèans

Duc de Nevers (Was sold to Cardinal Mazarin)

      Held by Jules Mazarin (1659-1661)

      Held by the House of Mancini (1661-1798)

Duc de Noailles

      Held by the House of Noailles (since 1663)

O

P

Duc de Penthièvre

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Vêndome (1608-1696)

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre (1697-1793)

Duc de Piney(-Luxembourg)

      Held by the Luxembourgs (1581-1661)

      Held by the House of Montmorency-Luxembourg (1661-1861),

              Transferred through marriage between the daughter of the last of the Luxembourgs to the                   heir of Montmorency

Duc de Poix

    Held by the House of Noailles

Comte de Ponthieu

    Held by the House of Berry

Prince de Porcien

     Held by the House of Châtillon

Duc de Praslin

      Held by the House of Choiseul

Q

-

R

Duc de Rambouillet

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre

Duc de Randan

      Held by the House of Rochefoucauld (1661-1677)

      Held by the House of Foix (1677-1714)

Duc de Rethel

      Held by the House of Mazarin

Duc de Retz

      Held by the House of Gondi

Duc de Richelieu

      Held by the House of du Plessis

Duc de Roannis

       Held by the House of Gouffier (1576-1667)

       Held by the House of Le Feuillade (1667-1725)

Duc de La Roche-Guyon

      Held by the House of La Rouchefoucauld

Duc de La Rouchefoucauld

      Held by the House of Rochefoucauld

Duc de Rohan

      Held by the House of Chabot (1648-1655)

      Held by the House of Rohan-Chabot (1655-present)

Duc de Rohan-Rohan

      Held by the House of Rohan-Soubise

Prince de La Rouche-sur-Yon

      Held by the House of Condé

Comte de Roussillon

      Held byt the House of Clermont-Tonnerre

Duc de Roquelaure

      Held by the House of Roquelaure

Duc de Ruffec

       Held by the House of Rouvroy, courtesy title

S

Duc de Saint-Aignan

      Held by the House of Beauvilliers

Duc de Saint-Cloud

      Traditionally held by the Archbishop of Paris

Duc de Saint-Fargeau

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Orlèans

Comte de Saint-Pol

      Held by the House of Châtillon

Duc de Saint-Simon

      Held by the House of Rouvroy

Comte de Sancerre

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé

Comte de Sézanne
      Held by the House of Harcourt

Duc de Soissons

           Held by the House of Bourbon-Condé (until 1692)

           Held by the House of Bourbon-Orlèans (from 1692)

Duc de Stainville

      Held by the House of Choiseul

Duc de Sully

      Held by the House of Béthune-Charost

T

Marquis de Terraube

      Held by the House of Galard

Duc de Thouars

      Held by the House of Le Trémoille

Comte de Thoury

      Held by the House of Clermont-Tonnerre

Prince de Tingry

      Held by the House of Clermont-Tonnerre

Comte de Toulouse

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Penthièvre


Prince de Turenne
      Held by the House of La Tour d'Auvergne
               Reserved for the eldest son (and his wife) of the Duc de Bouillon

U

Duc d'Uzès

      Held by the House of Crussol

V

Duc de La Valliere

      Held by the House of de La Blaume de Blanc (1670-1780)

Duc de Valois
      Held by the House of Bourbon-Orlèans
               Reserved for the son of the Duc d'Orlèans

Duc de Vêndome

      Held by the House of Bourbon-Vêndome

Duc de Ventadour

      Held by the House of Lévis (1589-1717)

Duc de Villars

      Held by the House of Bourbon

Duc de Villars-Brancas

      Held by the House of Brancas

Marquis de Villequier

Duc de Villeroy

       Held by the House of Neufville de Villeroy

Duc de Vivonne

      Held by the House of Rochechouart