Being amongst the oldest noble families in France, the Rochechouart-family had divided into two branches by the ascension of Louis XIV: Rochechouart and Mortemart. As it happens, this division had already happened centuries before. The elder branch - the Rochechouart - were descendants of Aimery IX de Rochechouart, Vicomte de Rochechouart while the cadet branch - the Mortemart - hailed from his younger brother Guillaume de Mortemart.
The Rochechouart
Such a large family would inevitably divided into further branches with that of the Rochechouart splitting into six separate family units: the original line, the Seigneurs de Bourdet (extinct by Louis XIV), the Seigneurs de Chanendiers, the Seigneurs de Faudoas and the current family.
The Original Family (meaning those descending from the eldest male heir)
The family descending directly from Aimery I was in the hands of female heirs by the Grand Siècle. The then-leading figure was Marie de Rochechouart-Pontville:
1. Marie de Rochechouart-Pontville & Jean-Hélie, Marquis de Pompadour
Marie inherited the title of Vicomte(sse) de Rochechouart which was immediately conferred on her husband when she inherited the title. The two had no children which meant that the title was given to Marie's sister.
2. Marie II de Rochechouart & François II d'Espinay de Saint-Luc
The couple did have a child - a girl. This meant that she had to marry a cousin to keep the title within the family. Therefore the young girl, another Marie, was married to François III de Rochechouart-Pontville. Sadly, Marie III died without living heirs which meant that the remaining line descended from her cousin, the reigning Vicomte François III.
Seigneurs de Chanendiers
1. François II & Marie Loup de Bellenaves
Having served as a councillor to Louis XIII, François would later be permitted to use the title of Comte de Limoges, as he was a direct descendant of the 9th century founder of this title.
The couple had one child:
- Charles-François, died at 19
With no heirs, the title passed on to the abbot Claude-Charles who - given his Catholicism - could not have official legitimate heirs. The line therefore went extinct.
Seigneurs de Faudoas
The Seigneurs de Faudoas were elevated to the marquisate of the same name before becoming extinct in the male line in 1717. This meant that the marquisate de Faudoas went to a cousin, Charles de Rochechouart.
1. Charles de Rochechouart & Françoise de Montesquieu
Besides receiving his title of Faudoas, Charles also had his title of Baron de Clermont raised to that of Comte de Clermont. If anything, he and Françoise more than made up for the previous lack of heirs by producing ten children:
- François-Charles
- Marie-Anne
- François-Claude
- Jean-Louis
- Jean-François-Joseph
- Pierre-Paul
- Joseph
- Gaston
- Roger
- Alexandre
- Jean-Louis-Roger
2. François-Charles de Rochechouart & Marie-Françoise de Conflans d'Armentières
François followed the military careers of his ancestors and was made maréchal de camp by Louis XV. He was later made ambassador to Philip of Parma, the king's son-in-law.
He had three children by Marie-Françoise:
- Aimery-Louis-Roger, Comte de Faudoas
- Diane Adélaide, Duchesse de Châtelet-Lomont
- Zéphyrine Félicité, Marquise d'Antigny
3. Aimery-Louis-Roger de Rochechouart & Madeleine de Barberie de Courteilles
Aimery was amongst the nobles who embraced the ideas of the Enlightenment, including the abolition of slavery. He was appointed as a member of the Estates General, representing the nobility.
The couple had four daughters:
- Madeleine, Duchesse d'Aumont
- Diane
- Rosalie, Duchesse de Richelieu
- Constance, Princesse de Carency
The Present Family
The present family descends from the third Montigny La Brosse-branch, beginning with Louis de Rochechouart and the children he had by his second wife, Louise Piédefer. By the age of Louis XIV, this family was led by Isaac-Louis de Rochechouart - however, it would be his younger brother, Joseph, who sired the surviving family. Therefore, the following focuses on Joseph's direct line:
1. Joseph de Rochechouart & Marie-Madeleine de Valenciennes
Joseph was the lieutenant colonel of the Vivonne-regiment. The couple had four children:
- Louis-Joseph
- Louis-Victor
- Jean-Louis
- Louise
2. Louis-Joseph de Rochechouart & Marie-Jeanne Le Vasseur
Very little is known about Marie-Jeanne except that she gave birth to at least one child:
- Joseph-Louis Michel
3. Joseph-Louis Michel de Rochechouart & Élisabeth Marie Anne d'Aldart de Melleville
Despite their illustrious family name, Joseph-Louis was not particularly high-ranking at court which might explain the match to Élisabeth. She was amongst the young noble girls who were brought up at the school of Saint-Cyr which had been established by Madame de Maintenon. A requirement for being accepted was both noble lineage and poor financial status - therefore, Élisabeth did not hail from a wealthy background.
Like Joseph-Louis' own parents, the couple only had one child:
- Jules
It is from Jules that the present family descends - he would also be the last of this branch before the revolution.
The Mortemart
Unlike their cousins, the Mortemart-family tree was a great deal simpler. Despite having a single family with several titles, they managed to climb higher than their relatives, especially during the reign of Louis XIV.
1. Gabriel de Rochechouart & Diane de Grandseigne
Gabriel was an excellent courtier whose instinct placed his family at an immensely favorable position. Managing to successfully navigate the Fronde, he established himself amongst the leading noblemen at court. Ensuring that the children borne to him by Diane de Granseigne were brought up with concern for the infamous Mortemart-wit, they, too, were remarkably successful.
Diane had a reputation for being both pious and compliant which made her an ideal dame d'honneur to the queen. She raised her children at their country estate - likely due to their rather unstable relationship. She was often the object of both admiration and praise considering how she tackled her husband's numerous affairs with silent dignity.
The couple had four children:
- Gabrielle, Marquise de Thianges
- Louis-Victor, Duc de Mortemart
- Françoise-Athénais, Marquise de Montespan
- Marie-Madeleine, abbess
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| Gabriel |
Louis-Victor was likely amongst the luckiest men at court. Born to inherit a ducal title, his family's influence, intelligence, and wealth made it possible for him to truly establish himself at the head of the court. When his sister became the king's mistress, his favour rose even more. He was made viceroy of Sicily as well as general of the galleys before finally obtaining the extremely coveted position of first gentleman of the king's bedchamber.
Antoinette was amongst those implicated by the Affair of the Poisons but was acquitted - likely by order of the king. She gave her husband six children:
- Louis, Duc de Mortemart
- Gabrielle, abbess
- Charlotte, Duchesse d'Elbeuf
- Marie-Élisabeth, Marquise de Castries
- Louise-Françoise, abbess
- Gabrielle-Victoire, Duchesse de Lesdiguières
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| Louis-Victor |
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| Antoinette |
3. Louis de Rochechouart & Marie-Anne Colbert
Both a duke and a general, Louis also obtained the otherwise rare achievement of being remembered favourably by the Duc de Saint-Simon. The memoirist branded him the "hope of our age" and lauded him for his vastly superior qualities.
Marie-Anne was the daughter of Louis XIV's minister; theirs was therefore a marriage between the noblesse d'épé and noblesse de robe. They had five children:
- Louis II, Duc de Mortemart
- Jean-Baptiste, Duc de Mortemart
- Marie-Anne, nun
- Louise-Gabrielle, nun
- Marie-Françoise, Marquise de Cany
4. Louis II de Rochechouart & (1) Marie-Henriette de Beauvilliers, (2) Marie-Charlotte Élisabeth de Nicoläy
Enjoying the same martial skills as his ancestors, Louis II was maréchal de camp and Lieutenant General. He had inherited his title at the age of just 7 and took the unusual step of abdicating at the age of 49.
Marie-Henriette was herself from a ducal family; she had four children by Louis:
- Marie-Louise
- Louis-Paul, Duc de Mortemart
- Charles-Auguste, Duc de Rochechouart
- Henriette-Athénais, nun
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| Louis II |
5. Louis-Paul de Rochechouart & Marie-Anne de Beauvau
Having added the titles of Prince de Tonnay-Charente and Marquis de Lussac to his already impressive list of titles, Louis Paul was amongst the highest ranking at court. Sadly, he died at just 21 years old without leaving an heir. Therefore, the title went to his younger brother, Charles-Auguste.
6. Charles-Auguste de Rochechouart & Augustine de Coëtquen de Combourg
If Louis-Paul's list of titles had been impressive that of his brother was immense. Besides being a duke and peer, he had two marquisates, three counties and two seigneurships. He was also first gentleman of the king's bedchamber, grandee of Spain (1st Class) and colonel of his personal regiment.
Having married Augustine in 1735, the couple had one child:
- Louis-François
Louis-François appear died at the age of 3 and Charles-Auguste himself died at 29 years old. The title therefore went to Jean-Baptiste, Duc de Mortemart.
7. Jean-Baptiste de Rochechouart & Marie Anne Colbert de Blainville
Inheriting the dukedom of Mortemart, Jean-Baptiste already had that of Vivonne besides a long list of other titles. He had married Marie Anne in 1706 who had then given him four children:
- Louis
- Marie Anne Madeleine
- Jean-Baptiste Victor, Duc de Mortemart
- Charles-Auguste
8. Jean-Baptiste Victor de Rochechouart & (1) Éleonore de Crux, (2) Thérèse de Rouvroy, (3) Charlotte de Manneville
Jean-Baptiste was given the ducal title (à brevet) of Duc de Rochechouart by Louis XV as well as a knighthood of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. He married thrice, probably out of necessity as neither one of his first marriages provided any children. It was not until he married Charlotte de Manneville that he got his heir.
Charlotte gave birth to four children with increasingly odd names:
- Victurnien Jean Baptiste Marie, Duc de Mortemart
- Victurnien Bonaventure Victor, Marquis de Mortemart
- Victurnien Henri Elzéar, Vicomte de Mortemart
- Victurienne Nathaline Delphine, Marquise de Rougé
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| Jean-Baptiste Victor |
The family still exist today.
Interesting facts/anecdotes:
- Jean-François-Joseph, son of Charles de Rochechouart, became known as Cardinal de Rochechouart
- Three of Charles de Rochechouart's children were knights of the Holy Spirit at the same time
- The loss of his eldest daughter caused Aimery-Louis-Roger to retire early; he would eventually die himself at the age of just 46
- Marie-Madeleine (daughter of Gabriel de Rochechouart) was known as the queen of abbesses due to her immense influence
- Louis XIV was enchanted with the Mortemart wit which both Madame de Montespan and her sister, Madame de Thianges, had inherited
- Both Diane Adélaide (daughter of the Comte de Faudoas) and her husband were guillotined; the same happened to Marie-Victoire, Vicomtesse de Rochechouart
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