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Lords and Counts of Harcourt

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When the Viking chieftain Rollo obtained the territories via the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte which would later make up Normandy, he distributed them as estates among his main supporters. Among these lands were the seigneurie of Harcourt, near Brionne, and the county of Pont-Audemer, both of which Rollo granted to Bernard the Dane, ancestor of the lords (seigneurs) of Harcourt. he first to use Harcourt as a name, however, was Anquetil d'Harcourt at the start of the 11th century.

Lords of Harcourt

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Counts of Harcourt

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The barony of Harcourt was erected into the county of Harcourt, together with the seigneuries of Lillebonne, Troispierres, La Saussaye and Elbeuf, by letters patent of Philip VI in March 1338.

House of Harcourt

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His only son, John VIII, was killed in battle in 1424. Upon the death of John VII in 1452, his inheritance was to be divided between his elder daughter, Marie, wife of Antoine, Count of Vaudémont, and his second daughter, Jeanne, wife of Jean III de Rieux. However, Marie and her son John of Vaudémont were able to control the entire inheritance until 1454, when the de Rieux gained control of the County of Aumale. However, litigation continued between the de Rieux and the Vaudémont-Lorraine through the late 15th century.

House of Vaudémont-Lorraine

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The de Rieux continued to maintain their claims on Harcourt. Jeanne (1399–1456), the daughter of John VII, had married Jean III de Rieux (1377–1431) in 1414. She was succeeded by her son François de Rieux (1418–1458), who married Jeanne de Rohan in 1442 and was succeeded by his son Jean IV de Rieux. He reached a settlement with the Duke of Lorraine in 1495, trading Aumale for Harcourt, and resumed the title.

Upon the death of Henri, the county of Harcourt passed to his sister Louise, who had married René, Marquis of Elbeuf, head of a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine.

Modern titles

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"Harcourt" has been given as a title to descendants of cadet branches of the family of Harcourt, without a territorial connection to the medieval county. Both branches descend from Philippe d'Harcourt (1353–1403), Lord of Bonnétable, son of John V of Harcourt.

Dukes of Harcourt

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The title of duc d'Harcourt was granted in 1700 by Louis XIV to Henry d'Harcourt (1654–1718), marshal of France, of the branch of Beuvron, upon the erection of the marquisate de La Mothe and de Thury to a duchy, with the name of Harcourt. The title was made a peerage in 1709, by letters patent. Their most famous residence was the Château du Champ-de-Bataille.

  • 1700–1718 : Henry d'Harcourt (1654–1718), duc d'Harcourt, marshal of France
    married Marie Anne Claude de Brulart de Genlis (1669–1750) in 1687
  • 1700–1750 : François d'Harcourt (1689–1750), duc d'Harcourt, marshal of France, son of Henry
    married Marguerite Sophie Louise de Neufville (1699–1716) in 1716, then in 1717 Marie Madeleine Le Tellier (1697–1735)
  • 1750–1783 : Anne Pierre d'Harcourt (1701–1783), duc d'Harcourt, marshal of France, brother of François
    married Eulalie de Beaupoil de Sainte-Aulaire (1715–1738) in 1725
  • 1783–1802 : François-Henri d'Harcourt (1726–1802), duc d'Harcourt, son of Anne
    married Françoise Cathérine d'Aubusson de la Feuillade (1733–1815) in 1752
  • 1802–1839 : Marie François (1755–1839), duc d'Harcourt, nephew of François-Henri
    married Madeleine Jacqueline Le Veneur de Tillières (died 1825) in 1780
  • 1839–1840 : Alphonse Aymar François (1785–1840), duc d'Harcourt, son of Marie
  • 1840–1846 : François Eugène Gabriel (1786–1865), duc d'Harcourt, brother of Alphonse
    married Aglaé Terray (1788–1867) in 1807
  • Henri Marie Nicolas (1808–1846), marquis d'Harcourt, son of François (predeceased his father)
    married Slanie de Choiseul-Praslin (1807–1843) in 1829
  • 1846–1895 : Charles François Marie (1835–1895), duc d'Harcourt, son of Henri
    married Marie (1843–1916), comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau, in 1862
  • 1895–1908 : Henri Eugène François Marie (1864–1908), duc d'Harcourt, son of Charles
    married Marie de la Rochefoucauld (1871–1952) in 1892
  • 1908–1997 : Charles Jean Marie (1902–1997), duc d'Harcourt, son of Henri
    married Antoinette Gérard (1909–1958) in 1927, then in 1961 Maria Teresa de Zayas (born 1930)
  • 1997-2020 : François Henri (1928-2020), duc d'Harcourt, son of Charles
    married Isabelle Roubeau (1961-)
  • 2020-present : Geoffroy (1952-), duc d'Harcourt, cousin of François
    married Hélène de Nicolay (1962-)


References

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There are no references