Duke of Berry
Encyclopedia
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Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
was frequently created for junior members of the French royal family. The Berry
Berry (province)
Berry is a region located in the center of France. It was a province of France until the provinces were replaced by départements on 4 March 1790....
region now consists of the départements of Cher, Indre and parts of Vienne. The capital of Berry is Bourges
Bourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
. The first creation was for John, third son of John II, King of France
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
, in 1360. He died in 1416 without surviving male issue, and the title was then recreated for his great-nephew the Dauphin John, Duke of Touraine
Duke of Touraine
Duke of Touraine was a title in the Peerage of France, relating to Touraine.It was first created in 1360 for Philip, youngest son of King John II of France. He returned the duchy to the Crown in 1363 on being made Duke of Burgundy and died in 1404....
, eldest son of Charles VI, King of France
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
, who died shortly afterwards. The third creation was in 1417 for the next son of Charles VI, Charles, who had also been given the title Duke of Touraine. He succeeded to the throne in 1422 as Charles VII, King of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
. His younger son Charles was given the duchy of Berry in 1461, but exchanged it for that of Normandy
Duke of Normandy
The Duke of Normandy is the title of the reigning monarch of the British Crown Dependancies of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey. The title traces its roots to the Duchy of Normandy . Whether the reigning sovereign is a male or female, they are always titled as the "Duke of...
in 1465. He died in 1472. The fifth creation was in 1517 for Margaret, daughter of Charles, Count of Angoulême and only sister of Francis I, King of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
. She died in 1549, and the duchy was created anew in 1550 for her niece Margaret, sister of Henry II, King of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
, who died in 1574. Her nephew Francis, Duke of Alençon, brother of Charles IX, King of France
Charles IX of France
Charles IX was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. His reign was dominated by the Wars of Religion. He is best known as king at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.-Childhood:...
, was created Duke of Anjou, of Berry and of Touraine
Duke of Touraine
Duke of Touraine was a title in the Peerage of France, relating to Touraine.It was first created in 1360 for Philip, youngest son of King John II of France. He returned the duchy to the Crown in 1363 on being made Duke of Burgundy and died in 1404....
in 1576, which titles became extinct on his death in 1584. The title was not again used until 1686, when Charles, third son of Louis, le Grand Dauphin and grandson of Louis XIV, King of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, received the title (but not the duchy) at his birth. He was created Duke of Alençon et d'Angoulême in 1710, but continued to use the title of Berry until his death in 1714. The ninth person to use the title was Louis-Auguste, grandson of Louis XV, King of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
, who was also given the Berry title at his birth in 1754. He became Dauphin in 1765 and succeeded as Louis XVI, King of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
in 1774. His younger brother Charles, Count of Artois, was given the duchy of Berry in 1776, but he continued to be known by his comital title. However, his second son, Charles Ferdinand, was known by the courtesy title of Duke of Berry from his birth in 1778 to his assassination in 1820.
Duke of Berry, second creation (1416)
- John, Dauphin of France (1398–1417)
Duke of Berry, third creation (1417)
- Charles, Duke of BerryCharles VII of FranceCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
(1403–1461), succeeded as Charles VIICharles VII of FranceCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
in 1422
Duke of Berry, fourth creation (1461)
- Charles of Valois, Duke of BerryCharles de Valois, Duc de BerryCharles de Valois, Duke of Berry was a son of Charles VII, King of France. He spent most of his life in conflict with his elder brother, King Louis XI of France.-Life:...
(1446–1472), exchanged Berry for Normandy in 1465
Duke of Berry, fifth creation (1517)
- Margaret of Angoulême, Duchess of BerryMarguerite de NavarreMarguerite de Navarre , also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was the queen consort of Henry II of Navarre...
(1492–1549)
Duke of Berry, seventh creation (1576)
- Francis, Duke of AnjouFrançois, Duke of AnjouFrancis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon was the youngest son of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.-Early years:...
(1555–1584)
Duke of Berry, eighth creation (1686)
- Charles, Duke of BerryCharles de Bourbon, Duc de BerryCharles de France, Duke of Berry, , was a grandson of Louis XIV of France. Although he was only a grandson of Louis XIV, Berry held the rank of fils de France , rather than petit-fils de France , as the son of the Dauphin, heir apparent to the throne...
(1686–1714)
Duke of Berry, ninth creation (1754)
- Louis, Duke of BerryLouis XVI of FranceLouis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
(1754–1793), succeeded as Louis XVI, King of FranceLouis XVI of FranceLouis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
in 1774.
Duke of Berry, tenth creation (1776)
- Charles, Count of Artois, Duke of BerryCharles X of FranceCharles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
(1757–1836), succeeded as Charles X, King of FranceCharles X of FranceCharles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
in 1824. - His second son was Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry (1778–1820).
Present use
The title is currently used by Prince Alphonse of Bourbon second son of the legitimist claimant to the French throne Louis Alphonse, Duke of AnjouLouis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou
Prince Louis Alphonse of Bourbon, Duke of Anjou was not originally among his given names ; born 25 April 1974, Madrid) is a member of the historically royal dynasty of the House of Bourbon, and one of the current pretenders to the defunct crown of France...
.
See also
- Duchess of BerryDuchess of Berry-First Creation:-Second Creation:-Eighth Creation:-Ninth Creation:-Tenth Creation:...
- Très Riches Heures du Duc de BerryTrès Riches Heures du Duc de BerryThe Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry or simply the Très Riches Heures is a richly decorated book of hours commissioned by John, Duke of Berry, around 1410...