Counts and Dukes of Aumale

The County of Aumale, later elevated to a duchy, was a medieval fief in Normandy. It was disputed between England and France during parts of the Hundred Years' War.

Aumale in Norman & French nobility

The title was later re-created in 1547 for Francis, then styled Count of Aumale by courtesy. On his accession as Duke of Guise, he ceded it to his brother Claude, Duke of Aumale. It was later used as a title by Henri d'Orleans, the youngest son of Louis-Philippe, King of the French and Duc d'Orleans.

The present titleholder is a grandson of the late HRH Henri, Comte de Paris, Orleans heir, and his wife, HRH Isabelle d'Orleans-Braganza of Brazil. Prince Foulques Foulques d'Orleans, son of Jacques duc d'Orleans Jacques Jean Jaroslav Marie d'Orléans, Duc d'Orléans and the duchess, née Gersende de Ponteves Sabran, added it to his title of Comte d'Eu.

Lords of Aumale

Norman Counts:

• Guerinfroi, lord before 996–?
• Guerinfroi Aymard (son) ?–1048
• Bertha of Aumale (daughter) 1048–1052
  • Hugh of Ponthieu (count Hugh II of Ponthieu) 1048–1052 (married to Bertha)
• Enguerrand I of Aumale (married Adelaide of Normandy, who retained the lordship after her husband's death)
• Adelaide of Normandy 1053–1087 with
  • Lambert of Boulogne count of Lens 1053–1054 (married to Adelaide)

Counts of Aumale

Coat of Arms of the Counts of Aumale, adopted late 12th.c., at start of age of heraldry

Anglo-Norman Counts:

• Odo of Troyes 1069–1115 (married to Adelaide)
• Stephen of Aumale before 1070–1127
• William le Gros 1127–1179
• Hawise of Aumale 1179–1194 with Counts jure uxoris:
  • William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex 1180–1189 (married to Hawise)
  • William I de Forz 1189–1194 (married to Hawise)
  • Baldwin of Bethune 1195–1196 (married to Hawise)
• confiscated; to French royal domain. However, the English kings continued to recognise the title, see Earl of Albemarle

Counts of Aumale (House of Dammartin)

French Counts:

Coat of Arms of the Lords of Dammartin.

• Renaud I of Dammartin 1224–1227
• Mahaut of Dammartin 1227–1234 with
  • Philip Hurepel 1227–1234 (married to Mahaut)
• Simon of Dammartin 1234–1239
• Joan of Dammartin 1239–1278 with

Counts of Aumale (House of Castile)

• • Ferdinand I 1239–1252 (married to Jeanne)
  • Ferdinand II of Castile-Aumale 1252–1260 (son of Joan and Ferdinand I)
  • John I 1260–1302 (son of Ferdinand II)
• John II 1302–1343
• Blanche of Ponthieu 1343–1387 with

Counts of Aumale (House of Harcourt)

• John III 1343–1356 (husband of Blanche)
• John IV 1356–1389 (son of John III and Blanche)
• John V 1389–1452
• Marie of Harcourt 1452–1476 with

Counts of Aumale (House of Lorraine-Vaudémont)

Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Guise.

• Antoine, count of Vaudémont 1452–1458 (married to Marie)
• John VI 1458–1473 (son of Antoine and Marie
• René 1473–1508 (nephew of John)
• Claude I 1508–1547

Dukes of Aumale

Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Aumale of the Lorraine family.

• Francis 1547–1550
• Claude II 1550–1573
• Charles 1573–1631
• Anne 1631–1638 (countess of Maulévrier)
• Henry of Savoy, Duke of Nemours 1631–1632 (married to Anne)
• Louis of Savoy 1638–1641 (also Duke of Nemours)
• Charles Amadeus of Savoy 1641–1652 (also Duke of Nemours)
• to royal domain
• Marie Jeanne of Savoy
• Louis Charles de Bourbon (1701–1773)
• sold to the crown, but payment not made, so returned to the heir
• Louis Jean Marie of Bourbon (1776–1793)
• Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale (1822–1897)

Aumale in the English peerage

Through the end of the Hundred Years' War, the kings of England at various times ruled Aumale, through their claims to be dukes of Normandy and later, kings of France. The title of Count or Duke of Aumale was granted several times during this period.

Earls of Aumale (1095)

In 1196, Philip II of France captured the castle of Aumale, and granted the title of "Count of Aumale" to Renaud de Dammartin. However, despite Philip's conquest of Aumale (and, subsequently, the remainder of Normandy), the kings of England continued to claim the Duchy of Normandy, and to recognize the old line of Counts or Earls of Aumale. These were:

• see above for Counts before 1196
• Hawise of Aumale, 2nd Countess of Aumale (d. 1214), married, bef. 1196:
  • Baldwin de Bethune (d. 1212), Count of Aumale jure uxoris

Seal of William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle. Arms: A cross patonce

• William II de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle (d. 1242), son of the 2nd Countess by her second husband William I de Forz
• William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle (d. 1260), son of the 3rd Earl
• Thomas de Forz, 5th Earl of Albemarle (d. 1269), son of the 4th Earl
• Aveline de Forz, Countess of Albemarle (d. 1274), daughter of the 4th Earl

Aveline married Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster in 1269, but died without issue in 1274. A claim upon the inheritance by John de Eston (de Ashton) was settled in 1278 with the surrender of the title to the Crown.

Dukes of Aumale, first Creation (1385)

also: Duke of Gloucester (1385–1397), Earl of Essex (1376–1397), Earl of Buckingham (1377)

• Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (d. 1397), fifth son of Edward III, was created Duke of Aumale by writ of summons on 3 September 1385, but was also made Duke of Gloucester very soon after, and seems never to have used the former title. It was almost certainly forfeit upon his murder while awaiting trial for treason.

Dukes of Aumale, second Creation (1397)

also: Duke of York (1385), Earl of Cambridge (1362–1414), Earl of Rutland (1390–1402), Earl of Cork (c. 1396)

• Edward of Norwich, 1st Earl of Rutland (d. 1415), first son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (himself fourth son of Edward III), was created Duke of Aumale shortly after Woodstock's murder, but was deprived of the title by Henry IV Bolingbroke in 1399.

Earls of Aumale (1412)

also: Duke of Clarence (1412)

• Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence (1387–1421), second son of Henry IV Bolingbroke, was created Earl of Aumale along with his dukedom of Clarence, and carried both titles until his death without issue.

Counts of Aumale (1422)

also: Earl of Warwick (1088)

• Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick (1382–1439), military commander under Henry V in France, was created Earl of Aumale for life only.

In further creations in the English peerage after the Hundred Years' War, Aumale was spelled in the Latinised form Albemarle. For these, see Duke of Albemarle and Earl of Albemarle.

References

See also

• Aumale