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Bible Encyclopedias
Counts and Dukes of Alencon
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
or The first line of the counts of Alengon was founded by Yves, lord of Bellesme, who in the middle of the 10th century possessed and fortified the town of Alencon. His successors, involved in all the wars of the kings of England in Normandy, were alternately deprived and repossessed of their domains, according to the fluctuations of fortune between the rival parties. Mabille, countess of Alengon and heiress of this family (d.1082), married Roger of Montgomery, and from them descended a second house of Alengon which became extinct in the person of Robert IV.; the county of Alengon was then joined to the royal domain. It was successively granted as an appanage to Peter, son of St Louis (1268), and to Charles, count of Valois, brother of Philip the Fair (1293). The third house of Alengon sprang from Charles, second son of the count of Valois, who was killed at the battle of Crecy in 1346. The countship of Alengon was raised to a peerage in 1367 and into a dukedom in 1414. John, 1st duke of Alengon, was killed at Agincourt on the 25th of October 1415, after having with his own hand slain the duke of York. His son, also named John, was dispossessed of his duchy by the king of England, but reconquered it in 1449. In 1524 the dukedom of Alengon reverted to the crown, in consequence of the death of the duke Charles IV. without issue of his marriage with Margaret, sister of Francis I. It was given as a jointure to Catherine de'Medici in 1 559, and as an appanage to her son Francis in 1566. It was pawned by Henry IV. to the duke of Wurttemberg, and subsequently it passed to Gaston, duke of Orleans, by grant of Louis XIII.; to Elizabeth of Orleans, duchess of Guise; to Charles, duke of Berry, grandson of Louis XIV. (1710); and to Monsieur (Louis XVIII.), brother of Louis XVI.
The title of duc d'Alengon was given to Ferdinand of Orleans, son of the duc de Nemours, and grandson of LouisPhilippe. (M. P.*)
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Chisholm, Hugh, General Editor. Entry for 'Counts and Dukes of Alencon'. 1911 Encyclopedia Britanica. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/bri/c/counts-and-dukes-of-alencon.html. 1910.
