Counts and dukes of Nevers

The Counts of Nevers (later dukes) were the rulers of the County of Nevers, which became a French duchy in 1539.

History

The history of the County of Nevers is closely connected to the Duchy of Burgundy, from which it was separated in the 11th century. The counts also held the County of Auxerre in the 11th and 12th centuries, and the county was held by the Count of Flanders and then the Duke of Burgundy again in the 14th century.

In 1539, it was directly annexed to France and became a duchy in the peerage of France. For a time, it was held by a cadet branch of the House of Gonzaga. This branch inherited the Duchy of Mantua from the senior Gonzaga line (when it became extinct in 1627) and ruled Mantua until 1708, when the branch died out in the male line.

Charles IV Gonzaga sold the duchies of Nevers and Rethel in 1659 to Cardinal Mazarin. His family held the duchy of Nevers until the French Revolution.

Counts of Nevers

Arms of Renauld I, Count of Nevers

• Otto-Henry (?–987; Duke of Burgundy, 965–1002)
• Otto-William (987–992; Duke of Burgundy, 1002–1004)
• Landri (992–1028)
• Renaud I (also Count of Auxerre, 1031–1040)
• William I (also Count of Auxerre, 1040–1083)
• Renaud II (also Count of Auxerre, 1083–1097)
• William II (also Count of Auxerre, 1097–1148)
• William III (also Count of Auxerre, 1148–1161)
• William IV (also Count of Auxerre, 1161–1168)
• Guy (also Count of Auxerre, 1168–1175)
• William V (also Count of Auxerre, 1175–1181)
• Agnes I (1181–1192)
  • Peter II of Courtenay (1184–1192; Latin Emperor, 1216–1217)
• Matilda I (1192–1257)
  • Hervé IV of Donzy (1199–1223)
    • Agnes of Donzy, who married Philip, Dauphin of France, then Guy II of Saint-Pol
      • Yolande I, Countess of Nevers, who married Archambaud IX of Bourbon, had Matilda II
  • Guigues of Forez (1226–1241)
• Matilda II (also Countess of Auxerre, 1257–1262)
  • Odo (also Count of Auxerre, 1257–1262)
• Yolande II (1262–1280)
  • John Tristan (1265–1270)
  • Robert III of Bethune (1272–1280)
• Louis I (1280–1322)
• Louis II (also Count of Flanders, 1322–1346)
• Louis III (also Count of Flanders, 1346–1384)
• Margaret (1384); Countess of Flanders, 1384–1405)
  • Philip I (1384; Duke of Burgundy, 1364–1404)
• John I (1384–1404; Duke of Burgundy, 1404–1419)
• Philip II (1404–1415)
• Charles I (1415–1464)
• John II (1464–1491)
• Engelbert of Cleves (1491–1506)
• Charles II, Count of Nevers (1506–1521)

Dukes of Nevers

The Ducal Palace in Nevers

The French dukes were also known as the ducs de Nivernais.

• François I (1521–1562) (His mother, Marie of Albret (d. 1549), widow of Charles II, also took the title in 1539, even though it was her son and his wife who became the actual duke and duchess.)
• François II (1562–1563)
• Jacques (1563–1564)
• Henriette of Cleves (1564–1601)
  • Louis Gonzaga (1566–1595)
• Charles III Gonzaga (1595–1637)
• Charles IV Gonzaga (1637–1659), sold the Duchies of Nevers and Rethel in 1659 to Cardinal Mazarin
• Jules Mazarin (1659–1661)
• Philippe Jules Mancini (1661–1707)
• Philip Julius Francis Mancini (1707–1768)
• Louis-Jules Mancini (1768–1798)

External links

• Nevers and the Counts of Nevers