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 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, nee Gersende de Ponteves Sabran, added it to his title of Comte d'Eu.

Lords of Aumale

• 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.

• Eudes of Troyes 1069–1115 (married to Adelaide)
• Etienne I of Aumale before 1070–1127
• William le Gros 1127–1179
• Hawise of Aumale 1179–1194 with
  • Guillaume II of Mandeville 1180–1189 (married to Hawise)
  • Guillaume III of Forz 1189–1194 (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)

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
• Jeanne 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 Jeanne and Ferdinand III)
  • John I 1260–1302 (son of Ferdinand)
• 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 Maulevrier)
• Henry I, Duke of Nemours 1631–1632 (married to Anne)
• Louis I of Savoy 1638–1641 (also Duke of Nemours)
• Charles II Amadeus 1641–1652 (also Duke of Nemours)
• to royal domain
• Louis-Charles de Bourbon, comte d'Eu (1701–1773)
• sold to the crown, but payment not made, so returned to the heir
• Louis Jean Marie of Bourbon (1776–1793)
• Henri d'Orleans (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 (d. 1214), married bef. 1196
  • Baldwin de Bethune (d. 1212), Count of Aumale jure uxoris
• William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle (d. 1242)
• William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle (d. 1260)
• Thomas de Forz, 5th Earl of Albemarle (d. 1269)
• Aveline de Forz, Countess of Albemarle (d. 1274)

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 (1385)

• Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (d. September 8, 1397) was created Duke of Aumale by writ of summons on September 3, 1385, but seems never to have used the title.

Dukes of Aumale (1397)

• Edward of Norwich, Earl of Rutland (d. October 25, 1415) was shortly after the murder of Thomas (September 29, 1397) created Duke of Aumale, but was deprived of the title by Henry IV in 1399.

Earls of Aumale (1412)

• Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, son of King Henry IV, was created 1st Earl of Aumale on 9 July 1412 by his father, and carried the title until his death in (1421).

Earls of Aumale (1422)

• Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, military commander in France, was created Earl of Aumale in 1422, as a life peerage only.

For further creations in the English peerage after the Hundred Years' War, see Duke of Albemarle and Earl of Albemarle.

References

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See also

• Aumale