Count of Blois
Encyclopedia
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
, south of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. One of the chief cities, along with Blois itself, was Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
. Blois was associated with Champagne
Champagne, France
Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, now best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles east of Paris. The cities of Troyes, Reims, and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area...
, Châtillon (the lords of which tended to reside in Blois), and later with the French royal family, to whom the county passed in 1391. Blois was later important during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
; Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
based herself there.
The extent of the county varied over time. The northern portion, bordering on Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, was sometimes alienated as the County of Chartres, but the Counts of Blois who possessed it did not use a separate title for it. These lands were finally sold to the crown by Joanne of Châtillon in 1291. In 1439, the area around Chateaudun
Châteaudun
Châteaudun is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of Eure-et-Loir.-Geography:Châteaudun is located about 45 km northwest of Orléans, and about 50 km south-southwest of Chartres, on the river Loir, a tributary of the...
was separated as the County of Dunois for Jean Dunois.
Counts
- WilliamWilliam, Count of BloisWilliam was the first Count of Blois. He ruled from some time until 834....
(???–834) - OdoOdo, Count of BloisOdo was Count of Blois from 834 through 865....
(834–865) - RobertRobert, Count of BloisRobert was Count of Blois from 865 through 866....
(865–866) - Warnegald (878–906), only viscount
- Gello (906–928), only viscount
- Theobald ITheobald I of BloisTheobald I , called the Cheat or the Trickster , was the first count of Blois, Chartres, and Châteaudun from 960, and Tours from 945....
(928–975), only viscount until 960 - Odo I (975–995)
- Theobald IITheobald II of BloisTheobald II, Count of Blois was the eldest son and heir of Odo I, Count of Blois, and Bertha of Burgundy.He became Count of Blois, Châteaudun, Chartres and Reims after the death of his father in 996. He left no heirs; on his death, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Odo II, Count of Blois....
(995–1004) - Odo II (1004–1037), also Count of Troyes
- Theobald III (1037–1089), also Count of Troyes
- Stephen Henry (1089–1102), also Count of Meaux
- William the SimpleWilliam, Count of SullyWilliam, Count of Sully, also known as William the Simple was Count of Blois and Count of Chartres from 1102 to 1107, and jure uxoris Count of Sully. William was the eldest son of Stephen-Henry, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy, daughter of William the Conqueror...
(1102-1107), later Count of Sully - Theobald IVTheobald II of ChampagneTheobald the Great was Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV from 1102 and was Count of Champagne and of Brie as Theobald II from 1125....
(1107–1152), also Count of ChampagneCount of ChampagneThe Counts of Champagne ruled the region of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the county of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title "Count of Champagne". When Louis became King of France in 1314, upon the death of his father Philip... - Theobald V (1152–1191)
- Louis I (1191–1205)
- Theobald VI (1205–1218)
- Margaret (1218–1230)
- Walter (1218–1230)
- Mary (1230–1241)
- Hugh I (1230–1241)
- John I (1241–1279)
- Joanne (1279–1292)
- Hugh II (1292–1307)
- Guy I (1307–1342)
- Louis II (1342–1346)
- Louis III (1346–1372)
- John II (1372–1381)
- Guy II (1381–1397)
- Louis IVLouis of Valois, Duke of OrléansLouis I was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death. He was also Count of Valois, Duke of Touraine , Count of Blois , Angoulême , Périgord, Dreux, and Soissons....
(1397–1407), also Duke of Orléans - Charles (1407–1465), also Duke of Orléans
- Louis VLouis XII of FranceLouis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
(1465–1498), also Duke of Orléans - To the royal demesne.
- GastonGaston, Duke of OrléansGaston of France, , also known as Gaston d'Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood...
(1626–1660), also Duke of Orléans - To the royal demesne permanently.