The title of Duke of Polignac (French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

:Duc de Polignac) is a French dukedom.

The title was originally created in 1780 by brevet

Brevet

Brevet may refer to:* Brevet , a temporary authorization for a person to hold a higher rank* Brevet , a long-distance bicycle ride with check-point controls* Aircrew brevet, a Royal Air Force and British Army badge...

, which meant it was not hereditary. It was made heritable in 1783. In 1817 the holder was made a peer of France

Peerage of France

The Peerage of France was a distinction within the French nobility which appeared in the Middle Ages. It was abolished in 1789 during the French Revolution, but it reappeared in 1814 at the time of the Bourbon Restoration which followed the fall of the First French Empire...

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The third Duke was created (before his succession to the dukedom) a prince of the Papal States

Papal States

The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...

 in 1820, authorised to bear the title in France in 1822, and granted the same rank in the Kingdom of Bavaria

Kingdom of Bavaria

The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...

 in 1838; his descendants bear the title Prince or Princesse de Polignac. Other members of the family bear the title Comte or Comtesse de Polignac.

The wife of the first duke was the famous Yolande de Polastron. The mathematician Prince Alphonse de Polignac

Alphonse de Polignac

Alphonse de Polignac was a French mathematician. In 1849 he made Polignac's conjecture:The case k = 1 is the twin prime conjecture.-References:...

, soldier Prince Camille de Polignac and composer Prince Edmond de Polignac were younger sons of the third duke. Princess Edmond de Polignac, wife of the last named, was the heiress Winnaretta Singer

Winnaretta Singer

Winnaretta Singer, Princesse Edmond de Polignac was an American musical patron and heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune.-Early Life and Family:...

. Comte Pierre de Polignac

Pierre de Polignac

Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois was the father of Rainier III of Monaco, and thus the paternal grandfather of Albert II of Monaco...

, a great-great-grandson of the first duke, married Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois

Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois

Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois , was the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Prince Rainier III...

 and was the father of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco , styled His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American...

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Ducs de Polignac

• Jules-François-Armand, duc de Polignac
  Jules de Poliganc (1745–1817)
  Jules de Polignac, 1st Duke of Polignac was a French nobleman and husband of Yolande de Polastron, the confidant of Queen Marie Antoinette. He was the first Duke of Polignac...
  
   (31 December 1745 – 21 September 1817)
• Armand-Jules-Marie-Héracle, duc de Polignac (17 January 1771 – 1 March 1847)
• Auguste-Jules-Armand-Marie, prince de Polignac (14 May 1780 – 30 March 1847)
• Jules-Armand-Jean-Melchior, prince de Polignac (12 August 1817 – 17 March 1890)
• Armand-Héracle-Marie, prince de Polignac (14 June 1843 – 20 November 1917)
• Armand-Henri-Jules-Marie, prince de Polignac (2 February 1872 – 4 December 1961)
• Jean-Héracle-Armand-François-Emmanuel-Marie-Joseph, prince de Polignac (14 October 1914 – 11 November 1999)
• Charles-Armand-Emmanuel-Marie-Joseph-Jules, prince de Polignac (b. 7 October 1946)
  • Prince Alain-Aimery-Marie-Edmond de Polignac (b. 30 July 1940) is the heir-presumptive.