1.1b.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1a.1b.1b.1.1.1.1b.1.1.1c.1b.1b.1.1.2.1a Goeffroy d'Auvergne-Montgascon , duc de Boulogne/LORD OF MOTAGASCON* 
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| Birth |
1311 |
| Death |
1396 |
La Tour d' Auvergne'---- Name of my French family, orginally from the village of
Latour in Auvergne', dating from 10th century; it divided into several branches, including counts of Auvergne', dukes of Bouillon and Al'bret', and viscounts of Turenne; see BOUILLON and TURENNE. Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne (d.1519) married Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbano; mother of Catherine de Medici. One of best-known members of family was Theophile Malo Cor'ret' (1743-1800); French soldier; added (1771) surname de La Tour d'Auvergne to his own, being descended from an illegitimate half brother of Turenne. Served in army (1767-91); refused to emigrate (1792); fought in early campaigns of Revolution (1792-95). Held prisoner by the English (1795-97); studied Celtic philology; returned as captain to army, serving in Germany and Switzerland (1797-1800); killed in action at Oberhausen. His courage a legend in French army named by Carnot (1800) "First Grenadier of France" ; his name kept on pay roll of his company until 1814, and when called at all parades the answer given was "Mort au champ d'honneur!" (Dead on the field of honor).
THE LA TOUR FAMILY
Henri de La Tour was the head of the junior branch of the La Tour family. The La Tour had become comtes d'Auvergne and Boulogne, by the marriage of Bertrand IV de La Tour in 1389 to Marie d'Auvergne, daughter of Godefroy of Boulogne, Lord of Montgascon; the eldest son Bertrand V became comte d'Auvergne, his line ending in 1501; the younger son Godefroi inherited Montgascon. Earlier, however, a younger son of Bertrand II had received the seigneurie d'Oliergues. Agne de La Tour, seigneur d'Oliergues (d. 1489), married Anne de Beaufort, heir to the vicomte de Turenne. His two sons were Antoine and Antoine-Raymond, the latter's posterity continuing to the 19th century. The former's son Francois (1497-1532) married Anne de La Tour de Montgascon, heir of Godefroi cited above. Their grandson was Henri de La Tour. After they inherited Bouillon in 1594, the arms of the family became: Quarterly La Tour, Auvergne, Turenne, Bouillon, over all Boulogne, 3 Turenne, over all Auvergne impaling Bouillon. You can see very nice examples of those arms in a collection of coins from Sedan.
Parenthetically, the senior line of La Tour ended with Jean, grandson of Bertrand V, who died in 1501. By Anne de Bourbon he had two (2) daughters: Anne, married in 1505 to John Stuart, Duke of Albany and died without issue in 1524; Madeleine, married to Lorenzo de Medici, Duke of Urbino. The counties of Auvergne, Boulogne and the baronny of La Tour passed to the daughter of Madeleine, Catherine de Medici, wife of Henri II de Valois, later Henri II, King of France. On her death in 1589, the baronny of La Tour passed to Marguerite de Valois, daughter and only surviving child of Catherine. She gave La Tour to Louis XIII. However, there were other claimants: Jean de La Tour, last comte d'Auvergne, had a sister Louise, who married Claude de Blaisi; their daughter Suzanne married in 1508 Christophe de Rochechouart, seigneur de Chandonnier. Their great-grandson Jean-Louis de Rochechouart pursued the matter in court and won by an arret of Sept. 2, 1617 and settlements of January 2, 1620 signed by the King of Feb. 2, registered in Parlement on March 18. Jean-Louis de Rochechouart received on October 1, 1621 possession of the baronny (but not the lordship, reserved by the King for himself) disputed since 1501. It was later sold in 1688 to Victor-Maurice de Broglie. The Lordship of the baronny was given to the duc de Bouillon in contract of 1651 discussed below.
Henr de La Tour now called himself duc de Bouillon, Prince Souverain de Sedan (see for example, an ccu coin struck in Sedan in 1613, bearing the legend "Henricus de La Tour dux Bullionaeus Supremus Princeps Sedanensis"). Letters Patent of March 1595 were registered in Paris on 9 May 1596, "confirmant au duc de Bouillon Marechal de France, Prince Souverain de Sedan et Jametz, les privilege, franchises, libertes et exemptions qui lui ont ete accordees ainsi qu'a ses sujets par les pracedents Rois".
Once widowed, Henri de La Tour married Elizabeth of the House of Orange Nassau, dauther of William the Silent, and the line of the La Tour ducs de Bouillon descend from this marriage. Their two sons were Frederic-Maurice (1605-52) and Henri II de La Tour, vicomte de Turenne, the famous Marechal de France (1611-75, without issue).
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