Count of Vendôme and, later, Duke of Vendôme were titles of French nobility. The first-known holder of the comital title was Bouchard Ratepilate. The county passed by marriage to various houses, coming in 1372 to a junior branch of the House of Bourbon. In 1514, Vendôme was made a duchy-peerage.

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Counts of Vendôme

In 1589, the then Duke of Vendôme came to the throne as Henry IV of France, and the title passed into the royal domain. It was re-granted to his illegitimate son César in 1598, and held by his descendants until the extinction of the legitimate male line in 1727.

The title was later revived by Orléanist claimants to the throne of France as a courtesy title.

Counts of Vendôme

Bouchardides

  • Bouchard Ratepilate (c. 930 956...967)
  • Bouchard I (956...9671005), also Count of Paris and Count of Corbeil by marriage
  • Renaud (10051017), Bishop of Paris 9911017

House of Nevers

  • Bodon of Nevers (10171023), by marriage to Adèle de Vendôme-Anjou, daughter of Fulk III of Anjou and Elisabeth de Vendôme, daughter of Bouchard I
  • Bouchard II (10231028)
  • shared between Adèle de Vendôme-Anjou and Fulk de Vendôme (10281032)

House of Anjou

House of Nevers

  • Fulk de Vendôme (10561066), reinstated by Henry I of France
  • Bouchard III (10661085)
    • under the regency of Guy of Nouastre (10661075)

House of Preuilly

  • Geoffrey II (10851102), Lord of Preuilly, married Euphrosine, daughter of Fulk of Vendôme
  • Geoffrey III (11021137)
    • under the regency (11021105) of Euphrosine
  • John I (11371180)
  • Bouchard IV (11801202)
  • John II (12021211)
    • under the regency (12021211) of Geoffrey, son of John I
  • John III 12111217

House of Montoire

House of Bourbon

  • Louis I (14031446)
  • John II (14461477)
  • Francis I (14771495)
    • under the regency of Louis of Joyeuse (14771484)
  • Charles IV (14951514), title raised to Duke of Vendôme and entered the peerage in 1514

English Counts of Vendôme

Dukes of Vendôme

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Arms of the original Bourbon-Vendôme house

House of Bourbon

House of Bourbon-Vendôme

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Arms of the second Bourbon-Vendôme house

The Vendôme name was annexed into the royal domain by Louis XIV of France in 1712, on the pretext that Philip's membership in the Order of Malta as grand prior of France prevented him from holding it, but he retained the title.

Courtesy title

The title was revived by Orléanist claimants to the throne of France as a courtesy title. However, it is invalid in French law.[citation needed]

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