House of Coligny


The House of Coligny was the name of an old and important French noble family, originating from the Bresse region of France. The head of the family held the title Duke of Châtillon, created in 1643. Their bloodline ended in 1694.
This family produced two Marshals of France, a Lieutenant-General of the French infantry, two Admirals, a Cardinal, Bishop of Beauvais, and an Archbishop of Lyon.

History

The possessions of the Coligny family probably arose in the 10th century from the break-up of the pagus of Bresse, which was commonly called the Manche des Coligny. In the 13th century, it was already referred to as "the old Manche des Coligny". A town in Revermont, Coligny was located on the borders of two principalities of the Holy Roman Empire: the County of Burgundy in the region of Franche-Comté ; and the Savoyard state.
The rule of inheritance in this family is the transmission of land to both male and female descendants: this will lead to the fragmentation of the original territory with a multitude of territorial and banal fiefs.

Notable members

Members of the family include:

Lands and titles of Revermont

The House of Coligny owned, under different titles, the various parts of the land of Coligny, shared between the descendants of the Lords of Coligny, in particular:
  • the branch of the Lords of Coligny-le-Vieux. This land became the marquisate of Coligny
  • the branch of the Lords of Coligny-le-Neuf. This land, the barony of Coligny, became the county of Coligny, then the second duchy of Coligny from 1648 to 1657.
The different titled lands of Coligny are therefore:
The other lands held in Revermont held by the house of Coligny are:
By the marriage of Guillaume, Lord of Coligny, with Catherine de Saligny, the house of Coligny inherited the following lands:
  • the Lordship of Châtillon-sur-Loing and adjacent lands.
  • the Barony of La Motte-Saint-Jean.
  • the Barony of Saligny.
The house of Coligny also owned the following lands:
Non-exhaustive list of possessions held in their own name or as a fief by the Coligny family: