Duchy of La Vallière
The Duchy of La Vallière was a noble French title created on 13 May 1667 by Louis XIV for his one time mistress Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc. It became extinct de facto in 1780 at the death of Louise's great-nephew Louis César de La Baume Le Blanc, the famous bibliophile and military man.
History
Louise de La Vallière, known as Mademoiselle de La Vallière was the mistress of Louis XIV from 1661 to 1667. Louise was the mother of six of Louis' children even though only two of them survived infancy. The duchy was given the subsidiary title of Duke of Vaujours.The Lordship of La Vallière had been owned by Louise's family since the lifetime of her great grandfather Laurent Le Blanc. Laurent's only son, Jean took on the name of La Baume Le Blanc in his lifetime. He was also the baron de La Papelardière. Louise was given the title after she was displaced by Madame de Montespan who also had children with Louis.
When Louise left court, she gave the two duchies to her only daughter Marie Anne de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Blois and widow of Louis Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti. Widowed in 1685 aged 19 and childless. In 1698 Marie Anne gave the title to her cousin, Charles François de La Baume Le Blanc. Till then, Charles François had been styled the marquis de La Vallière.
After 1698 he took the ducal title as well as the duchy of Vaujous. When his son, Louis César was born in 1708, he was styled as duc de Vaujours till the death of Charles François in 1739 when he succeeded to the Duchy of La Vallière. Louis César, close to Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour, was the great bibliophile who assembled a great library. He was a first cousin of Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon a grandson of Madame de Montespan and Louis XIV.
Louis César had one child who was daughter; his daughter, Adrienne Emilie Félicité de La Baume Le Blanc, married the Duke of Châtillon and the youngest, Louise Emmanuelle to Charles Bretagne Marie de La Trémoille.
The arms of the Duke of La Vallière were blazoned, coupé de gueules et d'Or au lion léopardé coupé d'argent et de sable.
Dukes of La Vallière
Duchesses of La Vallière (1667-1675)
| Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Parents |
| Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc Mademoiselle de La Vallière 1667-1675 | 6 August 1644 – 7 June 1710 | Laurent de La Baume Le Blanc Françoise Le Provost |
Duchesses of La Vallière (1680-1698)
| Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Parents |
| Marie Anne de Bourbon Légitimée de France Mademoiselle de Blois Princess of Conti 1680-1698 | 2 October 1666 - 3 May 1739 | Louis XIV of France Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc |
Dukes of La Vallière (1698-c.1780)
| Name | Portrait | Lifespan | Parents |
| Charles François de La Baume Le Blanc 1698-1739 | c. 1665- 22 August 1739 | Jean François de La Baume Le Blanc Gabrielle Glé de La Cotardais | |
| Louis César de La Baume Le Blanc 1739-1780 | 9 October 1708 - 16 November 1780 | Charles François de La Baume Le Blanc Marie Thérèse de Noailles | |
| Adrienne Emilie Félicité de La Baume Le Blanc 1780–? styled duchesse de La Vallière | 29 September 1740 - 15 May 1812 | Louis César de La Baume Le Blanc Jeanne Julie Françoise de Crussol d'Uzès |