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Principality of Sedan Principauté de Sedan(French) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1424–1642 | |||||||
 Map of the Principality | |||||||
| Status |
| ||||||
| Capital | Sedan | ||||||
| Religion | Protestantism | ||||||
| Government | Principality | ||||||
| Prince of Sedan | |||||||
• 1424–1454 | Eberhard II (first) | ||||||
• 1623–1642 | Frédéric Maurice (last) | ||||||
| Historical era | Late Middle Ages | ||||||
• Established | 1424 | ||||||
• French annexation | 1642 | ||||||
| |||||||
ThePrincipality of Sedan (French:Principauté de Sedan) was an independentProtestant state centered on theChâteau de Sedan (now the city ofSedan) in theArdennes. It was ruled by thePrince of Sedan (French:Prince de Sedan), who belonged to the nobleLa Marck andLa Tour d'Auvergne families. The Princes of Sedan asserted and acquired recognition of their sovereignty gradually between the 1520s and 1580s by means of adopting the princely title, minting coin, legislating and signing treaties. In 1641, during theThirty Years' War, the Prince submitted to France and his principality was occupied the following year. In 1651 the reduced principality was exchanged for other lands in France and was annexed to the crown.
The following villages were located in the Principality of Sedan:Illy,Givonne,Douzy,Pouru-Saint-Remy,Rubécourt-et-Lamécourt,Balan,Fleigneux,Bazeilles,La Chapelle,La Moncelle,Villers-Cernay,Raucourt-et-Flaba,Noyers-Pont-Maugis,Wadelincourt,Haraucourt,Thelonne,Bulson, andAngecourt.[1]
Key locations of theLuxembourg campaigns on a 1618 map. "Sedan" is in the bottom left, next to "Bouillon".
The history of Sedan begins in 1424, whenEberhard II von der Mark (1364–1440) (son of Eberhard I von der Mark and grandson ofEngelbert II of the Mark, ruler of theCounty of Mark) began construction of theChâteau de Sedan in the vicinity of theBenedictine Abbey ofMouzon. Erard II von der Mark was the first ruler to style himselfLord of Sedan (Fr.:seigneur de Sedan). In the following years, the town ofSedan grew up in the area between the Château de Sedan and theMeuse.
In the wake of theProtestant Reformation,Henri-Robert de la Marck and his wife Françoise de Bourbon-Vendôme were attracted to theHuguenot movement. In 1560, they declared Sedan's independence from theKingdom of France. Particularly in the wake of the 1562Massacre of Vassy, Sedan became one of the leading refuges for French speaking Protestants. TheAcademy of Sedan, founded in 1579, became one of the chief Huguenot academies.
With the death of Guillaume Robert de la Marck in 1588, the principality passed to his daughter,Charlotte de La Marck. In 1591, she marriedHenri de La Tour d'Auvergne, who thereupon assumed her titles, becoming Prince of Sedan and Duke ofBouillon. As such, the principality passed from theHouse of La Marck to theHouse of La Tour d'Auvergne. Charlotte died childless in 1594, and the principality was ultimately inherited by Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne's son by his second marriage. In 1593 and 1595, Henri unsuccessfully participated in theLuxembourg campaigns withPhilip of Nassau of theDutch Republic against Spanish-held Luxembourg. He only temporarily occupied several border fortresses, namelyYvoix (present-day Carignan),La Ferté-sur-Chiers, andChauvency-le-Château.[2]
Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne was accused of participating in the 1602 plot to assassinateHenry IV of France led byCharles de Gontaut, duc de Biron and the 1604 intrigues involving Henry IV's former mistress,Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues. In 1604, Henry IV declared Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne's lands forfeit to the crown of France and led an expedition to Sedan in 1606. He also participated in a 1613 noble revolt against the king. Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne's son,Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, shared his father's antipathy to royal power. In 1630, he participated in a revolt led byGaston, Duke of Orléans.
Sedan finally lost its independence during theThirty Years' War. In spite of a victory over French royal forces at theBattle of La Marfée, held 6 July 1641, it soon became obvious that Sedan could no longer resist the forces ofLouis XIII. In 1642, Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne participated in the failed conspiracy led byHenri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars; in the wake of Cinq-Mars' execution, Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne struck a deal with Louis XIII, who agreed to spare his life and give him a commission in the French army in Italy in exchange for the relinquishment of Sedan's sovereignty. Sedan was thus annexed to the French crown in 1642. Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne's younger brother,Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne would go on to achieve fame as France's leading general. In 1709, at the request ofLord Chancellor of FranceHenri François d'Aguesseau, theParlement of Paris passed a decree reaffirming the French crown's sovereignty over Sedan.
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| From | To | Lord of Sedan | Other titles Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1424 | 1440 | Eberhard II von der Mark | Lord of Arenberg |
| 1440 | Johann II von der Mark | Lord of Arenberg | |
| 1487 | Robert I de la Marck | Châtelain ofBouillon | |
| 1487 | 1536 | Robert II de la Marck | Duke of Bouillon |
| 1536 | 1537 | Robert Fleuranges III de La Marck | Duke of Bouillon |
| 1537 | 1556 | Robert IV de la Marck | Duke of Bouillon,Earl of Braine & Maulevrier |
| 1556 | 1560 | Henri Robert de la Marck | Duke of Bouillon |
The Princes of Sedan founded theAcademy of Sedan for the training of Protestant pastors.
The Protestant Princes of Sedan were buried in the Protestant church in Sedan. Burials in the church include:
