The Prince of Sedan (Fr.: prince de Sedan) was the ruler of the independent Principality of Sedan (Fr.: Principauté de Sedan), a Renaissance state centered on modern Sedan, Ardennes.
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The history of Sedan begins in 1424, when Eberhard II von der Mark (1364–1440) (son of Eberhard I von der Mark and grandson of Engelbert II, Count of the Mark, ruler of the County of Mark) began construction of the Château de Sedan in the vicinity of the Benedictine Abbey of Mouzon. Erard II von der Mark was the first ruler to style himself Lord of Sedan (Fr.: seigneur de Sedan). In the following years, the town of Sedan grew up in the area between the Château de Sedan and the Meuse.
In the wake of the Protestant Reformation, Henri Robert de la Marck (de la Marck) and his wife Françoise de Bourbon-Vendôme were attracted to the Huguenot movement. In 1560, they declared Sedan's independence from the Kingdom of France. Particularly in the wake of the 1562 Massacre of Vassy, Sedan became one of the leading refuges for French speaking Protestants. The Academy 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 married Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, who thereupon assumed her titles, becoming Prince of Sedan and Duke of Bouillon. As such, the principality passed from the House of La Marck to the House 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.
Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne was accused of participating in the 1602 plot to assassinate Henry IV of France led by Charles 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 by Gaston, Duke of Orléans.
Sedan finally lost its independence during the Thirty Years' War. In spite of a victory over French royal forces at the Battle of La Marfée, held July 6, 1641, it soon became obvious that Sedan could no longer resist the forces of Louis XIII of France. In 1642, Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne participated in the failed conspiracy led by Henri 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 of Lord Chancellor of France Henri François d'Aguesseau, the Parlement of Paris passed a decree reaffirming the French crown's sovereignty over Sedan.
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, and Angecourt.
| 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 of Bouillon | |
| 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 |
| From | To | Prince of Sedan | Other titles Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1560 | 1574 | Henri Robert de la Marck | Duke of Bouillon |
| 1574 | 1588 | Guillaume Robert de la Marck | Duke of Bouillon, Marquess of Cotron |
| 1588 | 1591[1] | Charlotte de La Marck | Duchess of Bouillon |
| 1591 | 1623 | Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne | Duke of Bouillon, Count of Montfort, Count of Nègrepelisse, Viscount of Turenne, Viscount of Castillon, Viscount of Lanquais |
| 1623[2] | 1642 | Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne | Duke of Bouillon |
The Princes of Sedan founded the Academy 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: