Aumont family
The House of Aumont was an ancient French noble family whose members served as military commanders, royal courtiers, governors, diplomats, churchmen, and holders of the dukedom of Aumont.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The House of Aumont was a French noble dynasty named after Aumont, a commune in the historic Picardy region of northern France, now in the Somme department. Its documented lineage reaches back to Jean, sire d'Aumont, who was living in 1248. The family became politically and militarily significant during the late Middle Ages, when its members served French kings as commanders during the Hundred Years' War. Although the family temporarily aligned itself with the dukes of Burgundy near the end of the fourteenth century, it returned to the royal French allegiance after the death of Charles the Bold in 1477. The family's influence expanded under the Valois and Bourbon monarchies. Jean V d'Aumont served as lieutenant-general of the French army and governor of Burgundy under Louis XII and Francis I. Jean VI d'Aumont, Marshal of France, was appointed one of the first Knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1578. He fought against Huguenot forces during the later Valois period and was among the first prominent nobles to recognize Henry IV. Henry IV subsequently appointed him governor of Champagne and Brittany. Jean VI died in 1595 while fighting Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur, a leading figure of the Catholic League, at the Château de Comper. The family's most important elevation came with Antoine d'Aumont de Rochebaron. A military commander who had taken part in the Battle of Rethel in 1650, Antoine was made Marshal of France in 1651 and Governor of Paris in 1662. He held several marquisates and baronies before Louis XIV created him Duke of Aumont and Peer of France in 1665. For more than two centuries, members of the ducal line also held the prestigious court office of First Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the King, or Premier gentilhomme de la chambre du Roi. This position placed the family close to the French monarchy and connected it with the daily ceremonial and household administration of the sovereign. The successive dukes combined court service with military, political, diplomatic, ecclesiastical, and cultural roles. The third duke served as a politician and ambassador to London, while the fifth duke became known as a royal courtier and collector of works of art. Through marriage, the family also entered wider European aristocratic networks: the daughter of the sixth duke, Louise, married Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. Other members remained attached to the royal cause during the French Revolution and the political upheavals that followed. Alexandre d'Aumont was devoted to Louis XVI and assisted in the king's attempted escape during the flight to Varennes. The eighth duke emigrated during the Revolution, served with royalist forces and in the Swedish army, and later campaigned in Normandy for the Bourbon cause during Napoleon's Hundred Days. After the Bourbon Restoration, he again became First Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Louis XVIII. The family's cultural legacy also includes the dispersal of aristocratic collections. The art collection of the fifth duke was sold publicly after his death in 1782, and his library was auctioned in 1783. The family became extinct in the male line with Louis-Marie-Joseph d'Aumont, the tenth and last Duke of Aumont, who died unmarried and without children in 1888. As a result, the House of Aumont is a historical noble house rather than an operating commercial brand, company, or contemporary organization.
History
The House of Aumont takes its name from Aumont, a small French commune historically associated with the family's origins. A proven genealogy begins with Jean, sire d'Aumont, recorded as living in 1248. By the fourteenth century the family had acquired enough standing to participate in the military and political affairs of the French kingdom. During the Hundred Years' War, Aumont lords served as commanders for French kings. Near the end of that conflict, the family shifted its allegiance to the dukes of Burgundy, but it returned to the French royal side after Charles the Bold died in 1477. Jean V d'Aumont was prominent during the reigns of Louis XII and Francis I. He held the military rank of lieutenant-general and governed Burgundy, linking the family to both royal administration and frontier defense. A later Jean VI d'Aumont became Marshal of France and was among the inaugural Knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1578. During the religious and dynastic conflicts of the late sixteenth century, he fought Huguenot forces under the last Valois kings, recognized Henry IV early, and received the governorships of Champagne and Brittany. He was killed in 1595 while fighting the Catholic League's leader, Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur. Antoine d'Aumont de Rochebaron transformed the family's rank during the seventeenth century. After military service, including participation in the Battle of Rethel in December 1650, he became Marshal of France in 1651 and Governor of Paris in 1662. He was already Marquis of Isles, Villequier, Nolay, and Chappes and Baron of Estrabonne before Louis XIV created him Duke of Aumont and Peer of France in 1665. The dukedom established the family's most recognizable title and placed it within the highest level of French aristocracy. The ducal succession continued through Louis-Marie-Victor, Louis, Louis-Marie, Louis-Marie-Augustin, Louis-Marie-Guy, Alexandre, Louis-Marie-Celeste, Adolphe-Henri-Aimery, and Louis-Marie-Joseph d'Aumont. Their activities reflected the changing functions of French nobility. Several were royal courtiers; the third duke was also a politician and ambassador to London, and the fifth duke was noted for collecting art. The Aumonts repeatedly held the office of First Gentleman of the Bedchamber, a senior royal household post maintained across generations for more than two centuries. The sixth duke held additional titles connected with Mazarin and Piennes, and his daughter Louise married Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. Alexandre d'Aumont remained loyal to Louis XVI and helped with the king's attempted escape during the flight to Varennes. The eighth duke, Louis-Marie-Celeste, emigrated during the Revolution and served with royalist forces and in the Swedish army. During the Hundred Days in 1815, he led a Bourbonist descent into Normandy and captured Bayeux and Caen. Following the Restoration, he resumed the family's court tradition as First Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Louis XVIII. The dynasty's material culture was partly dispersed through public sales. The art collection associated with the fifth duke was auctioned beginning on 12 December 1782, while the duke's library was sold from 7 January 1783. The direct ducal line ended in 1888, when Louis-Marie-Joseph d'Aumont, the tenth Duke of Aumont, died single and without children. The House of Aumont therefore survives as a subject of French genealogical, political, military, and cultural history rather than as a living commercial entity.
- 1888
Extinction of the ducal line
[1]Louis-Marie-Joseph d'Aumont, the tenth Duke of Aumont, died unmarried and without children, ending the family line.
- 1815
Royalist campaign in Normandy
[1]The eighth Duke of Aumont led a Bourbonist operation during the Hundred Days and captured Bayeux and Caen.
- 1783
Ducal library auctioned
[1]The fifth duke's library was dispersed through a public auction beginning in January.
- 1782
Ducal art collection auctioned
[1]The art collection of Louis-Marie-Augustin, fifth Duke of Aumont, began to be dispersed through a public sale after his death.
- 1665
Dukedom of Aumont created
[1]Louis XIV created Antoine d'Aumont Duke of Aumont and Peer of France, formalizing the family's ducal status.
- 1651
Antoine d'Aumont becomes Marshal of France
[1]Antoine d'Aumont de Rochebaron was elevated to the rank of Marshal of France after his military service.
- 1578
Jean VI receives the Order of the Holy Spirit
[1]Jean VI d'Aumont was appointed one of the inaugural Knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit.
- 1477
Return to the French royal allegiance
[1]After the death of Charles the Bold, the family transferred its allegiance from the Burgundian dukes back to the kings of France.
Earliest documented lineage
[1]Jean, sire d'Aumont, is recorded as living, providing the earliest date in the family's documented genealogy.
Products and positioning
Historical French noble house associated with military service, royal court office, hereditary aristocratic titles, political and diplomatic activity, and aristocratic collecting.
Sources1 sources
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