Duchy of Nivernais
The Duchy of Nivernais (French: Duché de Nivernais) was a duchy in France, centred around the city of Nevers, of which the duchy took its name.
Duchy of NeversDuché de Nevers (French)
History[edit]
In 1539, it was directly annexed to France and became a duchy in the peerage of France. For a time, it was held by a cadet branch of the House of Gonzaga. This branch inherited the Duchy of Mantua from the senior Gonzaga line (when it became extinct in 1627) and ruled Mantua until 1708, when the branch died out in the male line. Charles IV Gonzaga sold the duchies of Nevers and Rethel in 1659 to Cardinal Mazarin. His family held the duchy of Nevers until the French Revolution.
In 1659, when the Mazarin family took control of the duchy, the region was reduced to become a province of the Kingdom of France, thus becoming the Province of Nevers (French: Province de Nivernais). However, according to the laws of the peerage of France, the province kept the official title of 'Duchy of Nivernais', though it held the status of province of the Kingdom.[1]
Following the Decree dividing France into departments in 1790, the province was broken up into three new departments: Nièvre (forming the main part), Yonne (northernmost parts), and Cher (south eastern most parts).[1]