The Counts of Dreux were a noble family of France, who took their title from the chief stronghold of their domain, the château of Dreux, which lies near the boundary between Normandy and the ÃÂle-de-France. They are notable for inheriting the Duchy of Brittany through Pierre de Dreux's marriage to Alix de Thouars in the early 13th century.
In the tenth century the lands belonged to the forebears of the Capetians; they passed by marriage to Walter, Count of the Vexin, then to Richard I of Normandy. In 1017 the lands were given as dowry to Richard's illegitimate daughter Matilda, who married Odo II, Count of Blois.
King Robert II of France confiscated the lands of Dreux from Odo, and they formed part of the royal domain until Louis the Fat granted the county of Dreux as an appanage to his son Robert. The descendants of Robert held the county of Dreux until 1355, when the heiress, Countess Joan II of Dreux, married Simon de Thouars. Simon and Joan had three daughters and no sons; their daughters sold their interests in the county of Dreux to King Charles VI.
King Charles gave the county of Dreux as a dowry in the marriage of his kinswoman Marguerite de Bourbon, daughter of Peter, Duke of Bourbon and of Isabella de Valois, daughter of Charles of Valois, with Arnaud-Amanieu d'Albret in 1382. The county returned to the crown in 1556, and thereafter formed part of the royal domain, then the lands of François, Duke of Anjou, and after his death was sold to the Duke of Nemours. It returned to the royal domain in the reign of Louis XV.
|width=auto| Robert I the Great<br />1137–1184 | | c. 1123<br />fifth son of Louis VI of France and Adélaide of Maurienne | (1) Agnes of Garlande (1122âÂÂ1143), daughter of Anseau de Garlande, Count of Rochefort; married 1139/41, one son <br/> (2) Hawise of Salisbury (1118 â 13 Jan 1152), daughter of Walter Fitz Edward of Salisbury, Sheriff of Wiltshire; married 1144/45, one daughter <br/> (3) Agnes of Baudemont (1130 â 24 July 1204), daughter of Guy de Baudement, Count of Braine; married 1152, ten children | 11 October 1188<br />Braine<br />aged 64âÂÂ65 |- |width=auto| Robert II<br />1184–1218 | | c. 1154<br />eldest son of Robert and Agnes of Baudemont | (1) Matilda of Burgundy<br />1178<br />no issue<br />(2) Yolande of Coucy<br />1184<br />twelve children | 28 December 1218<br />Braine<br />aged 63âÂÂ64 |- |width=auto| Robert III Gasteblé<br />1218–1234 | | c. 1185<br />eldest son of Robert II and Yolande of Coucy | Aénor of Saint-Valery<br />1210<br />four children | 3 March 1234<br />Braine<br />aged 48âÂÂ49 |- |width=auto| John I<br />1234–1249 | | c. 1215<br />eldest son of Robert III and Aénor of Saint-Valery | Marie of Bourbon-Dampierre<br />April 1240<br />three children | c. 1249<br />Nicosia<br />aged 33âÂÂ34 |- |width=auto| Robert IV<br />1249–1282 | | c. 1241<br />eldest son of John I and Marie of Bourbon-Dampierre | Beatrice of Montfort<br />1260<br />six children | 12 November 1282<br />Braine<br />aged 40âÂÂ41 |- |width=auto| John II the Good<br />1282–1309 | | c. 1265<br />eldest son of Robert IV and Beatrice of Montfort | (1) Joan of Montpensier<br />1292<br />five children<br />(2) Perrenelle of Sully<br />January 1308<br />one daughter | c. 1309<br />Braine<br />aged 43âÂÂ44 |- |width=auto| Robert V<br />1309–1329 | | c. 1293<br />eldest son of John II and Joan of Montpensier | Marie of Enghien<br />April 1321<br />no issues | 22 March 1329<br />Braine<br />aged 35âÂÂ36 |- |width=auto| John III<br />1329–1331 | | c. 1295<br />second son of John II and Joan of Montpensier | Ida of Rosny<br />1329<br />no issues | c. 1331<br />Braine<br />aged 35âÂÂ36 |- |width=auto| Peter I<br />1331–1345 | | c. 1298<br />third son of John II and Joan of Montpensier | Isabeau de Melun<br />1341<br />one daughter | 3 November 1345<br />Braine<br />aged 46âÂÂ47 |- |width=auto| Joan I<br />1345–1346<br /><small>under the regency of Countess Isabeau</small> | | c. 1345<br />Chateau de Gamaches<br />only daughter of Peter I and Isabeau de Melun | never married | c. 1346<br />Braine<br />aged 1 |- |width=auto| Joan II<br />1346–1355<br /><small>with Louis I</small> | | c. 1309<br />only daughter of John II and Perrenelle of Sully | Louis I of Thouars<br />Thouars<br />1330<br />five children | c. 1355<br />aged 45âÂÂ46 |- |width=auto| Louis I<br />1346–1355<br /><small>with Joan II</small> | | c. 1310<br />Thouars<br />eldest son of John I of Thouars and Blanche of Brabant | (1) Joan II of Dreux<br />Thouars<br />1330<br />five children<br /> (2) Isabeau d'Avaugour<br />Thouars<br />July 1361<br />no issues | 7 April 1370<br />Talmont<br />aged 59âÂÂ60
In 1377, the three sisters sold Dreux to the French crown.
|width=auto| Catherine<br />1559–1569 | | 13 April 1519<br>Florence<br>only daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino and Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne | Henry II of France<br />Marseille<br />28 October 1533<br />ten children | 5 January 1589<br>Château de Blois<br>aged 69 |- |width=auto| Hercule-François<br />1569–1584<br />duc de Dreux | | 18 March 1555<br>Château de Fontainebleau<br>fifth son of Henry II of France and Catherine | never married | 19 June 1584<br>Château-Thierry<br>aged 29
|width=auto| Charles III<br />1594–1612 | | 3 November 1566<br>Nogent-le-Rotrou<br>sixth son of Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé and Françoise d'Orléans-Longueville | Anne de Montafié<br />27 December 1601<br />five children | 1 November 1612<br>Château de Blandy<br>aged 45 |- |width=auto| Louis III<br />1612–1641 | | 1 May 1604<br>Hôtel de Soissons<br>only son of Charles III and Anne de Montafié | never married | 6 July 1641<br>Sedan<br>aged 36 |- |width=auto| Marie<br />1641–1656 | | 3 March 1606<br>Hôtel de Soissons<br>second daughter of Charles III and Anne de Montafié | Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano<br />Paris<br />6 January 1625 <br />seven children | 3 June 1692<br>Hôtel de Soissons<br>aged 86
|width=auto| Eugene Maurice, Count of Soissons<br />1656–1673 | | 2 May 1635 Chambéry, Savoie, Rhone-Alpes, France | Olympia Mancini<br />Paris<br />21 February 1657<br />eight children | 6 June 1673<br>Unna<br>aged 38 |- |width=auto| Emmanuel Philibert of Carignano<br />1673–1676 | | 16 October 1662<br>fourth son of Eugene Maurice and Olympia Mancini | never married | 12 June 1676<br>Turin<br>aged 13
|width=auto| Marie<br />1676–1707 | | 5 March 1625<br />Paris<br />eldest daughter of Henri II d'Orléans, duc de Longueville and Louise de Bourbon | Henri II, Duke of Nemours<br />Trie<br />22 May 1657<br />no issues | 16 June 1707<br />Paris<br />aged 82
|width=auto| Louis Joseph<br />1707–1712 | | 1 July 1654<br />Paris<br />eldest son of Louis de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme and Laura Mancini | Marie Anne de Bourbon<br />Chateau de Sceaux<br />21 May 1710<br />no issues | 11 June 1712<br />Vinaros<br />aged 57 |- |width=auto| Marie Anne<br />1712–1718 | | 24 February 1678<br />Hôtel de Condé<br />fifth daughter of Henri Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé and Anne Henriette | Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme<br />Chateau de Sceaux<br />21 May 1710<br />no issues | 11 April 1718<br />Hôtel de Vendôme<br />aged 40
|width=auto| Anne Henriette<br />1718–1723 | | 13 March 1648<br />Paris<br />second daughter of Edward of the Palatinate-Simmern and Anna Gonzaga | Henri Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé<br />Chateau de Sceaux<br />11 December 1663<br />ten children | 23 February 1723<br />Petit Luxembourg<br />aged 74
|width=auto| Anne Louise Bénédicte<br />1723–1753 | | 8 November 1676<br />Hôtel de Condé<br />fourth daughter of Henri Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé and Anne Henriette | Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine<br />Palace of Versailles<br />19 May 1692<br />seven children | 23 January 1753<br />Hôtel du Maine<br />aged 76 |- |width=auto| Louis Auguste<br />1753–1755 | | 4 March 1700<br>Palace of Versailles<br>second son of Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine and Anne Louise Bénédicte | never married | 1 October 1755<br>Palace of Fontainebleau<br>aged 55 |- | Louis Charles<br>1755–1775 | | 5 October 1701<br>Château de Sceaux<br>third son of Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine and Anne Louise Bénédicte | never married | 13 July 1775<br>Château de Sceaux<br>aged 73 |- |width=auto| Louis Jean Marie<br />1775–1793 | | 16 November 1725<br>Château de Rambouillet<br>only son of Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse and Marie Victoire de Noailles | Maria Teresa d'Este<br />Palace of Versailles<br />29 December 1744<br />seven children | 4 March 1793<br>Château de Bizy<br>aged 67