Appanage

Anappanage,orapanage(/ˈæpənɪdʒ/;French:apanage[apanaʒ]), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of amonarch,who would otherwise have noinheritanceunder the system ofprimogeniture(where only the eldest inherits). It was common in much ofEurope.

The system of appanage greatly influenced the territorial construction ofFranceand theGerman statesand explains why many of the formerprovinces of Francehadcoats of armswhich weremodifiedversions of the king's arms.

Etymology

Late Latin*appanaticum,fromappanareoradpanare'to give bread' (panis), apars pro totofor food and other necessities, hence for a "subsistence" income, notably in kind, as from assigned land.

Original appanage: in France

History of the French appanage

An appanage was a concession of afiefby the sovereign to his younger sons, while the eldest son became king on the death of his father. Appanages were considered as part of the inheritance transmitted to thepuisné(younger sons).The wordJuveigneurwas specifically used for the royal princes holding anappanage.These lands returned to theroyal domain(the territory directly controlled by the king) on the extinction of the princely line, and could not be sold (neither hypothetically nor as adowry). Daughters were initially able to inherit the appanages under theCapetian Kings.However, under theHouse of Valois,Salic lawwas applied which prohibited women from inheriting.

The system of appanage has played a particularly important role inFrance.It developed there with the extension of royal authority from the 13th century, then disappeared from thelate Middle Ageswith the affirmation of the exclusive authority of the royal state. It strongly influenced the territorial construction, explaining the arms of several provinces. TheprerogativeofBurgundyis also the origin of theBelgian,LuxembourgeoisandDutchstates, through the action of itsdukesfavored by their position in the court of thekings of France.

Primogenitureavoids territorial splintering, which the earlier Frankish tradition ofpartible inheritance(equal division) suffered from (e.g. under theMerovingiansand subsequentCarolingians). But primogeniture creates resentment in younger sons who inherit nothing. Appanages thus were used to sweeten the bitter pill ofprimogenitureand deter revolt of younger sons by diverting their aspirations of claiming their eldest brother's throne.

House of Capet

Unlike their predecessors (the Carolingians), theCapetian dynasty's hold on the crown was initially tenuous. They could not afford to divide the kingdom among all their sons, and the royal domain was very small, initially consisting solely of theÎle-de-France.So the Capetians broke away from the Frankish custom of partible inheritance, to instead have the eldest son alone become King and receive the royal domain (except for any appanages). Most Capetians endeavored to add to the royal domain through incorporation of additional fiefs, large or small, and thus gradually obtained direct lordship over almost all of France.

Their first kingHugh Capet(electedKing of the Frankson the death ofLouis Vin 987) only had one son,Robert II.But Robert had multiple sons. One of them,Henry I of France,became the first king to create an appanage in 1032, when he gave theDuchy of Burgundyto his younger brotherRobert I of Burgundy(whose descendants retained the duchy until 1361 with the extinction of the first CapetianHouse of Burgundyby the death ofPhilip de Rouvre).

Louis VIIIandLouis IXalso created appanages.

House of Valois

The king who created the most powerful appanages for his sons wasJohn II of France.His youngest son,Philip the Bold,founded the second Capetian House of Burgundy in 1363. By marrying the heiress of Flanders, Philip also became ruler of the Low Countries.

KingCharles Vtried to abolish the appanage system, but in vain. Provinces conceded in appanage tended to becomede factoindependent and the authority of the king was recognized there reluctantly. In particular the line ofValoisDukes of Burgundycaused considerable trouble to the French crown, with which they were often at war, often in open alliance with the English. Theoretically appanages could be reincorporated into the royal domain but only if the last lord had no male heirs. Kings tried as much as possible to rid themselves of the most powerful appanages.Louis XIretook the Duchy of Burgundy at the death of its last duke,Charles the Bold.Francis Iconfiscated theBourbonnais,after the treason in 1523 of his commander in chief,Charles III, Duke of Bourbon,the 'constable of Bourbon' (died 1527 in the service ofEmperor Charles V).

The first article of theEdict of Moulins(1566) declared that the royal domain (defined in the second article as all the land controlled by the crown for more than ten years) could not be alienated, except in two cases: by interlocking, in the case of financial emergency, with a perpetual option to repurchase the land; and to form an appanage, which must return to the crown in its original state on the extinction of the male line.Theapanagist(incumbent) therefore could not separate himself from his appanage in any way.

AfterCharles V of France,a clear distinction had to be made between titles given as names to children in France, and true appanages. At their birth the French princes received a title independent of an appanage. Thus, theDuke of Anjou,grandson ofLouis XIV,never possessed Anjou and never received any revenue from this province. The king waited until the prince had reached adulthood and was about to marry before endowing him with an appanage. The goal of the appanage was to provide him with a sufficient income to maintain his noble rank.

The fief given in appanage could be the same as the title given to the prince, but this was not necessarily the case.

Only seven appanages were given from 1515 to 1789.

Post-Revolution

Appanages were abolished in 1792 before the proclamation of theRepublic.The youngest princes from then on were to receive a grant of money but no territory.

Appanages were reestablished under the first French empire byNapoleon Bonaparteand confirmed by the Bourbon restoration-kingLouis XVIII.The last of the appanages, theOrléanais,was reincorporated to the French crown when the Duke of Orléans,Louis-Philippe,became king of the French in 1830.

The wordapanageis still used in French figuratively, in a non-historic sense: "to have appanage over something" is used, often in an ironic and negative sense, to claim exclusive possession over something. For example, "cows have appanage over prions".

List of major French appanages

Direct Capetians

• Henry Igave theDuchy of Burgundyto his brotherRobert.
• Louis VIgave theCounty of Dreuxto his sonRobert.The lineage of the counts became extinct in 1355, but a cadet line, descended fromPierre Mauclerc,became Dukes of Brittany.
• Philip IIgave his sonPhilippe Hurepelthe county of Clermont, then the counties ofDomfrontandMortain.
• Louis VIII,by his 1225 will, granted
  • theCounty of Artoisto his second sonRobert.Artois was lost by Robert's male heirs, passing through a female line, and eventually was inherited by the Dukes of Burgundy.Louis XIseized it upon the death ofCharles the Boldin 1477, but his son returned it to Charles's heirs in preparation for his invasion of Italy in 1493.
  • the Counties ofPoitouandAuvergneto his fourth sonAlphonse.These returned to the crown when Alphonse died without heirs in 1271.
  • the Counties ofAnjouandMaineto his third sonJohn.They returned to the crown when John died without heirs in 1232.
• Louis IXendowed
  • the Counties ofAnjouandMaine(1246) to his youngest brother,Charles.They passed to Charles's granddaughter, who married Charles, Count of Valois, the younger son ofPhilip III,and thence to their son,Philip.When Philip inherited the throne as Philip VI, the lands reverted to the crown.
  • theCounty of Orléansto his eldest son, Philip. It returned to the crown when he succeeded his father in 1270 asPhilip III.
  • theCounty of Valois(c. 1268) to his second son,Jean Tristan.This title became extinct upon Jean Tristan's death in 1270.
  • the Counties ofAlençonandPerche(1268) to his third son,Pierre.This title became extinct on Pierre's death in 1284.
  • theCounty of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis(1269) to his fourth son,Robert.Robert's son,Louis,was later given theDuchy of Bourbon,which was treated as an appanage, although it was not technically one. Louis later traded Clermont forLa Marchewith his cousinCharles, Count of Angoulême,younger brother of King Philip V. These appanages remained in the Bourbon family until they were confiscated due to the treason ofCharles III, Duke of Bourbonin 1527.
• Philip III granted
  • theCounty of Valoisto his second sonCharles.Charles was later given the Counties ofAlençon,Perche,andChartresby his brother,Philip IV of France.Valois passed to Charles's eldest son Philip upon his death in 1325, and returned to the crown when Philip became King Philip VI in 1328. Alençon and Perche passed to Charles's younger son,Charles.A descendant was raised to the dignity of Duke of Alençon. These titles returned to the crown upon the extinction of the Alençon line in 1525.
  • theCounty of Beaumont-sur-Oiseto his third sonLouis.Louis was later given theCounty of Évreuxby his brother Philip IV. These titles returned to the throne upon the death of QueenBlanche of Navarrein 1441.
• Philip IV endowed
  • theCounty of Poitoufor his second son,Philip.This title returned to the throne when Philip became king in 1316.
  • the Counties ofLa MarcheandAngoulêmefor his third son,Charles IV.Charles later traded La Marche for theCounty of Clermont-en-Beauvaisiswith theDuke of Bourbon.His titles returned to the throne when Charles became king in 1322.

House of Valois

• Philip VI granted
  • theDuchy of Normandyto his elder sonJohn.This title returned to the throne when John succeeded his father in 1350.
  • theDuchy of Orléansto his younger sonPhilip.This title returned to the throne when Philip died without issue in 1375.
• John II 'the Good', on his departure to England in 1360, granted
  • the Duchies ofAnjouandof Maineto his second sonLouis.This title returned to the throne upon the death of dukeCharles IV,Louis I's great-grandson, in 1481.
  • the Duchies ofBerryandAuvergneto his third sonJohn.These titles returned to the throne upon John's death without male issue in 1416.
  • In 1363, John II granted theDuchy of Burgundyto his fourth sonPhilip.Upon the death of Philip's great-grandsonCharles the Boldin 1477, King Louis XI claimed the reversion of Burgundy and seized the territory. It continued to be claimed, however, by Charles's daughterMaryand her heirs. When Mary's grandsonEmperor Charles Vdefeated and capturedFrancis Iat theBattle of Paviain 1525, he forced Francis to sign a treaty recognizing him as Duke of Burgundy, but Francis disavowed the treaty when he was released, and the cession was revoked by theTreaty of Cambraifour years later. Charles and his heirs reserved their claims, however, and this reservation was repeated as late as theTreaty of the Pyreneesin 1659, whenPhilip IV of Spaincontinued to reserve his rights to the Duchy.
• Charles VIgranted theDuchy of Orléansand theCounty of Angoulêmeto his brotherLouisin 1392. The Duchy of Orléans returned to the crown when Louis I's grandson becameLouis XII of Francein 1498. The County of Angoulême returned to the crown when Louis I's great-grandson becameFrancis I of Francein 1515.
• Louis XI granted the Duchies ofBerry,Normandy,andGuyenneto his younger brotherCharles.These titles returned to the crown when Charles died in 1472.
• Francis Igranted the Duchies ofOrléans,Angoulême,andChâtelleraultand the Counties ofClermont-en-BeauvaisisandLa Marcheto his second surviving son,Charlesin 1540. To this was added theDuchy of Bourbonin 1544. These titles returned to the crown when Charles died without issue in 1545.
• Charles IXgranted
  • the Duchies ofAnjouandBourbonnaisand theCounty of Forezto the older of his two brothers,Henry,in 1566. He added theDuchy of Auvergneto these holdings in 1569. The titles returned to the crown when Henry succeeded his brother in 1574.
  • the Duchies ofAlençonandChâteau-Thierryand the Counties ofPerche,Mantes,andMeulanto his youngest brother,Francisin 1566. To this he later added theDuchy of Évreuxand theCounty of Dreuxin 1569. Francis's other brother, Henry III, increased his holdings still further in 1576, granting him the Duchies ofAnjou,Touraine,andBerryand theCounty of Maine.All these titles returned to the crown upon Francis's death without issue in 1584.

House of Bourbon

• Louis XIIIgranted the Duchies ofOrléansandChartresand theCounty of Bloisto his younger brotherGastonin 1626. To this was added theDuchy of Valoisin 1630. These titles returned to the crown on Gaston's death without male issue in 1660.
• Louis XIVgranted
  • the Duchies ofOrléans,Chartres,andValoisto his brother,Philippein 1661. To this was added theDuchy of Nemoursin 1672. These titles passed to his descendants and were abolished during the Revolution in 1790. They were restored to the heir at the time of theRestorationin 1814. At the accession ofLouis Philippe,these titles merged into the crown.
  • the Duchies ofAlençonandAngoulêmeand theCounty of Ponthieuto his third grandson,Charles, duc de Berryin 1710. These titles returned to the crown upon his death without surviving issue in 1714.
• Louis XVgranted
  • theDuchy of Anjouand the Counties ofMaine,Perche,andSenonchesto his second surviving grandson,Louis Stanislas, comte de Provencein 1771. Louis was further given theDuchy of Alençonby his brotherLouis XVIin 1774. These titles were abolished during the Revolution in 1790. When the monarchy and appanages were restored in 1814, Louis had inherited the throne as Louis XVIII, and his titles merged into the crown.
  • the Duchies ofAuvergne,AngoulêmeandMercœurand theViscounty of Limogesto his youngest grandsonCharles, comte d'Artoisin 1773. To this was added in 1774 by his brother, Louis XVI theMarquisate of Pompadourand theViscounty of Turenne.In 1776, Louis XVI deprived Charles of Limoges, Pompadour, and Turenne, and gave him in exchange the Duchies ofBerryandChâteauroux,the Counties ofArgentonandPonthieu,and theLordship of Henrichemont.In 1778, the appanage was further reshaped, with Auvergne and Mercœur removed and replaced with theCounty of Poitou,leaving Charles with a final appanage consisting of the Duchies of Angoulême, Berry, and Châteauroux, the Counties of Argenton, Ponthieu, and Poitou, and the Lordship of Henrichemont. These titles were abolished during the Revolution in 1790, but were restored at the time of the Restoration in 1814. They merged into the crown when Charles became king in 1824.

Although Napoleon restored the idea of appanage in 1810 for his sons, none were ever granted, nor were any new appanages created by the restoration monarchs.

Western feudal appanages outside France

Appanages within Britain

English and British monarchs frequently granted appanages to younger sons of the monarch. Most famously, the Houses ofYorkandLancaster,whose feuding over the succession to theEnglish throneafter the end of the main line of theHouse of Plantagenetcaused theWars of the Roses,were both established when theDuchies of YorkandLancasterwere given as appanages forEdmund of LangleyandJohn of Gauntrespectively, two of the four younger sons of KingEdward III.

In modern times, theDuchy of Cornwallis the permanent statutoryappanage of the monarch's eldest son, intended to support him until such time as he inherits the Crown.Other titles have continued to be granted to junior members of the royal family, but without associated grants of land directly connected with those titles, any territorial rights over the places named in the titles, or any income directly derived from those lands or places by virtue of those titles.

Scotland

The defunctKingdom of Strathclydewas granted as an appanage to the futureDavid I of Scotlandby his brother Edgar, King of Scots. Remnants of this can be found within the patrimony of thePrince of Scotland,currentlyPrince William, Duke of Rothesay.

Kingdom of Jerusalem

In the onlycrusader stateof equal rank in protocol to the states of Western Europe, theKingdom of Jerusalem,theCounty of Jaffa and Ascalonwas often granted as an appanage.

Brigantine Portugal

With the installation of theHouse of Braganzaon the Portuguese throne in 1640, an official appanage was created for the second eldest son of the monarch, theHouse of the Infantado.The Infantado included several land grants and palaces, along with a heightened royal pension.

Equivalents outside Western Europe

Russia

The principalities ofEuropean Russiahad a similar practice; an appanage given to a younger male of the princely family was calledudel principalities(appanage principalities,‹See Tfd›Russian:удельное княжество,seeru:Удельное княжество). The frequency and importance of the custom was particularly important between the mid-13th and the mid-15th centuries; some historians refer to this era as theAppanage PeriodorAppanage Russia.The last appange Russian prince wasVladimir of Staritsa.

In the late Russian Empire, appanages for members of the imperial family were created byEmperor Paul Iin 1797. By decree of the emperor, the members of the imperial family who were in the line of succession of the throne receivedcivil listpayments from state revenues; those not in the line of succession were given appanages from revenues of special estates called anudel estate(appanage estate,‹See Tfd›Russian:удельное имение,seeru:Удельное имение). Revenues of appanage estates were created by tribute of state (unlike private owned) peasants who lived on the territory of appanage estates and owned by the imperial family (seeru:Удельные крестьяне). Appanage estates were managed by theDepartment of Appanage Estates.

Serbia

Inmedieval Serbia,an appanage was predominantly given to a younger brother of the supreme ruler, called aŽupa.Its use began in the 9th century and continued into the 14th century, with the fall of theSerbian Empire.

Indian subcontinent

In theIndian subcontinent,thejagir(a type of fief) was often thus assigned to individual junior relatives of the ruling house of aprincely state,but not as a customary right of birth, though in practice usually hereditarily held, and not only to them but also to commoners, normally as an essentially meritocratic grant of land and taxation rights (guaranteeing a "fitting" income, in itself bringing social sway, in the primary way in a mainly agricultural society), or even as part of a deal.

The seniormost woman in theTravancore royal familyheld the estate ofAttingal,also known as the Sreepadam Estate, in appanage for life. All the income derived from this 15,000 acres (61 km²) estate was the private property of the senior maharani, alternatively known as the Senior Rani of Attingal (Attingal Mootha Thampuran).

Indonesia

The Javanese kingdom ofMajapahit,which dominated eastern Java in the 14th and 15th centuries, was divided intonagara(provinces). The administration of thesenagarawas entrusted to members of the royal family, who bore the title ofBhrei.e.Bhra i,"lord of" (the wordbhrabeing akin to theThaiPhra), followed by the name of the land they were entrusted with: for example a sister of KingHayam Wuruk(r. 1350–1389) was"Bhre Lasem","lady ofLasem".

Mongol Empire

The royal family of theMongol Empireowned the largest appanages in the world because of their enormous empire. In 1206,Genghis Khanawarded large tracts of land to his family members and loyal companions, most of whom were of common origin. Shares of booty were distributed much more widely. Empresses, princesses, and meritorious servants, as well as children of concubines, all received full shares including war prisoners.For example, Kublai summoned two siege engineers from theIlkhanate,and after their success rewarded them with lands. After the Mongol conquest in 1238, the port cities inCrimeapaidthe Jochidscustoms duties and the revenues were divided among all Chingisid princes in Mongol Empire in accordance with the appanage system.As loyal allies, the Kublaids in East Asia and the Ilkhanids inPersiasent clerics, doctors, artisans, scholars, engineers and administrators to and received revenues from the appanages in each other's khanates.

TheGreat KhanMöngkedivided up shares or appanages inPersiaand made redistribution in Central Asia in 1251–1256.Although theChagatai Khanatewas the smallest in size, the Chagatai Khans held the cities ofKatandKhivainKhorazm,and some cities and villages inShanxiandIran,as well as their nomadic grounds in Central Asia.The firstIlkhan,Hulagu,owned 25,000 households of silk-workers in China, valleys inTibet,and lands in Mongolia.In 1298, his descendantGhazanof Persia sent envoys with precious gifts to the Great KhanTemür,and asked for the share of lands and revenues held by his great-grandfather in the territories ruled by theYuan dynasty(in modern-day China and Mongolia). It is claimedthat Ghazan received revenues that were not sent since the time of Möngke Khan.

The appanage holders demanded excessive revenues and freed themselves from taxes. Ögedei decreed that nobles could appointdarughachiand judges in the appanages instead of direct distribution without the permission of the Great Khan, due toKhitanministerYelü Chucai.BothGüyükand Möngke restricted the autonomy of the appanages, but Kublai Khan continued Ögedei's regulations. Ghazan also prohibited any misfeasance of appanage holders in the Ilkhanate, and Yuan councillor Temuder restricted Mongol nobles' excessive powers in appanages in China and Mongolia.Kublai's successor Temür abolished imperial son-in-law KingChungnyeol of Goryeo's 358 departments which caused financial pressures to Korean people, though the Mongols gave them some autonomy.

The appanage system was severely affected beginning with the civil strife in the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1304.Nevertheless, this system survived. For example,Abaghaof the Ilkhanate allowedMöngke Temürof theGolden Hordeto collect revenues fromsilkworkshops in northern Persia in 1270, andBaraqof theChagatai Khanatesent his Muslimvizierto the Ilkhanate in 1269, ostensibly to investigate his appanages there. (The vizier's real mission was to spy on the Ilkhanids.)After a peace treaty declared among Mongol khans Temür,Duwa,Chapar,TokhtaandOljeituin 1304, the system began to see a recovery. During the reign ofTugh Temür,the Yuan court received a third of revenues of the cities of Transoxiana (Mawarannahr) under Chagatai Khans while Chagatai elites such asEljigidey,Duwa Temür,Tarmashirinwere given lavish presents and sharing in the Yuan Dynasty's patronage ofBuddhist temples.Tugh Temür was also given some Russian captives by Chagatai princeChangshias well as Kublai's future khatunChabihad servantAhmad FanakatifromFergana Valleybefore her marriage.In 1326, the Golden Horde started sending tributes to Great Khans of the Yuan Dynasty again. By 1339,Ozbegand his successors had received annually 24 thousanddinginpaper currencyfrom their Chinese appanages in Shanxi,CheliandHunan.H. H. Howorth noted that Ozbeg's envoy required his master's shares from the Yuan court, the headquarters of the Mongol world, for the establishment of new post stations in 1336.This communication ceased only with the breakup, succession struggles and rebellions of Mongol Khanates.

After the fall of the Mongol Empire in 1368, the Mongols continued the tradition of appanage system. They were divided into districts ruled by hereditary noblemen. The units in such systems were calledTumenandOtogduringNorthern Yuan Dynastyin Mongolia. However, theOiratscalled their appanage unitulusoranggi.Appanages were calledbanners(Khoshuu) under theQing dynasty.

See also

• Cadet branch
• Crown lands of France
• Secundogeniture

References

Sources

• "Apanages in the French monarchy",on François Velde'sHeraldicasite.
• Nouveau Larousse illustré,undated (early 20th century; in French)
• Esmein, Jean Paul Hippolyte Emmanuel Adhémar(1911)."Appanage".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 208–209.