Nicolay family

The House of Nicolay (Maison de Nicolay)

The origin of the illustrious House of Nicolay goes back to Guy, known as Guglielmo, who was born close to Florence, Italy and accompanied Pope Clément V (circa 1305) when the Papacy was first established in Avignon, France. His son, Guy (II) (who had married Jaqueline de Baroncelli in 1301) followed his father to France and settled in Borough-Saint-Andéol in the Province of Vivarais (now Languedoc).

Guy & Jaqueline de Nicolay continued to live in Bourg Saint-Andéol and in around 1380 they had a son, who they named Ahoult. Ahoult de Nicolay grew to be an influential and accomplished man; exerting the role of Lieutenant of the Bailiff of the King in Vivarais. He died in 1428 leaving two sons, Jean and Raymond. Jean de Nicolay (named the first in the will of his father) became the author of the branch of the House of Nicolay referred to as the Marquis de Goussainville and Raymond de Nicolay became the author of the branch of the Barons de Sabran.

Although French in origin, the influence and power of the Countal and Baronial House of Nicolay spread throughout the territories of the Holy Roman Empire (including Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Liechtenstein and the Netherlands), Russia, Sweden and Finland, as well as to England and the United States of America.

== The House of Nicolay in France

==

Over the centuries, the House of Nicolay has produced a Chancellor to the Kingdom of Naples (1502), a Marshal of France (1775) a General Lieutenant of the Grand Master of the Artillery (under the reign of King Louis XIII) several Generals, several Colonels of the Regiment of Nicolay Dragoons, four Bishops, a Vice-Legate of Avignon, Cahors, Béziers and Verdun; this last at the same time as a member of the family was made First Chaplain to Madam Le Dauphine, mother of King Louis XVI. In addition, the family produced several Knights of Malta and Saint-Louis, the First President of the Grand Council, a Member of The French Academy, a Chancellor of the Orders of the King (1789) and the first nine Presidents of the Room of the Accounts, which from 1506 until 1794 (time of the suppression of the monarchy) followed one another without interruption (from the Records of the French Magistrature).

By letters patent of 1645, Anne of Austria, wanting to reward the services rendered by several generations by the House of Nicolay, set up the ground of Goussainville in Marquisat in favour of Antoine Nicolay and of his descendants. Then finally on May 19, 1815 Louis XVIII called the House of Nicolay to hereditary peerage in the person of Aymard-Charles-Marie-Theodore Marquis de Nicolay.

The House of Nicolay contracted its principal alliances with those of Vesc, Montaigu, Bailliet, Molé, Maillé, Lamoignon, Mortemart, Fare, Vintimille, of Forbin-Janson, Jarente, Roncherolles, Châtre, Potier of Novion, Bercy, Lostanges, Levis, Murat, Lameth, Durfort de Lorge, Noailles, Grammont, Beaufort, Bonneval, etc.

Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the House of Nicolay was divided into two branches, the first known as the Barons de Sabran, established in Languedoc and the other, The Marquis de Goussainville, fixed in the Ile De France and both currently existing.

References

1. Nicolay Fund Date Range: 13th century – 19th century. Material importance: 338 paperboards is 40,20 ml. Place of conservation: Public Records (Paris). Producing organization: Nicolay (of). Methods of entry: Deposits 1932-1999. Conditions of access: Access subjected to authorization 2. Extract from 'Sketch of the Nicolay Family in England - Part 1' By Augusta Georgiana Louisa Nicolay. 3. D' Hozier, General Armorial, register V, 2nd part; Chenaye Desbois, T.X, p. 73 and suiv; P. Anselme, History of the Grand Officers of the Crown; Evidence of The Order of Malta; Universal biography of Michaud; P. Daniel, French history, etc.

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[User:Stephen Guy De Nicolay] (talk) 11:44, 13 October 2008