[1] The fief of Brissac in Anjou had been acquired at the end of the 15th century by a French family named Cossé from the same province.

The second son of René was Artus de Cossé (1512-1582), who held the offices of Grand Panetier of France and superintendent of finance, and he distinguished himself in the French Wars of Religion.

Noted for his devotion to Louis XVI, Brissac served as the commander of the briefly established Constitutional Guard of the King.

The head was wrapped in a cloth and carried by a peasant mob to the Château de Louveciennes where it was thrown through an open window, landing in the salon of his lover, Madame du Barry.

After the death of Louis-Hercule in 1792 without a living male-line descendant, the ducal title passed to Timoléon de Cossé-Brissac (1775–1848).