The lordship was sold to King Philip III of France in 1274 and 1276 by Jean and Philippe de Nemours.
After being confiscated and restored several times, the duchy reverted to the French crown in 1504, after the extinction of the house of Armagnac-Pardiac.
In 1507, it was given by Louis XII of France to his nephew, Gaston de Foix, who was killed at the Battle of Ravenna in 1512.
In 1672, Louis XIV gave it to his brother Philippe de France, Duke of Orléans, whose descendants held it until the French Revolution.
His death opened the theoretical possibility for the Head of the House of Orléans-Braganza to claim said title without violating the family pact.