This powerful dynasty of the Carolingian era dates back to Foucher, supporter of Charles the Bald, who became viscount (vicomte) of Limoges in 876.

Foucher de Limoges, the founder of the House of Limoges-Rochechouart, was the second son of Raymond I, Count of Toulouse, and of Berteys, daughter of Rémi.

Foucher, supporter of Charles the Bald, was rewarded for his services in the king's wars by being granted the viscountcy of Limoges, which extended into Limousin and Berry.

The promulgation of the Capitulary of Quierzy the following year simultaneously freed the lords up from royal authority and made their titles and charges hereditary, thus giving birth to the French feudal system.

[1] At the end of the first millennium, the lords of Limoges reinforced their authority over the city, which had considerably enlarged itself under the privileges of the cult of Saint Martial.

The three great centres of power – the castle, the bishopric, and the abbey – were held onto by Foucher's descendants, and it was under their aegis that the hagiography of the city's patron saint was written.

However, at the end of the 11th century, viscount Adémar II (in exchange for a large sum) gave the abbey of Saint-Martial to the Cluniac order despite opposition from its monks, who were driven out.

Therefore, the viscountcy of Limoges passed to Guy de Comborn, Adémar's son-in-law, though Foucher's line continued via the viscounts of Rochechouart.

In 980, Aimery de Limoges, fourth son of viscount Géraud, married Eve, daughter of Guillaume II, count of Angoulême.

He ruled for more than half a century over this fiefdom and his son, Aimery II, succeeded him on his death in 1036, only to be assassinated in 1049 by an enemy in unclear circumstances.

At the end of the 13th century, Aimery XI renounced a large part of his privileges in promulgating a charter of enfranchisement which transformed Rochechouart into a democratic city, and turned its inhabitants from serfs into citizens.

At the same time the viscount suppressed all direct taxes such as the taille and the quête and abolished duties of service to the feudal lord.

He also accorded the inhabitants of Rochechouart the essential conditions for total liberty — they could dispose of their goods, buy or sell, import and export whatever they wanted, build, move about freely within the viscountcy, all without intervention from their lord.

The repudiation of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Louis VII, and her remarriage in 1153 to Henry II of England began a period of three centuries of Anglo-French wars in south-west France, during which the Rochechouarts paid a heavy price.

Ten years later, in 1356, Jean was killed in the carnage of the battle of Poitiers whilst interposing himself to save the life of John II.

Reprisals for this came swiftly, with English troops allied to local French lords unsuccessfully laying siege to Rochechouart, recaptured several times by the viscounts.

Louis de Rochechouart, councillor and chamberlain of Charles V, and his lieutenant in Limousin, fought on Du Guesclin's side in the reconquest of Poitou in 1372–1373.

The conduct of viscounts Simon, Jean and Louis during the Hundred Years' War allowed the Rochechouart family to attain the highest reaches of the 15th-century French feudal hierarchy.

Geoffroi's son Foucaud was named governor of La Rochelle and the Aunis region, a post of capital importance whilst the expulsion of the English continued in Guyenne.

François then got off his horse, cut off one of his victim's hands, put it in a box and returned to the castle, covered in blood and dust, to offer it to his wife with the retort "Madame, here is the object of your idolatry.

René fought on the Duke of Guise's side in the re-capture of England's last continental possession, Calais, in 1558 and received the collar of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1580.

Jean-Louis's nephew François, also called the chevalier de Jars, was admitted to the inner circle of Anne of Austria, making him suspect in the Cardinal's eyes.

Three of his children occupied the highest places at the court of the Sun King - Louis Victor (1636–1688), called Duc de Vivonne, was Marshal of France and viceroy in Sicily; Marie Madeleine (1645–1704), called the queen of abbesses, was a very influential figure in the 17th century intellectual community, translating Plato's Symposium in conjunction with Racine; Françoise-Athénaïs (1640–1705), known as Madame de Montespan, was Louis XIV's favourite from 1667 to 1680.

They had seven children together, whom the king wished to succeed to the throne if his legitimate line should die out (his great-grandson, the future Louis XV, was then his sole heir).

A liberal, he was one of the seven deputies of the nobility to pronounce the merging of the three orders and to rally them at the National Assembly, but the turn of events during the Revolution still forced him to emigrate in 1791, dying a short time later.

Crest: Head of a unicorn "issante", confronted and posed between two enscrolled armorial banners of Limoges and of Rochechouart Escutcheon: Surmounted by a ducal crown with an argent "timbre" treillissé and enriched in or, formed of the same crown; at its sides, two banners of Limoges and of England crossed saltaire fashion and linked at the base by a scroll on which is inscribed the motto Ante Mare Undae or L'esprit surpasse la matière.

It has also given birth to Haute-Vienne: Limoges, Rochechouart, Aixe-sur-Vienne, Bâtiment, Berneuil, Blond, Bonat, Boisseuil, Brigueil, Bussière-Boffy, Bussière-Galant, Châlus, Champagnac-la-Rivière, Champsac, Château-Chervix, Chéronnac, Cieux, Clavieres, Cognac-la-Forêt, Coussac-Bonneval, Cussac, Dournazac, Eyjeaux, Fauvette, Flavignac, Glandon, Gorre, Javerdat, La Chapelle-Montbrandeix, Ladignac-le-Long, Lavignac, Le Chalard, Les Cars, Les Salles-Lavauguyon, Maisonnais-sur-Tardoire, Marafy, Maisonnais-sur-Tardoire, Marval, Mézières-sur-Issoire, Mortemart, Nouic, Oradour-sur-Glane, Oradour-sur-Vayres, Pageas, Pensol, Pierre-Buffière, Razé, Repaire, Rochebrune, Saint-Auvent, Saint-Bazile, Saint-Bonnet-Briance, Saint-Christophe, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Genest-sur-Roselle, Saint-Hilaire-Bonneval, Saint-Jean-Ligoure, Saint-Cyr, Saint-Laurent-sur-Gorre, Saint-Léger-la-Montagne, Saint-Mathieu, Saint-Paul, Saint-Victurnien, Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, Sainte-Marie-de-Vaux, Vayres, Videix, Vigneau...; Aisne: Corbeny, La Ferté-Chevresis, Saint-Germain-les-Belles...; Allier: Bellenaves, Gayette...; Ariège: Lescure, Soulan...; Aube: Bréviandes, La Motte-Tilly, Maupas...; Charente: Bessac, Brigueil, Chabanais, Confolens, Montmoreau-Saint-Cybard, Montrollet, Saint-Christophe...; Charente-Maritime: Fontaine de Burlé, Tonnay-Charente...Cher: Ardé, Chârost, Cros, Fontmoreau, Ivoy-le-Pré, Jars, La Salle de Jançai, Lavaupot, Loisière, Mondon, Morogues, Rhodes, Sens-Beaujeu...; Corrèze: Arnac-Pompadour, Ayen, Benayes, Beyssac, Beyssenac, Brignac-la-Plaine, Chamberet, Louignac, Lubersac, Masseret, Montgibaud, Objat, Perpezac-le-Blanc, Saint-Aulaire, Saint-Cyprien, Saint-Éloy-les-Tuileries, Saint-Julien-le-Vendômois, Saint-Martin-Sepert, Saint-Pardoux-Corbier, Saint-Robert, Saint-Sornin-Lavolps, Segonzac, Ségur-le-Château, Vars-sur-Roseix, Yssandon...; Côte d'Or: Arconçay, Arc-sur-Tille, Brognon, Chazeuil, Dussac, Marey, Selongey; Creuse: Azat-Châtenet, Boussac, Bridiers, Saint-Étienne-de-Fursac...; Dordogne: Abjat-sur-Bandiat, Angoisse, Anlhiac, Atur, Augignac, Bassillac, Beauregard-de-Terrasson, Blis-et-Born, Boulazac, Châtres, Chavagnac, Clermont-d'Excideuil, Coly, Condat-sur-Vézère, Connezac, Corgnac-sur-l'Isle, Excideuil, Eyliac, Eyzerac, Fougeyrolles, Génis, Grèzes, Hautefaye, Javerlhac, La Cosière en Périgord, La Douze, La Bachellerie, La Cassagne, La Dornac, La Feuillade, Lanouaille, Le Bourdeix, Le Lardin-Saint-Lazare, Lempzours, Lussas-et-Nontronneau, Marsaneix, Milhac-d'Auberoche, Nanthiat, Nantheuil, Nontron, Notre-Dame-de-Sanilhac, Payzac, Pazayac, Peyrignac, Preyssac-d'Excideuil, Saint-Antoine-d'Auberoche, Saint-Crépin-d'Auberoche, Saint-Cyr-les-Champagnes, Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Front-sur-Nizonne, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Saint-Geyrac, Saint-Jean-de-Côle, Saint-Jory-las-Bloux, Saint-Laurent-sur-Manoire, Sainte-Marie-de-Chignac, Saint-Martial-d'Albarède, Saint-Martial-de-Valette, Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas, Saint-Martin-le-Pin, Saint-Médard-d'Excideuil, Saint-Mesmin, Saint-Pantaly-d'Excideuil, Saint-Pierre-de-Chignac, Saint-Pierre-de-Côle, Saint-Rabier, Saint-Raphaël, Saint-Romain-et-Saint-Clément, Saint-Sulpice-d'Excideuil, Sainte-Trie, Salagnac, Sarlande, Sarrazac, Savignac-Lédrier, Sceau-Saint-Angel, Terrasson-Lavilledieu, Teyjat, Thiviers, Vaunac, Vieux-Mareuil, Villac...; Essonne: Saint-Cyr-la-Rivière...; Haute-Garonne: Aureville, Barbazan, Clermont-le-Fort, Goyrans, Laborthe-sur-Lèze, Montclar-Lauragais, Pompiac...; Gers: Montégut, Plieux...; Gironde: Belin...; Loire-Atlantique: Château-Thébaud, Fercé, Saint-Julien-de-Concelles, Montrelais, Quehillac, La Sénéchallière, Vieillevigne...; Loiret: Châtillon-le-Roi, Coulmiers, Germigny-des-Prés, Isy, La Brosse, Loury, Mareau-aux-Prés, Nancray-sur-Rimarde, Montpipeau, Saint-Ay...; Indre: Chaillac, Saint-Benoît-du-Sault Le Bouchet, Migné, Saulnay...; Lot: Gramat...; Mayenne: Entramme...; Nièvre: Dampierre-sous-Bouhy, Corbigny, Moulins-Engilbert, Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye, Saint-Péreuse, Saint-Vérain, Vauchisson...; Oise: Blicourt, Marseille-en-Beauvaisis...; Puy de Dôme: Artonne, Bessac, La Tour-d'Auvergne, Montpeyroux, Ravel...; Saône et Loire: Bellevesvre, Couches, Layé... Seine-Maritime: [Fricourt], la Motte, ...;Seine-et-Marne: Bray-sur-Seine, Everly, Moigneville, Soissy sous Etiole, Trilbardou, Meaux...; Somme: Marseilles, ...; Tarn-et-Garonne: Bruniquel, Faudoas...; Deux-Sèvres: Champdeniers, Gascougnolles, Le Bourdet, Limalonges, Mauzé, Vouillé...; Vendée: Montaigu...; Vienne: Abzac, Availles, Brion, Chanail, Château-Larcher, Cercigné, Isle-Dieu, Dieuné, Lussac-les-Châteaux, Isle-Jourdain, Vienne, Vernières Vivonne...; Yonne: Malvoisine...; Val d'Oise: Chars...