Rise of the House
Seven centuries, twelve turning points
From the first parchment naming a Le Clerc in 1355 to the modern House of Greenland-LeClaire, each milestone below marks a moment when the line changed direction.
- 1355origin
Early Le Clerc origins
Mengin Le Clerc sells lands at Folz beneath the castle of Faucompierre — first documented act of the line.
Read profile → - 1380alliance
Gircourt connection
Marriage to Catherine de Gircourt binds the Le Clercs into the noble networks of Lorraine.
Read profile → - 1430alliance
Petitgout inheritance line
Colin Le Clerc marries Marguerite Petitgout — daughter of the wealthy Mirecourt magistrate.
Read profile → - 1461estate
Petitgout heirship recognised
Nicole Le Clerc de Pulligny declared plus proche hoir of Richart Petitgout.
- 1464ennoblement
Ennoblement at Pulligny
Jehan Leclerc de Pulligny ennobled by letters patent, 3 January 1464.
Read profile → - 1512ennoblement
Re-grant of arms
Claude Leclerc de Pulligny receives illuminated re-grant of the family arms.
Read profile → - 1623ennoblement
Heraldic restoration
Confirmation of arms under Duke Henry II of Lorraine after the disruptions of the early seventeenth century.
- 1700estate
Estate acquisitions
The family deepens its seigneurial roots across Pulligny, Mirecourt and surrounding villages.
- 1789military
Through the Revolution
The line endures the upheaval of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars.
- 1870military
Franco-Prussian dislocation
Branches of the family move between Lorraine, Alsace and the Rhineland as borders shift.
- 1945military
Through the World Wars
The line survives both world wars; the modern Leclaire/Licklär branches re-establish in Germany and Belgium.
- 2000modern
Modern descendants
The line continues through to the present House of Greenland-LeClaire.
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