List of rulers of Provence

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Comte de Provence
)

Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles
in the 12th and 13th centuries.

The land of

Carolingian decline of the later ninth century. When Boso of Provence acquired the region in 879, it was known as Lower Burgundy until it was merged with Upper Burgundy in 933 to form the Kingdom of Arles.[1] The counts of Arles began calling themselves "count of Provence"; although in name vassals, they were de facto autonomous princes.[1] After 1032, the county was part of the Holy Roman Empire
.

In the eleventh century, Provence became disputed between the traditional line and the

Louis XI of France in 1481,[1] and definitively incorporated into the French royal domain by his son Charles VIII
in 1487.

Merovingian dukes

During the period of the

Frankish realm known as the Kingdom of Burgundy
, which was treated as its own kingdom. Their title sometimes appears as rector Provinciae.

This is an incomplete list of the known Merovingian-appointed dukes of Provence.

Carolingian dukes

Provence was ruled by a poorly known series of dukes during the period of general Carolingian unity until the Treaty of Verdun (843).

  • Leibulf (until c. 829)
  • Guerin (c. 829 – 845)
  • Fulcrad
    (845 – c. 860)

Carolingian kings

After the division of the

Kingdom of Provence, given to Lothair's youngest son, Charles
. A heritage of royal rule was thus inaugurated in Provence which, though it was often subsumed into one of its larger neighbouring kingdoms, was just as often proclaiming its own sovereigns.

The kingdom of Provence was also known as Lower Burgundy (or Cisjurane Burgundy). Its capital was first Vienne then Arles.

  • Emperor Louis II
    . The bulk went to Louis.
  • Kingdom of Italy, Louis's Provence went to his uncle Charles the Bald
    .
  • Charles the Bald (875–877), also Holy Roman Emperor from 875
  • Ermengard
    , daughter of Louis II, to strengthen his and his son's claim.
  • Boso (879–887)
  • Louis the Blind (887–928), also Holy Roman Emperor from 901 to 905
    Louis's kingdom did not pass to his heirs, but instead to his brother-in-law, the husband of his sister, Hugh, who had acted as his regent since 905. Hugh never used the royal title in Provence.
  • Iron Crown of Lombardy
    , that is, rule of Italy.

Counts and margraves, within the Empire

In the aftermath of the death of

Hugh, Duke of Burgundy
, as its first margrave.

At the time, the premier counts in the region were the

Rotbold I
did not divide their father's domains and this indivisibility was maintained by their respective descendants. It is thus impossible to ascertain who succeeded whom in the county as various reigns overlap.

By his marriage to Emma of Provence, daughter of Rotbold II, William III, Count of Toulouse inherited lands and castles in Provence. Emma inherited the title Margrave of Provence upon her elder brother's death in 1037. Her son Pons by William III did not survive her, but her grandson did and claimed her title in opposition to the younger line of counts of Provence.

Bosonid dynasty

See also: Bosonids
Name Born Reign Consort Death Notes
William I the Liberator c.950
Son of
Boson II of Arles
and Constance of Vienne 		961–975 Arsenda of Comminges
no children

Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou
c.984
four children 		After 29 August 993 First counts of Provence and brothers, ruled together until 975, when William took the margravial title. and Rotbold took the same title in 993, after William abdication.
975–993
Rotbold I
 Son of
Boson II of Arles
and Constance of Vienne 		961–993 Emilde
two children 		1008
993–1008
Regency of Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou:993–999
William II the Pious
 c.980
Son of William I and Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou 		999–1019 Gerberga of Burgundy
c.984
four children 		4 March 1019 Fell under control of his uncle Rotbold until his death in 1008.
Rotbold II c.980
Son of
Rotbold I
and Emilde 		1008–1014 Ermengarde of Burgundy
before 1002
three children 		1014
William III Son of Rotbold II and Ermengarde of Burgundy 1014–1037 Lucie
before 1002
three children 		1037
William IV c.980
Son of
William II
and Gerberga of Burgundy 		1019–1030 Unmarried 1030
Fulk Bertrand c.1000
Son of
William II
and Gerberga of Burgundy 		1030–1051 Hildegard
two children 		27 April 1051 Brothers, ruled jointly after their elder brother's death.
Geoffrey I c.1000
Son of
William II
and Gerberga of Burgundy 		1030–1062 Etienette
four children 		February 1062
After William III's death with no descendants, the line of counts became the sovereign line in Provence, but not uncontested. In fact, through Emma, who inherited her brother William III's margravial title, her descendants, the counts of Toulouse, claimed Provence for themselves as margraves, in spite of never having ruled there.
  • 1062–1094
    William IV of Toulouse
  • 1094–1105
    Raymond IV of Toulouse
  • 1105–1112 Bertrand of Toulouse
  • 1119–1125
    Alfonso Jordan of Toulouse
William Bertrand I c.1040
Son of Fulk Bertrand and Hildegard 		1062–1094 Theresa of Aragon
no children

Adelaide of Cavenez
one child 		28 July 1094 Co-ruled as brothers and cousins.
Geoffrey II c.1040
Son of Fulk Bertrand and Hildegard 		1062–1067 Ermengard
no children 		28 July 1094
William Bertrand II c.1050
Son of Geoffrey I and Etienette 		1063–1093 Matilda
one child 		28 July 1094
Gerberga 1045/65
Daughter of Geoffrey I and Etienette 		1094–1112 Gilbert I of Gévaudan
1073
two children 		28 July 1094 Considered a wise ruler.[2] She abdicated in 1112 to her eldest daughter, soon after her marriage to the count of Barcelona.

House of Gévaudan

Name Born Reign Consort Death Notes
Douce I c.1090
Daughter of Gilbert I of Gévaudan [fr] and Gerberga 		1112–1127
Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona
3 February 1112
Arles

five children 		1127 Ruled together with her husband, the Catalan
Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona
.

Houses of Barcelona (comital) and Toulouse (margravial)

See also:
House of Rouergue
Division of Provence obtained by Alfonso Jordan in 1125.

With a lack of interest in the

archbishop of Arles (since 1080). With the count away on the First Crusade
, the church took the opportunity to seize the balance of power in the region. This marriage effectively put Provence under Catalan control.

To accommodate the longstanding claims of the count of Toulouse, in 1125, Raymond's heir,

Pont de Sorgues, Caumont and Le Thor
remained undivided.

Internally, Provence was racked by uncertainties over rights of succession. Douce and Ramon Berenguer signed all charters jointly until her death in 1127, after which he alone appears as count in all charters until his death in 1131. At that time, Douce's younger sister,

Berenguer Ramon I
.

Ruler Born Reign Death Ruling part Consort Notes
Ramon Berenguer I the Great
El Gran
 11 November 1082
Rodez
Son of Ramon Berenguer II
and Mafalda of Apulia-Calabria		 1112 –19 July 1131 19 July 1131
Barcelona
aged 48
County of Provence
 María Rodríguez de Vivarbr/>1103
two children

Almodis de Mortain
1106
no children

Douce I, Countess of Provence
3 February 1112
Arles
seven children		 His last marriage with the heiress of Provence brought it under Barcelona domain. His reign saw a proliferation of Provençal culture in Catalonia.
Alfonso Jordan 1103
Raymond IV of Toulouse and Elvira of Castile
 1125 - 16 August 1148 16 August 1148
Caesarea
aged 44–45
Margraviate of Provence
 Faydite d'Uzès
c.1125
four children		 Also Count of Toulouse. Obtained half of Provence by the division agreement of 1125.
William III c.1080
Son of Ermengol IV, Count of Urgell and Adelaide, Countess of Forcalquier		 1129 –7 October 1129 7 October 1129
Avignon
aged 48–49		 County of Forcalquier Gersende of Albon
c.1080
two children		 Came from the Urgell branch of the House of Barcelona. Inherited the neighbouring County of Forcalquier.
Guigues c.1090?
First son of William III of Forcalquier and Gersende of Albon		 7 October 1129 –1149 1149
aged 58–59		 County of Forcalquier Unknown
one child		 His child probably predeceased him, as he was succeeded by his brother.
Regency of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona (1144–1157) In August 1161, he travelled to
Emperor Frederick I, for Provence was legally a fief of the Holy Roman Empire
.
Ramon Berenguer II c.1135
Son of
Beatrice of Melgueil
 March 1144 – March 1166 March 1166
Nice
aged 30–31
County of Provence
 Richeza of Poland
17 November 1161
one child
Raymond I 1134
Tripoli
Son of Alfonso Jordan and Faydite d'Uzès		 16 August 1148 - December 1194 December 1194
Nîmes
aged 59–60
Margraviate of Provence
 Constance of France
c.1154
(annulled 1166)
five children		 Also Count of Toulouse as Raymond V.
Bertrand I 1104
Second son of William III of Forcalquier and Gersende of Albon		 1149 –1151 1151
aged 46–47		 County of Forcalquier Josserande de la Flotte
1130
three children
Bertrand II c.1130?
First son of
Bertrand I and Josserande de la Flotte
 1151 –13 May 1207 13 May 1207
aged 76–77		 County of Forcalquier Cecilia of Béziers
two children		 Left no male heirs, and was succeeded by his brother.
Regency of Richeza of Poland (1166-1167) She ruled a few months, as her half brother-in-law, Alfonso II of Aragon, claimed Provence for himself on the basis of the imperial enfeoffment of 1162.
Douce II c.1162
Daughter of Ramon Berenguer II and Richeza of Poland		 March 1166 – 1167 1172
Nice
aged 9–10
County of Provence
 Unmarried
Alphonse I the Troubadour
El Trobador
 Alfons I 1-25 March 1157
Huesca
Son of Ramon Berenguer IV and Petronilla		 1167 – 1173 25 April 1196
Perpignan
aged 44
County of Provence
 marriage agreement with
Mafalda of Portugal 1159-1162, not fulfilled

Sancha of Castile
18 January 1174
Zaragoza

seven children		 Formal union of the
Emperor Frederick I, for Provence was legally a fief of the Holy Roman Empire
. In 1173, he gave the county to his younger brother Ramon Berenguer. However, he kept the title until his death in 1196.
Peter
Ramon Berenguer III		 c.1158
Son of Count
Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon
 1173–5 April 1181 5 April 1181
Montpellier
aged 22–23
County of Provence
 Unmarried Abdicated of Cerdanya to his brother Sancho. In 1173, assuming the county of Provence, changed his name to Ramon Berenguer. In 1176, he joined Sancho in conquering Nice from Genoa. He was assassinated.
Sancho c.1161
Son of Count
Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon
 5 April 1181 – 1185 1223
Montpellier
aged 61–62
County of Provence
 Ermesinde of Rocabertí
1184
one child

Sancha Núñez de Lara
1185
one child		 Received from his brother the counties of Cerdanya and Roussillon, and in 1181, received also the County of Roussillon, in the sequence of the same brother's death. In 1184, Sancho signed a treaty of alliance with the count of Forcalquier, the count of Toulouse and the Republic of Genoa agreeing to oppose the king of Aragon's efforts to dominate Genoa and to take the city of Marseille from him. Abdicated from Provence in 1185, but ruled in Cerdanya-Roussillon until his death.
Alphonse II 1180
Barcelona
Son of Alfonso I and Sancha of Castile		 1185 –2 February 1209 2 February 1209
Palermo
aged 28–29
County of Provence
 Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier
July 1193
Aix-en-Provence
one child		 His reign was marked by his conflicts with the count of Forcalquier, to whose granddaughter he was married.
Raymond II 27 October 1156
Saint-Gilles, Gard
Son of Raymond I and Constance of France		 December 1194 - 1 August 1222 1 August 1222
Toulouse
aged 65
Margraviate of Provence
 Ermessende of Pelet
1172
no children

Beatrice of Béziers
after 1176
(annulled 1189)
one child

Joan of England
October 1196
Rouen
two children

A daughter of Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus
c.1200
(annulled 1202)
no children

Eleanor of Aragon
January 1204
Perpignan
no children		 Also
Cathars, like many of the neighbouring Languedoc states, his domains in Toulouse were challenged by the Albigensian Crusade
between 1215 and 1218.
William IV c.1130
Second son of
Bertrand I and Josserande de la Flotte
 13 May 1207 –7 October 1209 7 October 1209
aged 78–79		 County of Forcalquier Adelaide of Béziers
one child		 Left a daughter, Garsenda, who predeceased him; he was succeeded by his granddaughter, also named Garsenda.
Garsenda c.1180
Daughter of Rainou of Sabran and Garsenda of Forcalquier		 7 October 1209 –1222 1242
aged 60–61		 County of Forcalquier
(House of Sabran)		 Alfonso II, Count of Provence
July 1193
Aix-en-Provence
one child		 In 1222, she abdicated for her son, and Forcalquier was absorbed by Provence.
Forcalquier annexed to Provence
Regency of Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier (1209–1220) Supporter of the Provençal lyric and culture and the Albigensian Crusade. He also helped his father-in-law in his conflict with Turin and Guigues VI of Viennois. His surviving four daughters all married kings, causing a dispute about his succession.
Ramon Berenguer IV
 1198
Son of Alfonso II and Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier		 February 1209 –19 August 1245 19 August 1245
Aix-en-Provence
aged 46–47
County of Provence
 Beatrice of Savoy
5 June 1219
Aix-en-Provence
six children
Raymond VII July 1197
Beaucaire, Gard
Son of Raymond II and Joan of England		 1 August 1222 - 27 September 1249 27 September 1249
Toulouse
aged 52
Margraviate of Provence
 Sancha of Aragon
March 1211
(annulled 1241)
one child

Margaret of Lusignan
1243
(annulled 1245)
no children		 Also Count of Toulouse as Raymond VII. Took
Roger-Bernard III of Foix, in the Albigensian Crusade
.
Beatrice 1229
Daughter of
Ramon Berenguer IV and Beatrice of Savoy
 19 August 1245 –23 September 1267 23 September 1267
Nocera Inferiore
aged 37–38
County of Provence
Charles I, King of Sicily
31 January 1246
Aix-en-Provence

seven children		 Her inheritance caused tense relations with her sisters; Her husband installed his French court in Provence and, after her death, inherited the county.
Joanna c.1220
Toulouse
Daughter of Raymond VII and Sancha of Aragon		 27 September 1249 - 25 August 1271 25 August 1271
Siena
aged 50–51
Margraviate of Provence
 Alphonse of France
c.1237
Toulouse
no children		 The war between
Treaty of Meaux
(1229), determining the wedding of Joan, the heiress of Toulouse, with Alphonse, prince of France. The lack of descendance of the couple determined the annexation of the County of Toulouse, the Duchy of Narbonne, and the Margraviate of Provence to the Crown of France after their deaths.

Capetian Angevin dynasty
Queen Joan died heirless, leaving the county to
Valois
, and great-great-grandson of Charles II of Naples.

Valois-Anjou dynasty

Upon his death, the heirless Charles du Maine bequeathed the counties of Provence-Forcalquier to King

Louis XVII
in 1795, after which he claimed the throne of France.

Governors and grand seneschals, within France

Governors

Grand seneschals

  • 1480–1481 Pierre de La Jaille (see Château de Ranton)
  • 1482–1483 Raymond de Glandevès-Faucon
  • 1483 Palamède de Forbin
  • 1485–1493 Aymar de Poitiers, Count of Valentinois

Governors – grand seneschals

Grand seneschals

Governors

In 1790, the French Revolution definitively ended the governorship.

See also

  • List of consorts of Provence

Sources

  • Harding, Robert (1978). Anatomy of a Power Elite: the Provincial Governors in Early Modern France. Yale University Press.
  • Jouanna, Arlette (1998). Histoire et Dictionnaire des Guerres de Religion. Bouquins.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Provence §1. Geschiedenis". Encarta Encyclopedie Winkler Prins (in Dutch). Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum. 2002.
  2. ^ Clement, Francois. L' Art De Vérifier Les Dates Des Faits Historiques, Des Chartes, Des Chroniques, Et Autres Anciens Monumens, Depuis La Naissance De Notre-Seigneur, p. 436 (Jombert, 1784).
  3. ^ Harding 1978, p. 227.
  4. ^ Jouanna 1998, p. 378.

External links

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