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County of Burgundy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with the adjacentDuchy of Burgundy.
Free County of Burgundy
Franche Comté de Bourgogne(French)
Freigrafschaft Burgund(German)
982–1678
Flag of Burgundy
Heraldic flagsince the 16th century
Coat of arms of Burgundy
Coat of arms
County of Burgundy at the end of the 15th century.
County of Burgundy at the end of the 15th century.
StatusPart ofUpper Burgundyand
theKingdom of Arles,
then state of theHoly Roman Empire
CapitalDole
Religion
Catholicism
GovernmentFeudal monarchy(County)
Historical era
982
1033
1384
1493
1512
1678
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Kingdom of Arles
Franche-Comté(France)
Free Imperial City of Besançon

TheFree County of Burgundy(French:Franche Comté de Bourgogne;German:Freigrafschaft Burgund) was amedievalfeudal state ruled by acountfrom 982 to 1678. It was also known asFranche-Comté,fromFrench:franc comtemeaning 'free count', and was located in the modern region ofFranche-Comté.It bordered theDuchy of Burgundyto the west, which was part ofFrancefrom 843.

The territory had previously been part of the kingdom ofUpper Burgundy(888–933). The county was formed in 982 byOtto-Williamfor the lands he held in theKingdom of Arles(outside the duchy's borders). In 1032 the Kingdom of Arles was inherited byConrad II, Holy Roman Emperor,who incorporated the County of Burgundy into theHoly Roman Empire(HRE). The county briefly gained independence in the 12th century, before being re-incorporated into the empire byFrederick Barbarossa.

As astate of the HRE,the county was granted a high degree of autonomy. The largest city,Besançon,was granted the status offree imperial city.The rest of the county was givenimperial immediacy(making it animperial county) and its rulers were given the title ofFreigraf(Germanfor 'free count'), from which the French and English names of the county are derived.

From 1295 the county began to fall under the increasing influence of France and theHouse of Burgundy,which ruled the duchy. From 1330 to 1361 and again from 1405 to 1477, there was apersonal unionbetween the county (part of the HRE) and the adjacent duchy (part of France). In 1493 the county was transferred toHabsburg Spain,which ruled it until it was conquered by France in 1674. French rule was made permanent by theTreaties of Nijmegenin 1678.

Formation within the kingdom of Arles[edit]

The area previously formed part of theKingdom of the Burgundians,which had been annexed by theFranksin 534 and incorporated into theKingdom of the Franks.The Empire was partitioned in 843 by theTreaty of Verdun,with the area west of theSaôneriver being allotted toWest Franciaas the French Duchy of Burgundy, while the southern and eastern parts of the former Burgundian kingdom fell toMiddle Franciaunder EmperorLothair I.This Middle Frankish part became the two independent entities of southernLower Burgundyin 879 and northernUpper Burgundyunder KingRudolph Iin 888. The region that would become Franche-Comté was then included in Upper Burgundy, centred around the city ofBesançon.In 933, with the collapse of the Carolingian Empire, Lower and Upper Burgundy were re-united under KingRudolph II[1]as theKingdom of Arles(Arelat).

In 982,Otto-William(son ofAdalbert of Lombardy) marriedErmentrude of Roucy.Ermentrude was a widow, whose previous husband was had been count ofMâcon(in the Duchy of Burgundy) and controlled additional lands around Besançon andDole.These lands were then ruled by Otto-Williamin right of his wife.Otto-William was already the adopted heir ofHenry I, Duke of Burgundy,so expected to inherit the entire duchy when Henry died. The lands outside the duchy, that Otto-William had acquired through Ermentrude, were organised as the new County of Burgundy.

Henry I died in 1002, at which point Otto-William claimed the Duchy of Burgundy. However, kingRobert II of Francerefused to recognise the adoption and claimed the duchy as the nephew of Henry I. This started a war between the two claimants. After a few years of conflict,[2]Robert II prevailed in the duchy; he would later grant it to his sonRobert I, Duke of Burgundy,keeping the Crown of his elder son Hugues. Otto-William remained in control of the county of Mâcon, and therferore strengthened its grip in the County, fief of the Kingdom of Burgundy.

The Kingdom of Arles (yellow) from 1002-1032. The County of Burgundy is in the upper centre. The adjacent duchy is also shown (brown).

Otto-William and Ermentrude became the progenitors of theAnscarid dynasty.The development of commercial routes across theJura mountainsand the development ofsalt minesassured the prosperity of the county, and for several decades its towns preserved their freedom and neutrality.

As part of the Holy Roman Empire[edit]

Coat of arms of the county of Burgundy beforec. 1280

The Arelat kingdom collapsed with the extinction the ruling line in 1032. The Kingdom of Burgundy was inherited by the Holy Roman EmperorConrad IIof theSalian dynasty,while theDuchy of Burgundyreturned to a cadet branch of the FrenchCapetian dynasty.As a result, the County of Burgundy became a fief of theHoly Roman Empire.[3]

At the end of the 11th century Conrad's son EmperorHenry IIIelevated theArchbishop of Besançonto the dignity of anarchchancellorand conferred upon Besançon the rank of aReichsstadt(imperial city) under the Emperor's direct patronage.Guy of Burgundy,brother ofRenaud II,later becamepopeand negotiated theConcordat of Wormswith EmperorHenry V.In the 12th century, Imperial protection allowed for the development of Besançon, but in 1127, after the assassination ofWilliam III,his cousinRenaud IIIshook off the Imperial yoke[4]and refused to pay homage toLothair III(at the time still Lothair II of Germany). After 10 years of conflict, Renaud was victorious. Burgundy was from then on calledFranche-Comté,the "free county".[4]

EmperorFrederick Barbarossare-established imperial influence. Frederick took the brother[who?]of CountWilliam IVprisoner, then when William died Frederick married William's niece and heir,Beatrice I(daughter of Renaud III). Upon Emperor Frederick's death in 1190, his younger sonOtto Ireceived the county of Burgundy and assumed the rare (possibly unique) title ofarchcount.He was succeeded by his daughter,Beatrice II,and her husbandOtto I,Duke ofMerania;they were in turn followed by their son,Otto III, Count of Burgundy(r. 1231–1238), and their daughter,Adelaide(alias Alix of Méran,r. 1248–1279).[5]

TheCounts Palatine[which?]for many years had to share power with the greater feudal families of the county, notably with the family of Chalon, which was descended fromStephen III,count ofAuxonne,grandson of William IV and Beatrice of Thiern, the heir of thecounty of Chalon.In 1237, countJohn "the Old" of Chalon,transferred his possessions under the French Crown (including Chalon and Auxerre) to the Duke of Burgundy in exchange for wealthy possessions in the County of Burgundy, including the salt mines ofSalins-les-Bains[5](which became the autonomous Seigneurie of Salins). The authority of John the Old was re-established only by the marriage (around 1239) of his oldest sonHugh of ChalonwithAdelaide,the sister of Otto III (died 1248) and heiress of Burgundy.[5]However, this did not prevent a younger son,John I of Chalon-Arlay,from taking control of the vassal states.

Otto IV,son of Hugh and Adelaide, was the last of the feudal counts of Burgundy. He married first the daughter of theCount of Bar,but the marriage was childless. His second marriage was to the grandniece of KingLouis IX of France,CountessMahaut of Artois.This marriage brought the county under French influence. The daughters of Otto IV and Mahaut,Joan IIandBlanche,married respectivelyPhilip VandCharles IV of France,sons of KingPhilip IV.Jeanne became Queen of France after having been involved in theTour de Nesle Affair.In that same affair, Blanche was found guilty of adultery and was imprisoned for the rest of her life.

Burgundian unions[edit]

Possessions of Charles the Bold at his death in 1477. The County of Burgundy is in the lower right.

After quarrelling with his barons, and after a new revolt against the French carried out by John of Chalon-Arlay, Otto IV ceded the county to his daughter as a dowry and designated the King of France as administrator of the dowry in 1295. By marrying their daughter and heir Joan, DukeOdo IV of Burgundyreunited the duchy and the county under his rule, followed by his grandson DukePhilip I.Thepersonal unionwas again broken when Philip died without heirs in 1361: the Duchy of Burgundy was seized as a reverted fief by KingJohn II of France,while the Imperial county was inherited by Philip's great auntMargaret I,a granddaughter of Count Otto IV. In 1382, she bequeathed her estates to her son CountLouis II of Flanders.During the reign ofPhillip the Bold,the County was organized into having a council and a parliament — centered in the capitalDole.[3]

Louis II died in 1384 leaving no male heirs, so the County of Burgundy formed part of the immense dowry of his daughterMargaret,which in 1405 was inherited by her son, the Burgundian dukeJohn the Fearless.The county and the duchy were again ruled in personal union by his descendants from theHouse of Valois-Burgundyuntil the death of DukeCharles the Boldat the 1477Battle of Nancy.His cousin KingLouis XI of Franceimmediately occupied the county, but ArchdukeMaximilian I of Habsburgopposed this action, because he was the husband of Charles' daughterMary the Rich.Though defeated at the 1479Battle of Guinegate,the French retained the county.

Spanish possession[edit]

Louis' successor KingCharles VIII of France,wishing to be free of conflicts over the county in order to intervene inNaples,again ceded it to Emperor Maximilian and his sonPhilip I of Castileby the 1493Treaty of Senlis.From that point onwards, the County of Burgundy was ruled byHabsburg Spain,who administered it as part of theHabsburg Netherlands.TheSpanish Roadtrade route ran through the county, connecting the various Spanish possessions in the region. As such it was very important militarily.

During Spanish rule, the County was prosperous and had autonomy. Dole's parliament was the political center, and a governor was chosen from the local nobility. Taxes to Spain were low, and there was not much conscription either. The city of Besancon had many fairs and many renaissance structures were constructed.[3]

The county was invaded by France in 1668, as part of theWar of Devolution.Multiple cities surrendered to the French after little fighting, but were returned as part of the widerTreaty of Aix-la-Chapellelater that year.

Conquest by France[edit]

Franceinvaded again in 1674,as part of theFranco-Dutch war,again overrunning the country with little resistance. TheTreaties of Nijmegenended the war in 1678; as part of the third treaty (between France and Spain), the county was transferred to France in exchange for the return of French-occupied territory in theSpanish Netherlands.

The territory ofFranche-Comtéhas remained part of France uninterrupted ever since; it now forms part of the administrative regionBourgogne-Franche-Comté.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Rolf Grosse (2014).Du royaume franc aux origines de la France et de l'Allemagne 800-1214.Presses Universitaires du Septentrion.
  2. ^Raphaël Bijard (2021)."La construction de la Bourgogne Robertienne (936 - 1031)".Academia.
  3. ^abc"Franche-Comté Region of France - History".Regions of France.Retrieved2024-02-12.
  4. ^ab"Franche-Comte | History, Culture, Geography, & Map | Britannica".britannica.Retrieved2024-02-12.
  5. ^abc"Chalon".Encarta Encyclopedie Winkler Prins(in Dutch). Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum. 2002.

External links[edit]

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