County of Valentinois

Arms of the Counts of Valentinois

The Count of Valentinois was originally the official in charge of the region (county) around Valence (Roman Valentia). It evolved in a hereditary title of nobility, still indicating control of the Valentinois and often of the Diois. The title later became the Duke of Valentinois.

## Counts of Valentinois[edit]

The County of Valence (Valentinois) was a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire, which was first held by Odilon, a count in Valence.

### Family of Odilon[edit]

* 886-887: Odilon
* 879–912: Adalelm
* 912–943: Boson (Boso)
* 943–960: Geilin I
* 950-???: Gonthar (House of Poitiers).
* 961-1011: The title was dormant.
* 1011–???: Lambert
* 1037–???: Adémar, Comes Valentinensis, in conflict with the Albon family.
* 1058–???: Geilin II

### House of Poitiers[edit]

Named after the castle of Pictavis, now part of Châteauneuf-de-Bordette, and unrelated to the city of Poitiers in western France.

* 1128–1148: Adémar I (Aymar I), vassal of Ermengard of Narbonne.
* 1148-1152: Eustace, bishop and count of Valentinois.
* 1152–1189: William.[1]
* 1188/9–1239: Adémar II (Aymar II)[2][3][4] husband of Rixende, heir countess of Valentinois.
* 1239–1277: Adémar III (Aymar III)
* 1277–1329: Adémar IV (Aymar IV)
* 1329–1339: Adémar V (Aymar V)
* 1339–1345: Louis I
* 1345–1374: Adémar VI (Aymar VI)
* 1374–1419: Louis II

The counts of Valentinois of House of Poitiers remained vassals of the Dauphin of Viennois until 1338; they held the title until the death of Louis of Poitiers in 1419. On 1029 Valence passed to the House of Albon[5] the Dauphins of Viennois. In 1338 it fell to Philip VI of France.[6]

### House of Valois[edit]

* Charles I of Viennois (1338–1380), also king of France as Charles V, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois,[7] Duke of Normandy, ruled the Dauphiné as the first Dauphin of France (1350–1364) and ruled the Dauphiné as king of France (1364–1366)
* John III of Viennois, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, ruled the Dauphiné as second Dauphin of France (1366)
* Charles I of Viennois, ruled the dauphiné as king of France (1366–1368)
* Charles II of Viennois (1368–1422), also king of France as Charles VI, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, ruled the dauphiné as third Dauphin of France (1368–1380) and as king of France (1380–1386)
* Charles III of Viennois (1386), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, ruled the dauphiné as fourth Dauphin of France (1386)
* Charles II of Viennois, ruled the Dauphiné as king of France (1386–1392)
* Charles IV of Viennois (1392-1401), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, Duke of Guyenne, ruled the Dauphiné as fifth Dauphin of France (1392–1401)
* Louis I of Viennois (1397–1415), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, Duke of Guyenne, ruled the Dauphiné as sixth Dauphin of France (1401–1415)
* John IV of Viennois (1398–1417), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, Duke of Touraine, ruled the Dauphiné as seventh Dauphin of France (1415–1417)
* Charles V of Viennois (1403–1461), also king of France as Charles VII, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois, Valentinois and Ponthieu, ruled the Dauphiné as eighth Dauphin of France (1417–1422) and as king of France/King of Bourges (1422–1423/1429)
* Louis II of Viennois[8] (1423–1483), also king of France as Louis XI, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, ruled the Dauphiné as ninth Dauphin of France (1423/1429–1461) and as king of France (1461–1466)

### House of Borgia[edit]

* Cesar Borgia,[9][10] Prince of Andria, Prince of Venafro, Duke of Valentinois, Duke of Romagna created by apostolic authority and the college of Cardinals, Duke of Urbino, Count of Diois, Duke of Camerino, Lord of Imola, Forlì, Sassoferrato, Fermo, Fano, Cesena, Pesaro, Rimini, Faenza, Montefiore, Sant'Arcangelo, Verucchio, Catezza, Savignano, Meldola, Porto Cesenatico, Tossignano, Salaruolo, Monte Battaglia, Forlimpopoli, Bertinoro.[11]

After the death of Cesar Borgia, the Duchy became a part of the French Royal domain as a part of the Dauphiné. It is now the capital of the Drôme department within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

## References[edit]

1. ^ James R. Briscoe. New Historical Anthology of Music by Women. Volume 1. p. 21. Edited by: James R. Briscoe. Indiana University Press, Bloomignton, IN, USA. ISBN 0-253-21683-4
2. ^ Catherine Léglu, Rebecca Rist, Claire Taylor. The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade: Sourcebook. p. 13. Printed by: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, London, 2014. ISBN 978-0-415-73688-6
3. ^ The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Charles Knight. 1 January 1838. p. 153 - via Internet Archive.
4. ^ D. Dudley Stutz. Papal Legates Against the Albigensians: The Debts of the Church of Valence (1215–1250). doi:10.1353/trd.2013.0003.
5. ^ Frachette (1998), p. 34
6. ^ "Valence". Catholic Encyclopedia. Newadvent.org.
7. ^ Charity Scott-Stokes, Chris Given-Wilson. "Cantuariensis". The Chronicle of Anonymous of Canterbury. p. 83. Edited and translated by: Charity Scott-Stokes, Chris Given-Wilson. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-929714-6
8. ^ Hastings Rashdall. The Universities of Europe in the Middle Ages: Volume 2, Part 1, Italy ...Incise 14, Valence, Pag, 200. Cambridge Library Collection, Cambridge University Press, 1985. ISBN 978-1-108-01811-1
9. ^ L. William, George, Papal Genealogy, The Families of Renaissance Popes. p. 217. McFarland and Company Inc, Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, and London. ISBN 0-7864-2071-5, 1998, 2004.
10. ^ L. William, George, Papal Genealogy, The Families of Renaissance Popes. p. 61. McFarland and Company Inc, Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, and London. ISBN 0-7864-2071-5, 1998, 2004 (Borgia)
11. ^ "D. Rodrigo de Borja (Alejandro VI). Sus hijos y descendientes / Manuel Oliver - Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes". Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes.

## Sources[edit]

* Frachette, Christian (1998). "Valence au dixième siècle (879–1029)". Études drômoises. 96.
* Linskill, Joseph. "An Enigmatic Poem of Raimbaut de Vaqueiras". The Modern Language Review, 53:3 (1958), p. 355–63.

## Further reading[edit]

* Chevalier, Jules. Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des comtés de Valentinois et de Diois. Paris: 1897.
* Duchesne, André. Histoire généalogique des comtes de Valentinois et de Diois. Paris: 1628.