County of Geneva
Encyclopedia
The County of Geneva, largely corresponding to the later Genevois
province, originated in the tenth century, in the Burgundian Kingdom of Arles
(Arelat) which fell to the Holy Roman Empire
in 1032.
(Bourgogne transjurane) from the 9th century. The progenitor of the Counts of Geneva was Gerold I, son of one Count Albert, who married Bertha, maybe a daughter of Count Baldwin III of Flanders
, and died about 1023. Their son, Gerold II, count of Geneva, was born about 1020 and died about 1080.
The county never played a major part as a feudal entity
. The city of Geneva
and its environs were retained, but the approaches to the western end of Lake Geneva
, which had made the position strategic, were soon lost. In 1124 the Bishops of Geneva had their rule over the city acknowledged and continued to make themselves an independent force, while the Counts of Savoy
encircled the territory and controlled the trade routes. From 1219 on, the counts' stronghold and capital was Annecy
.
At a moment when the male line of the counts was near exhaustion, Robert of Geneva
was raised to a shadow papacy by the French cardinals who seceded from the College of Cardinals
and wished to rescind their part in the election of the irascible Urban VI
; elected 20 September 1378, Robert took the title of Clement VII
. Unexpectedly, with the death of his brother, he succeeded as count in 1392. As count, Robert was virtually dependent on the cooperative graces of the count of Savoy. With his death in 1394, the House of Geneva was extinguished and the title passed to the husband of the heiress, Humbert VII of Thoire and Villars who died in 1400.
The year after Humbert's death, his heir Odo sold the comté to Count Amadeus VIII of Savoy
. Though other members of the Genevan House protested, Amadeus successfully completed the integration of the county with his territories, which were raised to a duchy by Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg
. The title Count of Geneva passed securely into the House of Savoy
, where it is maintained as a courtesy title
.
In 1401 Odo sold the County to Amadeus VIII of Savoy. His heirs however contested this and the legal processes were not completed until 1424.
House of Savoy
From 1424 the County of Geneva was joined to the House of Savoy, although at times it was granted as appanage
to cadet branches of the family.
Subsequently the County of Geneva was joined to the Duchy of Savoy.
Genevois (province)
The Genevois is a former province of the Duchy of Savoy. Its capital is Annecy and other centres include Faverges, Thônes, and La Clusaz. It was bordered by the provinces of Carouge to the north-west, Faucigny to the north-east, and Savoy proper to the south-east and south-west.Although the...
province, originated in the tenth century, in the Burgundian Kingdom of Arles
Kingdom of Arles
The Kingdom of Arles or Second Kingdom of Burgundy of the High Middle Ages was a Frankish dominion established in 933 from lands of the early medieval Kingdom of Burgundy at Arles...
(Arelat) which fell to the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
in 1032.
History
Several nobles had held the title of a Count of Geneva in Upper BurgundyUpper Burgundy
Upper Burgundy is the part of Burgundy east of the Jura mountains, that together with the western County of Burgundy from 868 formed the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy, encompassing both sides of the Jura mountains range...
(Bourgogne transjurane) from the 9th century. The progenitor of the Counts of Geneva was Gerold I, son of one Count Albert, who married Bertha, maybe a daughter of Count Baldwin III of Flanders
Baldwin III, Count of Flanders
Baldwin III The Young of Flanders was Count of Flanders, who briefly ruled the County of Flanders , together with his father Arnulf I....
, and died about 1023. Their son, Gerold II, count of Geneva, was born about 1020 and died about 1080.
The county never played a major part as a feudal entity
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
. The city of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and its environs were retained, but the approaches to the western end of Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
, which had made the position strategic, were soon lost. In 1124 the Bishops of Geneva had their rule over the city acknowledged and continued to make themselves an independent force, while the Counts of Savoy
County of Savoy
The Counts of Savoy emerged, along with the free communes of Switzerland, from the collapse of the Burgundian Kingdom of Arles in the 11th century....
encircled the territory and controlled the trade routes. From 1219 on, the counts' stronghold and capital was Annecy
Annecy
Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:...
.
At a moment when the male line of the counts was near exhaustion, Robert of Geneva
Antipope Clement VII
Robert of Geneva was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism.-Biography:...
was raised to a shadow papacy by the French cardinals who seceded from the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
and wished to rescind their part in the election of the irascible Urban VI
Pope Urban VI
Pope Urban VI , born Bartolomeo Prignano, was Pope from 1378 to 1389.-Biography:Born in Itri, he was a devout monk and learned casuist, trained at Avignon. On March 21, 1364, he was consecrated Archbishop of Acerenza in the Kingdom of Naples...
; elected 20 September 1378, Robert took the title of Clement VII
Antipope Clement VII
Robert of Geneva was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism.-Biography:...
. Unexpectedly, with the death of his brother, he succeeded as count in 1392. As count, Robert was virtually dependent on the cooperative graces of the count of Savoy. With his death in 1394, the House of Geneva was extinguished and the title passed to the husband of the heiress, Humbert VII of Thoire and Villars who died in 1400.
The year after Humbert's death, his heir Odo sold the comté to Count Amadeus VIII of Savoy
Antipope Felix V
-External links:*...
. Though other members of the Genevan House protested, Amadeus successfully completed the integration of the county with his territories, which were raised to a duchy by Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
. The title Count of Geneva passed securely into the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
, where it is maintained as a courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
.
House of Geneva
- Ratbert (died after 880)
- Albitius (died after 931), his son
- Conrad I (died c. 963), his son
- c.963–974 : Conrad II, his son
- 974–??? : Albert, his brother
- ???–c.1023 : Gérold I, his son
- c.1023–c.1080 : Gérold II, his son
- c.1080–1128 : Aymon I, his son
- 1128–1178 : Amadeus I, his son
- 1178–1195 : William IWilliam I of GenevaWilliam I of Geneva was Count of Geneva from 1178 to 1195, in succession to his father, Count Amadeus I of Geneva...
his son - 1195–1220 : Humbert I, his son
- 1220–1252 : William IIWilliam II of GenevaWilliam II was the Count of Geneva, originally a usurper, from 1225 until his death. He fought a long series of wars with the House of Savoy and lost control of all of his county outside of the traditional Genevois and saw his influence over the city of Geneva proper and the Bishop of Geneva...
, his brother - 1252–1265 : RudolfRudolf of GenevaRudolf or Rudolph was the Count of Geneva from 1252 until his death in 1265. He was the eldest son of William II, and was described by a Renaissance historian as “the more quarrelsome son of a quarrelsome father.” He was a constant warrior, and his most frequent foes were of the House of...
, his son - 1265–1280 : Aymon IIAymon II of GenevaAymon II was the Count of Geneva from 1265. He was the son and heir of Count Rudolf, but died heirless himself and was succeeded by his brother Amadeus II...
, his son - 1280–1308 : Amadeus IIAmadeus II of GenevaAmadeus II was the Count of Geneva, which included the Genevois, but not the city of Geneva, from 1280. He was the second son of Count Rudolf and succeeded his heirless brother Aymon II.-Alliance and war :...
, his brother - 1308–1320 : William III, his son
- 1320–1367 : Amadeus IIIAmadeus III of GenevaAmadeus III was the Count of Geneva from 1320 until his death. He ruled the Genevois, but not the city of Geneva proper, and it was during his time that the term "Genevois" came to be used as it is today. He was the eldest son and successor of William III and Agnes, daughter of Amadeus V of Savoy...
, his son - 1367–1367 : Aymon IIIAymon III of GenevaAymon III or Aimon III , a soldier, statesman and Crusader, was the twelfth Count of Geneva between January 1367 and his death seven months thence. He was the eldest son and successor of Amadeus III and Mahaut d'Auvergne. He pursued a policy of alliance and cooperation with the House of Savoy begun...
, his son - 1367–1369 : Amadeus IVAmadeus IV of GenevaAmadeus IV was the Count of Geneva from 1367 until his death. He was the second son of Amadeus III and Mahaut d'Auvergne. He succeeded his childless brother Aymon III in August 1367...
, his brother - 1369–1370 : John I, his brother
- 1370–1392 : PeterPeter of GenevaPeter was the fourth of five sons of Count Amadeus III of Geneva and succeeded his brother John I as Count of Geneva in 1370. When he died without a son to succeed him in 1392, the county passed to the fifth of the brothers, then Antipope Clement VII.Peter led a contingent of Genevans in an...
, his brother - 1392–1394 : Robert, his brother; as Clement VIIAntipope Clement VIIRobert of Geneva was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism.-Biography:...
he was AntipopeAntipopeAn antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
at AvignonAvignon PapacyThe Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
from 1378
House of Thoire
- 1394–1400 : Humbert VII of ThoireThoiretteThoirette is a commune in the Jura department in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France.- Demographics :As of the census of 1999, the population was 543.The estimate for 2005 was 617.- References :*...
and VillarsVillars-les-DombesVillars-les-Dombes is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.Its people are known as Villardois.-Geography:The town is in the part of Ain which is half-way between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse , in the heart of the area known as the Dombes, notable for its hundreds of lakes which are suited...
(died 1400), son of Humbert VI, Lord of Thoire and Villars, and Maria of Geneva, Daughter of Amadeus III - 1400–1401 : Odo of Thoire and Villars
In 1401 Odo sold the County to Amadeus VIII of Savoy. His heirs however contested this and the legal processes were not completed until 1424.
House of SavoyHouse of SavoyThe House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
From 1424 the County of Geneva was joined to the House of Savoy, although at times it was granted as appanageAppanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
to cadet branches of the family.
- 1424–1434 : Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy
- 1434–1444 : Philip of Savoy (1417–1444), his son, apanagiste Count
- 1444–1460 : LouisLouis, Duke of SavoyLouis I was Duke of Savoy from 1440 until his death.-Life:...
(1413–1465), Duke of Savoy, his brother
- 1444–1460 : Louis
- 1460–1482 : Louis (1436 † 1482), his son, apanagiste Count, also King of Cyprus
- 1482–1491 : John of Savoy (1440–1491), his brother, apanagiste Count
- 1491–1496 : Charles IICharles II, Duke of SavoyCharles II or Charles John Amadeus , was the Duke of Savoy from 1490 to 1496 but his mother Blanche of Montferrat was the actual ruler as a Regent...
(1489–1496), Duke of Savoy- 1496–1497 : Philipp II the LandlessPhilip II, Duke of SavoyPhilip II , surnamed the Landless was the Duke of Savoy for the brief reign from 1496 to 1497.-Biography:...
(1438–1497), Duke of Savoy, grand-uncle of the previous, son of Louis I - 1497–1504 : Philibert II the HandsomePhilibert II, Duke of SavoyPhilibert II , surnamed the Handsome or the Good, was the Duke of Savoy from 1497 until his death.-Biography:...
(1480–1504), Duke of Savoy, his son - 1504–1514 : Charles IIICharles III, Duke of SavoyCharles III of Savoy , often called Charles the Good, was Duke of Savoy from 1504 to 1553, although most of his lands were ruled by the French between 1536 and his death....
(1486–1553), Duke of Savoy, his brother
- 1496–1497 : Philipp II the Landless
- 1514–1533 : Philippe, Duke of Nemours (1490 † 1533), apanagiste Count of Geneva, Duke of NemoursDuke of NemoursIn the 12th and 13th centuries the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gatinais, France, was in possession of the house of Villebeon, a member of which, Gautier, was marshal of France in the middle of the 13th century...
, his brother - 1533–1585 : Jacques, Duke of Nemours (1531–1585), Duke of Geneva 1564, his son
- 1585–1595 : Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Nemours (1567–1595), his son
- 1595–1632 : Henri I, Duke of Nemours (1572–1632), his brother
- 1632–1641 : Louis, Duke of NemoursLouis, Duke of NemoursPrince Louis of Orléans was the second son of the future King Louis-Philippe I of France, and his wife Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily. Under the reign of his father from 1830–1848, he was styled as Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours.-Childhood:He was born at the Palais Royal, in Paris...
(1615–1641), his son - 1641–1652 : Charles Amadeus of Savoy (1624–1652), his brother
- 1652–1659 : Henri II, Duke of Nemours (1625–1659), his brother, Archbishop of ReimsArchbishop of ReimsThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by St. Sixtus, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese around 750...
- 1659–1724 : Marie Jeanne of Savoy (1644–1724), daughter of Charles Amadeus, married
- Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of SavoyCharles Emmanuel II, Duke of SavoyCharles Emmanuel II was the Duke of Savoy from 1638 to 1675 and under regency of his mother Christine Marie of France until 1663. He was also Marquis of Saluzzo, Count of Aosta, Geneva, Moriana and Nice, as well as claimant king of Cyprus and Jerusalem...
(1634–1675) husband of the above
- Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy
Subsequently the County of Geneva was joined to the Duchy of Savoy.
Further reading
- Lindsay L. Brook, " The Paternal Origins of the Counts of Geneva" Foundations (Foundation for Medieval Genealogy), vol. 1 series 2, pp 111-115.
- Duparc, Pierre, Le Comté de Genève, Ixe-XVe siècle (Geneva and Paris) 1955.