Guigues le Vieux, count of Albon, called
Guigues III (between 1050 and 1060 – 1133) was the first Count of Albon from 1079, when the County of Vienne, then in the possession of the Archdiocese of Vienne, was divided between him and
Humbert I of SavoyUmberto I was the first Count of Savoy from 1032, when the County of Vienne, which had been sold to the Archdiocese of Vienne, was divided between the County of Albon and the Maurienne...
, who received
MaurienneMaurienne is one of the provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.-Location:...
.
He was the son of Guigues II of Albon and Adelaide of Royans. His ancestors were lords of the castle of
AlbonAlbon is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
and counts (
comites) in the Grésivaudan and Briançonnais.
Guigues's reign was marked by continual strife with
Hugh of ChâteauneufSaint Hugh of Châteauneuf was the Bishop of Grenoble from 1080 to his death. He was a partisan of the Gregorian reform and opposed to Guy of Burgundy, Archbishop of Vienne, later Pope as Callistus II....
, Bishop of Grenoble, over the suzerainty of certain church lands in the Grésivaudan. Hugh accused the count of usurping the lands with the help of the Bishop Mallem and invented fantastic stories to back up his claim to the disputed estates. Finally an accord was signed between Guigues and the bishop in 1099. Guigues returned the ecclesiastic land, while Hugh recognised the authority of the count in the vicinity of
GrenobleGrenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
.
In 1095, Guigues contracted an exemplary marriage with the high-born Matilda, long thought to be the daughter of Edgar the Aetheling, but now thought more likely to have been a daughter of
Roger I of SicilyRoger I , called Bosso and the Great Count, was the Norman Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was the last great leader of the Norman conquest of southern Italy.-Conquest of Calabria and Sicily:...
, the Great Count, and his third wife,
Adelaide del VastoAdelaide del Vasto was the third wife of Roger I of Sicily and mother of Roger II of Sicily, as well as Queen consort of Jerusalem due to her later marriage to Baldwin I of Jerusalem, as his third wife.-Family:She was the daughter of Manfred del Vasto Adelaide del Vasto (Adelasia, Azalaïs) (c....
. Patrick Deret, however, alleges, on the basis of possible birth dates, that her mother must have been Roger's second wife, Eremburga of Mortain.
In 1129, Guigues benefited further from the division of the Viennois between himself and
Amadeus III of SavoyAmadeus III of Savoy was Count of Savoy and Maurienne from 1103 until his death. He was also known as the Crusader....
. Four years later, he died, leaving as his heir Guigues IV and a second son, Humbert, Archbishop of Vienne. He had three daughters:
- Garsenda, married William III of Forcalquier
- Matilda, married Amadeus III of Savoy in 1135
- Beatrice (born c. 1100), married Josserand de Die (c. 1095 – c. 1147)