The Battle of Varey took place on 7 August 1325 in what is now the commune of
Saint-Jean-le-Vieux, in the French department of
Ain
Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...
. It was between troops of the
Count of Savoy
The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at the ...
and the
Dauphin of Viennois
The counts of Albon (''comtes d'Albon'') were members of the medieval nobility in what is now south-eastern France.
Guigues IV, Count of Albon (d. 1142) was nicknamed ''le Dauphin'' or ''the Dolphin''. His nickname morphed into a title among ...
as part of an ongoing war between the two neighbouring provinces.
Background
The Counts of Savoy and the Dauphins of Viennois had been almost consistently engaged in disputes and hostilities for some 50 years. When
Guigues VIII became Dauphin in 1318 at the age of only 9,
Edward, Count of Savoy
Edward (1284–1329), surnamed the Liberal, was Count of Savoy from 1323 to 1329. He was the son of Amadeus V, Count of Savoy, Amadeus V and his first wife Sybille of Bâgé.
Edward was born at Baugé. He was married to Bianca of Burgundy, Blanc ...
, took the opportunity to attempt the capture of the castle of Varey with the help of Guichard VI, Sire of Beaujeu, who claimed its ownership.
Prelude
Edward, supported by Robert of Burgundy, Count of Tonnerre assembled a large force equipped with siege engines, besieged the castle, and proceeded to bombard it. The defenders eventually negotiated a ceasefire, promising to surrender in 10 days time, and meanwhile sent an urgent message to the Dauphin Guigues asking for help.
The battle
Guigues arrival, supported by Genevans, took the Savoyards by surprise and forced them to prepare hastily for battle, which predominantly took place between the cavalry. A Burgundian charge was repulsed and forced back to the Savoyard camp, where, with the assistance of the Varey garrison, the camp was overwhelmed. Edward and his followers fled to the nearby castle of Pont d'Ain, leaving their camp to be pillaged. Robert of Burgundy and Guichard, Sire of Beaujeu, were taken prisoner, as well as
John I, Count of Auxerre
John I of Chalon-Auxerre (1243–1309) was a son of John, Count of Chalon and his second wife, Isabella van Courtenay - his brother was bishop Hugo III of Chalon. John I married Adelaide of Auxerre and they ruled jointly as Count of Auxerre
Th ...
, and later ransomed.
Aftermath
Guigues did not properly exploit his success in the battle and the relationship between the two houses carried on much as before, draining both financially. Hostilities only came to an end after a peace treaty was signed in Paris in 1355.
References
* Article partly based on a translation of the equivalent article on French Wikipedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varey, Battle of
Battles involving France
Battles of the Middle Ages
Conflicts in 1325