The county of Bar-sur-Seine was a compact lordship in

France during the Middle Ages The Kingdom of France in the Middle Ages (roughly, from the 10th century to the middle of the 15th century) was marked by the fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and West Francia (843–987); the expansion of royal control by the House of C ...

. Its seat,

Bar-sur-Seine Bar-sur-Seine (, literally ''Bar on Seine'') is a commune in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of north-central France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Barrois'' or ''Barroises'' and ''Barséquanais'' or ''Barséquanais ...

, lies on a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

site, but is only attested from the ninth century. It became of strategic importance in the twelfth century, as an urban centre and major castle on the road between Burgundy and

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

. The first clear evidence that Bar-sur-Seine was regarded as a county comes from the late eleventh century. The castle belonged to the counts of Tonnerre until it was inherited by Eustachia, daughter of Milo III of Tonnerre. She married Walter I, Count of Brienne, and he took to titling himself "Count of Brienne and Bar-sur-Seine". In 1085, their third son, Milo II, inherited both the castle of Bar and the title of count. It is only at this juncture that a distinct county of Bar-sur-Seine emerges. Milo II was able to pass on the county undivided to his eldest son, Guy, in 1125 after his second son, Raynaud, entered the church and his third son, Herbert, married the heiress of the lordship of Ville-sur-Arce. Guy likewise passed on an undiminished county to his eldest son, Milo III. He died in 1151 only a year after his marriage to Agnes, heiress of Braine and Baudement. His heir was their only child, the infant Petronilla. Her uncle, Manasses, a cleric, ruled the county in her name until her marriage to Hugh of Le Puiset in 1168. Hugh ruled the county for the next twenty-one years, first in the name of his wife and from 1174 in the name of their son, Milo IV. Initially, the county, like the castle, was a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

of the Bishop and Duke of Langres. Milo II and his successors entered the orbit of the

counts of Champagne The count of Champagne was the ruler of the County of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the County of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title count of Champagne. Count Theobald ...

in part out of desire to distance themselves from the bishop, their overlord. In the 1170s under Hugh of Le Puiset the county transferred its fealty from the bishop to the count of Champagne. By 1201, under Milo IV, it was considered one of the "great fiefs" of Champagne. The death of Milo IV and his only son, Gaucher, at the Siege of Damietta in 1219 sealed the county's fate. His widow, Helisent of Joigny, inherited the castle and her

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...

while the rest of the county went to Milo's nephews and nieces. Unusually, the county of Bar-sur-Seine was reassembled by Count

Theobald IV of Champagne Theobald I (french: Thibaut, es, Teobaldo; 30 May 1201 – 8 July 1253), also called the Troubadour and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne (as Theobald IV) from birth and King of Navarre from 1234. He initiated the Barons' Crusade, was famous ...

. He purchased the shares that went to Milo's relatives in 1223–24 and then those of Helisent and the community property in 1225. In 1227 he reorganized it as a

castellany A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of the county of Champagne.

List of counts

*Milo II (1085–1124) *Guy (1125–1147) * Milo III (1147–1151) *Petronilla (1151–1174) **Manasses (1151–1168) **Hugh of Le Puiset (1168–1174) * Milo IV (1174–1219) **Hugh of Le Puiset (1174–1189)

Notes

Sources

* * * {{refend Champagne (province) Counties of France