The County of Clermont-en-Argonne was a

feudal domain A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and in the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

during the early modern period. It was centred on the fortified hilltop town of

Clermont-en-Argonne Clermont-en-Argonne (, literally ''Clermont in Argonne''; formerly Clermont-sur-Meuse, literally ''Clermont on Meuse'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The former towns of Auzéville-en-Argonne, Jubé ...

in the

diocese of Verdun The Diocese of Verdun ( la, Dioecesis Virodunensis; french: Diocèse de Verdun) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan ...

. The term ''Clermontois'' can refer both to the region around Clermont and to the people of the town and region.

Middle Ages

Clermont-en-Argonne with its dependencies (that is, the surrounding countryside) was given to the bishop of Verdun in 719 by

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesma ...

duke of the Franks The title Duke of the Franks ( la, dux Francorum) has been used for three different offices, always with "duke" implying military command and "prince" implying something approaching sovereign or regalian rights. The term "Franks" may refer to an ...

. The county of Clermont-en-Argonne originated in the middle of the tenth century as a

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

for the ''

advocatus During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...

'' (lay defender) of the diocese of Verdun. In 1094, Clermont-en-Argonne was seized by a certain Odo and then recaptured by the bishop, Richer. In 1110, the count,

Dudo Dudo (Spanish for ''I doubt''), also known as Cacho, Pico, Perudo, Liar's Dice, Cachito or Dadinho is a popular dice game played in South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Sou ...

, was accused of having "insulted" the bishop and was besieged in Clermont by the

Emperor Henry V Henry V (german: Heinrich V.; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125, in Utrecht) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ru ...

. Thereafter, throughout the twelfth century, the town was disputed between the bishops and the

counts of Bar The County of Bar, later Duchy of Bar, was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire encompassing the '' pays de Barrois'' and centred on the city of Bar-le-Duc. It was held by the House of Montbéliard from the 11th century. Part of the county, t ...

, several times being besieged and even burnt. After the counts gained the military advantage, they agreed to do

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to the bishop in return for Clermont. Once in legal possession of the town, the counts of Bar built strong fortifications. In the thirteenth century, Count Henry II built a fortress on the Plateau de Sainte-Anne outside Clermont. The inhabitants of the fortified plateau were enfranchised by Count Theobald II in 1246 and those of the town itself by Duke Henry IV in 1339, the counts of Bar having by then been raised to the status of dukes. In 1354, Henry IV's widow, the Countess Yolande, ruling on behalf of her young son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, established a mint at Clermont-en-Argonne. After 1431, the counts of Bar were also

Dukes of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...

Modern period

By the Treaty of Toledo in 1539, the French recognised the county of Clermont-en-Argonne as a fief of the bishop of Verdun and an '' arrière-fief'' of the Holy Roman Empire. Its

customary law A legal custom is the established pattern of behavior that can be objectively verified within a particular social setting. A claim can be carried out in defense of "what has always been done and accepted by law". Customary law (also, consuetudina ...

(''coutume'') was first written down in 1571. The county of Clermont-en-Argonne formed one of the ''

bailliage A bailiwick () is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and once also applied to territories in which a privately appointed bailiff exercised the sheriff's functions under a royal or imperial writ. The bailiwick is probably modelled on ...

s'' of the Duchy of Lorraine. On 26 June 1632, by the Treaty of Liverdun, Duke

Charles IV of Lorraine Charles IV (5 April 1604, Nancy – 18 September 1675, Allenbach) was Duke of Lorraine from 1624 until his death in 1675, with a brief interruption in 1634, when he abdicated under French pressure in favor of his younger brother, Nicholas Fran ...

ceded the ''bailliage'' to France after the latter had invaded Lorraine as part of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. By the

Treaty of Charmes A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...

of 1633, Clermont was restored to Charles IV, who, in 1635, gave it to his younger brother, Nicolas François, to serve as a

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. ...

for his wife,

Claude Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

. On 29 March 1641, by the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

, Charles ceded the entire Duchy of Bar, including Clermont, to the French king,

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

. The cession of Clermont, Bar and the three '' prévôtés'' of

Stenay Stenay () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Stenaisiens''. History In 679, the assassinated king Dagobert II was buried in the church of Saint-Remi in Stenay. In 872, King ...

Dun A dun is an ancient or medieval fort. In Ireland and Britain it is mainly a kind of hillfort and also a kind of Atlantic roundhouse. Etymology The term comes from Irish language, Irish ''dún'' or Scottish Gaelic ''dùn'' (meaning "fort"), ...

and

Jametz Jametz is a small commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, near the Belgian border. Economy Since the 15th century, residents have primarily worked as cattle farmers, cheesemakers, carpenters and leatherworkers. To ...

to France was confirmed in the

Treaty of the Pyrenees The Treaty of the Pyrenees (french: Traité des Pyrénées; es, Tratado de los Pirineos; ca, Tractat dels Pirineus) was signed on 7 November 1659 on Pheasant Island, and ended the Franco-Spanish War that had begun in 1635. Negotiations were ...

(1659). Although this treaty was between Spain and France, the Duke of Lorraine was a Spanish prisoner at the time and was bound to accept its terms as a condition of his release. In 1648, Louis XIII granted the county of Clermont-en-Argonne to Louis, ''le Grand Condé'', and it remained as an

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...

in his family until the

abolition of feudalism in France One of the central events of the French Revolution was to abolish feudalism, and the old rules, taxes and privileges left over from the age of feudalism. The National Constituent Assembly, acting on the night of 4 August 1789, announced, "The Na ...

during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

(1790). Although Charles IV recovered the Duchy of Bar and other lands by the

Treaty of Vincennes The Treaty of Vincennes is the name of two separate treaties. One was an agreement between the United States of America and the Miami and their allies, the Wea tribes and the Shawnee, and was signed on June 6, 1803. The purpose of the treaty w ...

in 1661, Clermont remained with the Condé. In 1652,

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Seigneur de Vauban, later Marquis de Vauban (baptised 15 May 163330 March 1707), commonly referred to as ''Vauban'' (), was a French military engineer who worked under Louis XIV. He is generally considered the ...

oversaw the fortification of Clermont. In 1654, Clermont took the side of the rebels during the ''

Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law cour ...

'' and Vauban led royal troops in besieging it. On 8 November, the Marquis de Riberpray led an assault that took the fortress and the church. The town itself held out until 22 November, when it surrendered after a siege of one month. The town was destroyed and the peasants were forced to dismantle the fortress. From 1709 until 1771,

Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

of a cadet branch of the Condés was the count of Clermont. In 1790, the land of the county of Clermont was formally attached to the national domain.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * {{coord, 49.10, 5.07, display=title Counties of the Holy Roman Empire Ancien Régime 1790 disestablishments in France States and territories disestablished in 1791