Humbert II of Viennois
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Humbert II de la Tour-du-Pin (1312 – 4 May 1355) was the Dauphin of the Viennois from 1333 to 16 July 1349. Humbert was the last dauphin before the title went to the
French crown France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the firs ...
, to be bestowed on the
heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
.


Character

Humbert was a son of Dauphin
John II of Viennois Jean II de la Tour du Pin (1280 – 5 March 1319, Pont de Sorgues, near Avignon) succeeded his father Humbert I as dauphin of Viennois from 1306 to 1318. His mother was Anne of Burgundy, dauphine du Viennois. In 1296 he married Beatrice of ...
and Beatrice of Hungary. To contemporaries, he was incompetent and extravagant, lacking the warlike ardour of his brother. He passed his youth at
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
enjoying the aesthetic pleasures of the Italian ''
trecento The Trecento (, also , ; short for , "1300") refers to the 14th century in Italian cultural history. Period Art Commonly, the Trecento is considered to be the beginning of the Renaissance in art history. Painters of the Trecento included Giotto ...
''. His subsequent court at
Beauvoir-en-Royans Beauvoir-en-Royans is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department *Parc naturel régional du Vercors The Vercors Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional ...
had a reputation for extravagance. Unlike his predecessors, Humbert was not itinerant, moving continually from one dauphinal castle to another, instead preferring to settle in Beauvoir. He depleted his treasury rather than institute oppressive taxes.


War and politics

When Humbert inherited the Dauphiné on the death of his brother Guigues VIII in 1333, they were at war with
Aymon, Count of Savoy Aymon (15 December 1291 – 22 June 1343), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1329 to 1343. Early life Aymon was born in Chambéry. His father was Amadeus V, Count of Savoy, and he was the younger brother of Edward, Count of Sav ...
. Within a year, King
Philip VI of France Philip VI (french: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (french: le Fortuné, link=no) or the Catholic (french: le Catholique, link=no) and of Valois, was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 ...
was able to broker a truce between the new dauphin and Savoy. In 1333,
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV (german: Ludwig; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328. Louis' election as king of Germany in ...
, sought to counter French influence in the region, and offered Humbert the
Kingdom of Arles The Kingdom of Burgundy, known from the 12th century as the Kingdom of Arles, also referred to in various context as Arelat, the Kingdom of Arles and Vienne, or Kingdom of Burgundy-Provence, was a realm established in 933 by the merger of the king ...
, an opportunity to gain full authority over Savoy, Provence, and surrounding territories. Humbert was reluctant to take the crown and the conflict that would follow with all around him, so he declined. Subsequently, Humbert found himself more and more financially dependent on Philip. Humbert was married to Marie of Baux, niece of
King Robert of Naples Robert of Anjou ( it, Roberto d'Angiò), known as Robert the Wise ( it, Roberto il Saggio; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Ita ...
by his sister Beatrice. Humbert's only son, Andrew, died aged two in October 1335. By 1337 Humbert was planning to cede his inheritance. He first offered it to Robert, who did not like the terms. In 1339 due to increasing financial difficulties, he made an inventory of his possessions with the hope of selling them to
Pope Benedict XII Pope Benedict XII ( la, Benedictus XII, french: Benoît XII; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope. Benedict was a careful p ...
. In May 1345, Humbert left
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
leading a papal fleet called by
Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bla ...
. The Second Smyrniote Crusade was against the
Aydınids The Aydinids or Aydinid dynasty (Turkish language, Modern Turkish: ''Aydınoğulları'', ''Aydınoğulları Beyliği'', ota, آیدین اوغوللاری بیلیغی), also known as the Principality of Aydin and Beylik of Aydin (), was on ...
. It was intended to assist the recaptured Frankish port of
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
by responding to a January 1345 attack during a time of truce by the Turkish garrison upon Christians worshiping in the demolished cathedral. While at sail his fleet was attacked by the
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
near
Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
. He was also asked to intervene by
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
in the conflict between Bartolomeo Zaccaria and
Guglielma Pallavicini Guglielma Pallavicini (rarely ''Wilhelmina''; died 1358), the Lady of Thermopylae, was the last Pallavicino heir to rule in Bodonitsa. She ruled as Margrave of Bodonitza in 1311 – 1358. She was an infant when she succeeded her father Albert in ...
over the
marquisate of Bodonitsa The margraviate or marquisate of Bodonitsa (also Vodonitsa or Boudonitza; el, Μαρκιωνία/Μαρκιζᾶτον τῆς Βοδονίτσας), today Mendenitsa, Phthiotis (180 km northwest of Athens), was a Frankish state in Greece foll ...
. Humbert's battle for control of Smyrna in 1346 led to 55 years of Christian rule over the city. During his command, he established the confraternal Order of Saint Catherine.; cited in Humbert's wife died around the start of 1347, shortly before he returned from the crusade. As he was returning, he joined marquesses
John II of Montferrat John II Palaeologus (5 February 1321 – 19 March 1372) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1338. Career John was the son of Theodore I of Montferrat, with whom he was associated in the government from 1336. He had great fortune in extending ...
and
Thomas II of Saluzzo Thomas II ( it, Tommaso del Vasto) (1304 – 18 August 1357) was Marquess of Saluzzo from 1336 to his death. He succeeded his father, Frederick I. His mother Margarete de La Tour du Pin, a daughter of Humbert I de La Tour du Pin, Dauphin de Vien ...
in their fight against Robert's successor, Queen
Joanna I of Naples Joanna I, also known as Johanna I ( it, Giovanna I; December 1325 – 27 July 1382), was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1382; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381. Joanna was the eldest daug ...
, who was supported by the Savoyards. When
Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bla ...
brought the two sides to negotiations, the terms included the possibility of Humbert marrying
Bianca of Savoy Bianca of Savoy (1337– Pavia, 31 December 1387) was Lady of Milan by marriage to Galeazzo II Visconti. She was the only surviving daughter of Aimone, Count of Savoy and Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrat. Early life Bianca was the second of ...
, though this did not reach agreement. The planned sale to the pope falling through, Humbert finally succeeded in completing a sale to King Philip VI of France in 1349 for 400,000 ''
écu The term ''écu'' () or crown may refer to one of several French coins. The first ''écu'' was a gold coin (the ''écu d'or'') minted during the reign of Louis IX of France, in 1266. ''Écu'' (from Latin ''scutum'') means shield, and the coin ...
s'' and an annual pension. To maintain its sovereignty, however, the sale was referred to as a "transfer". In order to prevent the title from going into abeyance or being swallowed up in another sovereign title, Humbert instituted the "Delphinal Statute" whereby the
Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...
was exempted from many taxes and imposts. This statute was subject to much parliamentary debate at regional level, as local leaders sought to defend their autonomy and privilege against the state.


Ecclesiastical career

After ceding his lands, Humbert entered the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
and became
Latin Patriarch of Alexandria Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple peo ...
within two years. He consecrated Rodolphe de Chissé as
Bishop of Grenoble The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grenoble–Vienne-les-Allobroges (Latin: ''Diocesis Gratianopolitana–Viennensis Allobrogum''; French: ''Diocèse de Grenoble–Vienne-les-Allobroges'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church i ...
in 1351. It is with these latter titles that his death is recorded in a
necrology An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
of
Vauvert Vauvert (; oc, Vauverd) is a commune in the far south of the Gard department in southern France. It was known as ''Posquières'' in the Middle Ages. The commune comprises the town of Vauvert and the villages of Gallician and Montcalm.
: in
Clermont-en-Auvergne Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with a population of 146,734 (2018). Its metropolitan area (''aire d'attract ...
, at 43 years of age in 1355. He was buried in the now demolished church of Couvent des Jacobins in Paris.


Notes


References

* * * *Setton, The Papacy and the Levant (1204–1571), vol. 1 (Philadelphia, 1976), Chapter 10,‘Clement VI, Humbert and end of the crusade to Smyrna, 1345-52’, pp. 195–223. *Miller, W.
The Marquisate of Boudonitza (1204–1414)
" ''Journal of Hellenic Studies'', Vol. 28, 1908, pp 234–249. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Humbert 02 Of Viennois 1312 births 1355 deaths Dauphins of Viennois Christians of the Crusades French Dominicans Latin Patriarchs of Alexandria Archbishops of Reims 14th-century French Roman Catholic bishops 14th-century peers of France Smyrniote crusades