The land of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

. In this position, influenced and affected by several different cultures on different sides, the Provençals maintained a unity which was reinforced when the region was made a separate kingdom during the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

decline of the later ninth century. Provence was eventually joined to the other Burgundian kingdom, but it remained ruled by its own powerful, and largely independent, counts. In the eleventh century, Provence became disputed between the traditional line and the

counts of Toulouse The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...

, who claimed the title of "Margrave of Provence". In the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...

, the title of Count of Provence belonged to local families of

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

ish origin, to the

House of Barcelona The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 (as kings from 1162) until 1410. They descend from the Bellonids, the descendants of Wifred the Hairy. The ...

, to the

House of Anjou Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to: * County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France ** Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou ** Counts and Dukes of Anjou *House of Ingelger, a Fra ...

and to a cadet branch of the

House of Valois The Capetian house of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the List of French monarchs, French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589 ...

. After 1032, the county was part of 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 ...

. It was inherited by King

Louis XI of France Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revo ...

in 1481, and definitively incorporated into the

French royal domain The crown lands, crown estate, royal domain or (in French) ''domaine royal'' (from demesne) of France were the lands, fiefs and rights directly possessed by the kings of France. While the term eventually came to refer to a territorial unit, th ...

by his son Charles VIII in 1487.

Merovingian governors

During the period of the

Merovingian dynasty The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

in Gaul, Provence was a province ruled by '' duces'' (dukes), military leaders and district commanders who served as defenders of the frontiers of the kingdom and ruled over vast territories as opposed to the ''

comites ''Comes'' ( ), plural ''comites'' ( ), was a Roman title or office, and the origin Latin form of the medieval and modern title "count". Before becoming a word for various types of title or office, the word originally meant "companion", either i ...

'' (counts), who ruled the cities and their environs. Provence was usually a part of the division of the

Frankish realm Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks duri ...

known as the

Kingdom of Burgundy Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various states located in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. The historical Burgundy correlates with the border area of France, Italy and Switzerland and includes the major modern cities of Geneva and ...

, which was treated as its own kingdom. Their title sometimes appears as ''rector Provinciae''. This is an incomplete list of the known Merovingian-appointed dukes of Provence. * Liberius (until 534),

Ostrogothic The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...

appointee *

Namatius Saint Namatius ( French: ''Namace'') is a saint in the Roman Catholic church. He was the eighth or ninth bishop of Clermont (then called ''Arvernis'') from 446 to 462, and founded Clermont's first cathedral, bringing the relics of Saints Vital ...

(bef. 552), Frankish appointee *

Bodegisel Bodegisel (also spelled Bodygisil, died 585 or 588) was a Frankish duke (''dux''). He was the son of Mummolin, duke of Soissons, and served the kings Chilperic I and Childebert II. Bodegisel was ''dux'' of Provence. He was celebrated in song by the ...

(fl. c. 566) * Adovarius (561–569) *

Lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...

(569–570) * Jovin (570–573) * Albin (573–575) * Dinamius (from 575) * Gondulf (fl. c. 581) * Leudegisel (fl. c. 585), of Burgundian Provence *

Nicetas Nicetas or Niketas () is a Greek given name, meaning "victorious one" (from Nike "victory"). The veneration of martyr saint Nicetas the Goth in the medieval period gave rise to the Slavic forms: ''Nikita, Mykyta and Mikita'' People with the name N ...

(from 587) * Babo (fl. c. 600) * Aegyla (fl. c. 602) * Bado (634–641) *

Willibad Willibad, also spelled Willebad or Willihad (died 642), was the Patrician of Burgundian Provence) in the first half of the seventh century. Willibad may have been a Frank or perhaps a Burgundian, one of the last representatives of the native nobil ...

(641–643), of Burgundian Provence *

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

(fl. c. 679) *

Nemfidius Nemfidius was Patriarch of Provence around 700 CE, during the time of Pepin of Herstal (687-714). He was succeeded by Antenor __NOTOC__ Antenor ( grc-gre, Ἀντήνωρ, ''Antḗnōr''; BC) was an Athenian sculptor. He is recorded as ...

(fl. c. 700) *

Antenor __NOTOC__ Antenor ( grc-gre, Ἀντήνωρ, ''Antḗnōr''; BC) was an Ancient Athens, Athenian Ancient Greek sculpture, sculptor. He is recorded as the creator of the Harmodius and Aristogeiton (sculpture), joint statues of the tyrannic ...

(fl. c. 697) * Metrannus (fl. c. 700) *

Maurontus Maurontus was the Duke or Patrician of Provence in the early 8th century (720s and 730s). He aspired to independence in the face of Charles Martel, Duke of the Franks, and the Provençal patrician Abbo. Maurontus appeared in the ''Chronicle of ...

(c. 720 – 739) * Abbo (fl. c. 739)

Carolingian dukes

Provence was ruled by a poorly known series of dukes during the period of general Carolingian unity until the

Treaty of Verdun The Treaty of Verdun (), agreed in , divided the Francia, Frankish Empire into three kingdoms among the surviving sons of the emperor Louis the Pious, Louis I, the son and successor of Charlemagne. The treaty was concluded following almost three ...

(843). * Leibulf (until c. 829) * Guerin (c. 829 – 845) *

Fulcrad Fulcrad was the count of Arles in the middle of the ninth century, who was given military command over the other counts of the Provençal country and took the title of duke (Latin ''dux''). His recorded activity took place after the treaty of Verdu ...

(845 – c. 860)

Carolingian kings

After the division of the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lom ...

by the

(843), the first of the fraternal rulers of the three kingdoms to die was

Lothair I Lothair I or Lothar I (Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario'') (795 – 29 September 855) was emperor (817–855, co-ruling with his father until 840), and the governor of Bavar ...

, who divided his middle kingdom in accordance with the custom of the Franks between his three sons. Out of this division came the

Kingdom of Provence The Kingdom of Lower Burgundy, or Cisjurane Burgundy, was a historical kingdom in what is now southeastern France, so-called because it was lower down the Rhône Valley than Upper Burgundy. It included some of the territory of the Kingdom of ...

, given to Lothair's youngest son,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

. A heritage of royal rule was thus inaugurated in Provence which, though it was often subsumed into one of its larger neighbouring kingdoms, was just as often proclaiming its own sovereigns. The kingdom of Provence was also known as

Lower Burgundy The Kingdom of Lower Burgundy, or Cisjurane Burgundy, was a historical kingdom in what is now southeastern France, so-called because it was lower down the Rhône Valley than Upper Burgundy. It included some of the territory of the Kingdom of ...

(or Cisjurane Burgundy). Its capital was first

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...

. *

Charles of Provence Charles of Provence or Charles II (845 – 25 January 863) was the Carolingian King of Provence from 855 until his early death in 863. Charles was the youngest son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. His father divided Middle Fra ...

(855–863)
''On his death, Provence divided between surviving brothers,

Lothair II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder. Reign For political ...

and the

Emperor Louis II Louis II (825 – 12 August 875), sometimes called the Younger, was the king of Italy and emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 844, co-ruling with his father Lothair I until 855, after which he ruled alone. Louis's usual title was ''impera ...

. The bulk goes to Louis.'' * Louis II (863–875), also

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

from 855
''On his death, as with his

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

, Louis's Provence goes to his uncle

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...

.'' *

(875–877), also

from 875 *

Louis the Stammerer Louis II, known as Louis the Stammerer (french: Louis le Bègue; 1 November 846 – 10 April 879), was the king of Aquitaine and later the king of West Francia. He was the eldest son of Emperor Charles the Bald and Ermentrude of Orléans. Louis t ...

(877–879)
''With the death of Louis the Stammerer, Provence refused to elect his two sons and instead elected one of their own as king. Boso married Ermengard, daughter of Louis II, to strengthen his and his son's claim.'' * Boso (879–887) *

Louis the Blind Louis the Blind ( 880 – 5 June 928) was the king of Provence from 11 January 887, King of Italy from 12 October 900, and briefly Holy Roman Emperor, as Louis III, between 901 and 905. His father was a Bosonid and his mother was a Carolingian ...

(887–928), also

from 901 to 905
''Louis's kingdom did not pass to his heirs, but instead to his brother-in-law, the husband of his sister, Hugh, who had acted as his regent since 905. Hugh never used the royal title in Provence.'' *

Hugh Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

(911–933)
''In 933, Provence ceases to be a separate kingdom as Hugh exchanged it with

Rudolph II of Upper Burgundy Rudolph II (c. 11 July 880 – 11 July 937), a member of the Elder House of Welf, was King of Burgundy from 912 until his death. He initially succeeded in Upper Burgundy and also ruled as King of Italy from 922 to 926. In 933 Rudolph acquired the ...

for the

Iron Crown of Lombardy The Iron Crown ( lmo, Corona Ferrea de Lombardia; it, Corona Ferrea; la, Corona Ferrea) is a relic and may be one of the oldest royal insignia of Christendom. It was made in the Early Middle Ages, consisting of a circlet of gold and jewels fit ...

, that is, rule of Italy.''

Counts and Margraves, within the Empire

In the aftermath of the death of

, Provence began to be ruled by local counts placed under the authority of a margrave. Firstly,

Hugh of Arles Hugh (c. 880–947), known as Hugh of Arles or Hugh of Provence, was the king of Italy from 926 until his death. He belonged to the Bosonid family. During his reign, he empowered his relatives at the expense of the aristocracy and tried to estab ...

served as duke and regent during Louis' long blindness. Secondly, Hugh gave the march of

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Rudolf II of Burgundy Rudolph II (c. 11 July 880 – 11 July 937), a member of the Elder House of Welf, was King of Burgundy from 912 until his death. He initially succeeded in Upper Burgundy and also ruled as King of Italy from 922 to 926. In 933 Rudolph acquired the ...

in a treaty of 933. Rudolf was never recognised by the nobles of the country and appointed

Hugh, Duke of Burgundy Hugh the Black (died 952) was Duke of Burgundy from 923 until his death in 952. He was a Bosonid through his father, who was the younger brother of Boso of Provence. Hugh was the son of Richard of Autun, Duke of Burgundy, and Adelaide of Auxerr ...

as its first margrave. At the time, the premier counts in the region were the counts of Arles and those of Avignon. Those who would first bear the title ''comes Provinciae'' or "count of Provence" descended from one Rotbold of Arles.

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...

and Rotbold I did not divide their father's domains and this indivisibility was maintained by their respective descendants. It is thus impossible to ascertain who succeeded whom in the county as various reigns overlap. By his marriage to Emma of Provence, daughter of Rotbold II,

William III, Count of Toulouse William III Taillefer (also spelled ''Tallefer'' or ''Tallifer''; – September 1037) was the Count of Toulouse, Albi, and Quercy from 972 or 978 to his death. He was the first of the Toulousain branch of his family to bear the title '' marchio'' ...

inherited lands and castles in Provence. Emma inherited the title Margrave of Provence upon her elder brother's death in 1037. Her son

Pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other bipeds lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of Va ...

by William III did not survive her, but her grandson did and claimed her title in opposition to the younger line of counts of Provence.

Bosonid dynasty

House of Gévaudan

Houses of
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
(comital) and
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
(margravial)

With a lack of interest in the ''

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

'' on their southern frontier, the

Catalans Catalans (Catalan language, Catalan, French language, French and Occitan language, Occitan: ''catalans''; es, catalanes, Italian language, Italian: ''catalani'', sc, cadelanos) are a Romance languages, Romance ethnic group native to Cataloni ...

turned towards their origins, the Mediterranean

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

and northwards. They coveted the region between the

Cévennes , etymology= , photo=Point Sublime-Gorges du Tarn-Frankreich.jpg , photo_caption=The Gorges du Tarn , country= France , subdivision2= , subdivision2_type=Départements , parent= Massif Central , area_km2= , length_km= , length_orient ...

and the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

, then under the control of Toulouse. In 1112, the count of Barcelona,

Ramon Berenguer III Ramon Berenguer III ''the Great'' was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1086 (jointly with Berenguer Ramon II and solely from 1097), Besalú from 1111, Cerdanya from 1117, and count of Provence in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1112, ...

, married the heiress of Provence, Douce, who was the daughter of the Countess Gerberga of Provence,

Gévaudan Gévaudan (; oc, Gavaudan, Gevaudan) is a historical area of France in Lozère ''département''. It took its name from the Gabali, a Gallic tribe subordinate to the Arverni. History After the conquest of Gaul, the Romans preserved the cap ...

, Carladais, and part of

Rodez Rodez ( or ; oc, Rodés, ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the ...

. The marriage was probably taken at the urging of the church, which was then in conflict with the House of Toulouse. In 1076, Count

Raymond IV Raymond IV may refer to: * Raymond IV of Pallars Jussà (count, 1047–1098) *Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse (r. 1094 - 1105), also count of Tripoli (1102–1105) *Raymond IV, Count of Tripoli Raymond IVKevin James Lewis, ''The Counts of Tripoli and ...

was excommunicated, but he still lent his support to

Aicard Aicard of Marseilles ( 1040 – 1113), also known as Aicard of Arles or simply Aicard, was the Archbishop of Arles from 1070 to 1080 and again from 1107 to his death. Early life and family Aicard was born around 1040, the son of Jaufre I, Viscou ...

, the deposed

archbishop of Arles The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal see in the city of Arles, in southern France.First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

, the church took the opportunity to seize the balance of power in the region. This marriage effectively put Provence under Catalan control. To accommodate the longstanding claims of the count of Toulouse, in 1125, Raymond's heir,

Alfonso Jordan Alfonso Jordan, also spelled Alfons Jordan or Alphonse Jourdain (1103–1148), was the Count of Tripoli (1105–09), Count of Rouergue (1109–48) and Count of Toulouse, Margrave of Provence and Duke of Narbonne (1112–48). Life Alfonso was the ...

, signed a treaty whereby his family's traditional claim to the title of "Margrave of Provence" was recognised and the march of Provence was defined as the region north of the lower

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Beaucaire,

Vallabrègues Vallabrègues (; oc, Valabrega) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Geography Vallabrègues is the only commune of the Gard department located on the left bank of the river Rhône. It is located opposite the part of the t ...

, and Argence. The region between the Durance, the Rhône, the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, and the sea was that of the county and belonged to the house of Barcelona.

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

Pont de Sorgues Sorgues (; oc, Sòrgas) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. The river Ouvèze, a tributary of the Rhône, as well as its tributary Sorgue, which begins at the Fontaine de Va ...

, Caumont and

Le Thor Le Thor (; oc, Lo Tòr) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It has an attractive Romanesque church, Notre-Dame-du-Lac. Population Notable residents *Alexey Brodovitch (18 ...

remained undivided. Internally, Provence was racked by uncertainties over rights of succession. Douce and Ramon Berenguer signed all charters jointly until her death in 1127, after which he alone appears as count in all charters until his death in 1131. At that time, Douce's younger sister,

Stephanie Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian "St ...

was married to Raymond of Baux, who promptly laid claim to the inheritance of her mother, even though Provence had peacefully passed into the hands of her nephew, Berenguer Ramon I.

Capetian Angevin dynasty

*1246–1285

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, Count of

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, Provence and Forcalquier (1246), King of

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 ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

(1266) and

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

(1277). *1285–1309

Charles II of Naples Charles II, also known as Charles the Lame (french: Charles le Boiteux; it, Carlo lo Zoppo; 1254 – 5 May 1309), was King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier (1285–1309), Prince of Achaea (1285–1289), and Count of Anjou and Maine ( ...

''the Lame'', King of

and (nominal) Jerusalem and Sicily, son of Charles I *1309–1343

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 ...

''the Wise'', Duke of

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

(1296–1309), King of Naples and (nominal) Jerusalem and Sicily (1309), son of Charles II *1343–1382

Joan 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 ...

, Queen of Naples and (nominal) Jerusalem and Sicily (1343–1381) *1349–1362

Louis I of Naples Louis I (Italian: ''Luigi'', ''Aloisio'' or "Ludovico" ; 1320 – 26 May 1362), also known as Louis of Taranto, was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou who reigned as King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier, and Prince of Taranto. ...

, King of Naples and (nominal) Jerusalem and Sicily, as husband of

:''Queen Joan died heirless, leaving the county to

Louis I of Anjou Louis I, Duke of Anjou (23 July 1339 – 20 September 1384) was a French prince, the second son of John II of France and Bonne of Bohemia. His career was markedly unsuccessful. Born at the Château de Vincennes, Louis was the first of the Angev ...

, son of King

John II of France John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which kill ...

''the Good'', of the House of Valois, and great-great-grandson of Charles II of Naples.''

Valois-Anjou dynasty

*1382–1384

, Count and then Duke of Anjou (1351), Duke of Calabria and Count of Maine (1356), Duke of

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vie ...

(1370), nominal King of Sicily (1382) *1384–1417

Louis II of Anjou Louis II (5 October 1377 – 29 April 1417) was Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence from 1384 to 1417; he claimed the Kingdom of Naples, but only ruled parts of the kingdom from 1390 to 1399. His father, Louis I of Anjouthe founder of the House of ...

, Duke of Anjou,

and Touraine, Count of Maine, nominal King of Sicily (1384),

Count of Guise Count of Guise and Duke of Guise (pronounced �ɥiz were titles in the French nobility. Originally a seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou. While disputed by the House of Luxembourg (1 ...

(1404), son of Louis I *1417–1434

Louis III of Anjou Louis III (25 September 1403 – 12 November 1434) was a claimant to the Kingdom of Naples from 1417 to 1426, as well as count of Provence, Forcalquier, Piedmont, and Maine and duke of Anjou from 1417 to 1434. As the heir designate to the throne of ...

, Duke of Anjou and Touraine, nominal King of Sicily (1417), Duke of Calabria (1424), son of Louis II *1434–1480 René I of Naples ''the Good'', Count of Guise (1417–1422), Duke of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

and

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

(1431),

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the ...

and (nominal) Sicily and Jerusalem (1434–1442), Duke of Anjou and Touraine (1434), King of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

and Count of Barcelona (in dispute, 1466–1472), son of Louis II *1480–1481

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

(V of Maine), also known as Charles of Maine, Count of Maine and Guise (1472), nephew of René I Upon his death, the heirless Charles du Maine bequeathed the counties of Provence-Forcalquier to King

. From that point forward, the title of Count of Provence simply became one of the many hereditary titles of the French monarchs. The only time the title was used independently afterwards was by the future

Louis XVIII of France Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in e ...

, who was known as the ''Comte de Provence'' until the death of his nephew

Louis XVII Louis XVII (born Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy; 27 March 1785 – 8 June 1795) was the younger son of King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette. His older brother, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, died in June 1789, a little over a m ...

in 1795, after which he claimed the throne of France.

Governors and grand seneschals, within France

Governors

*1481–1483

Palamède de Forbin Palamède de Forbin (died 1508), seigneur of Solliès, nicknamed "the Great", was president of the Chambre des comptes and counsellor to René d'Anjou. He helped this prince decide to cede his estates to Louis XI. Louis then became his master, ...

*1491–1493

Grand seneschals

*1480–1481 Pierre de La Jaille (see

Château de Ranton The Château de Ranton is a small fortified castle in the village of Ranton, in the Department of the Vienne just west of Loudun, and south of the Loire. It was one of the front line of fortresses which were built to defend the royal city of ...

) *1482–1483 Raymond de Glandevès-Faucon *1483 Palamède de Forbin *1485–1493 Aymar de Poitiers, Count of Valentinois

Governors – grand seneschals

*1493–1503

Philip of Hachberg-Sausenberg Margrave Philip of Hachberg-Sausenberg (1454 – 9 September 1503) was the son of the Margrave Rudolf IV of Hachberg-Sausenberg and Margaret of Vienne. Philip reigned in 1487–1503 as Margrave of Hachberg-Sausenberg and Count of Neuchâtel. ...

, margrave de Hochberg *1504–1513 Louis d'Orléans,

Count of Longueville Count of Longueville is a French noble title, whose holder had the fiefdom of the Longueville-sur-Scie, County of Longueville. The County was erected into a Duchy in 1505. Origins The Lordship of Longueville-sur-Scie, Longueville was a fief th ...

*1514

Jean de Poitiers Jean de Poitiers, seigneur de Saint Vallier (c. 1475 – 1529) was a French nobleman best known as the father of Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II of France. He was the son of Aymar de Poitiers and Jeanne de La Tour d'Auvergne (si ...

, lord of Saint-Vallier *1515–1525

René of Savoy René of Savoy (1473 – 31 March 1525) was a French nobleman and soldier. He was count of Villars (1497) and of Tende (1501). Known as "the Great Bastard of Savoy", he was the illegitimate son of Philip II, Duke of Savoy and Libera Portoneri - ...

, Count of

Tende Tende (; Italian, Occitan and Royasc: ''Tenda'') is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Geography Tende is located within Mercantour National Park in the French Alps. The mountainous commune is bordered by Ital ...

*1525–1566

Claude de Savoie Claude de Savoie (1507-1566) was a French governor and commander. Son of René of Savoy, Tende's career would begin at a young age, fighting at the Battle of Pavia in 1525. He served extensively throughout the later Italian Wars in particular holdi ...

, Count of Tende *1566–1572 Honoré de Savoie, Count of Tende

Grand seneschals

*1572–1582 , Count of Carcès *1582–1610 , Count of Carcès *1610–1655 Jean de Pontevès, Count of Carcès *1655–1662 -

Gordes Gordes (; oc, Gòrda) is a commune in the Vaucluse département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The residents are known as ''Gordiens.'' The nearest big city is Avignon; smaller cities nearby include Cavaillo ...

Governors

*1572–1573

Gaspard de Saulx-Tavannes Gaspard de Saulx, sieur de Tavannes (March 1509–June 1573) was a French Roman Catholic military leader during the Italian Wars and the French Wars of Religion. He served under four kings during his career, participating in the Siege of Calais (15 ...

*1573–1578

Albert de Gondi, comte de Retz Albert de Gondi, duc de Retz (4 November 1522 in Florence – 1602) seigneur du Perron, comte, then marquis de Belle-Isle (1573), duc de Retz (from 1581), was a marshal of France and a member of the Gondi family. Beginning his career during the ...

*1578–1579 François de La Baume, comte de Suze *1579–1586

Henri d'Angoulême Henri de Valois, duc d'Angoulême (1551 – 2 June 1586, in Aix-en-Provence), sometimes called "Henri, bâtard de Valois" or "Henri de France", was a ''Légitimé de France'', cleric, and military commander during the Wars of Religion. Biography ...

, called, Henri, bâtard de Valois *1586–1594 Jean-Louis de Nogaret, duc d'Épernon *1592–1594 Gaspard de Pontevès, comte de Carcès *1594–1631 Charles de Lorraine, duc de Guise *1631–1637 Nicolas de L'Hôpital, marquis de Vitry *1637–1653 Louis-Emmanuel de Valois, comte d'Alais *1653–1669 Louis de Bourbon-Vendôme, duc de Mercœur *1669–1712 Louis-Joseph de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme *1712–1734 Claude-Louis-Hector, duc de Villars *1734–1770 Honoré-Armand, duc de Villars *1770–1780

Camille-Louis de Lorraine Camille de Lorraine (Louis Camille; 18 December 1725 – 12 April 1780) was a French nobleman and Prince of Lorraine. He was known as the ''Prince of Marsan'' and after the death of his father, was the Count of Marsan. Biography Born the young ...

*1780–1790

Charles-Just de Beauvau Charles Juste de Beauvau, Prince of Craon (10 September 1720 – 21 May 1793), 2nd Prince of Craon (1754), Marshal of France (1783) was a French scholar, nobleman and general. The son of Marc de Beauvau, he was also brother of the famous Madame ...

In 1790, the French Revolution definitively ended the governorship.

References

External links

GENEALOGY.EU: RULERS OF PROVENCE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Provence

Rulers A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...

Lists of French nobility Francia Lists of European rulers Dukedoms of France Lists of dukes

Merovingian governors

Carolingian dukes

Carolingian kings

Counts and Margraves, within the Empire

Bosonid dynasty

House of Gévaudan

Capetian Angevin dynasty

Valois-Anjou dynasty

Governors and grand seneschals, within France

Governors

Grand seneschals

Governors – grand seneschals

Grand seneschals

Governors

See also

References

External links