Robert of Auvergne, also called Robert de la Tour (died 7 January 1234), was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

nobleman, prelate and poet from the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

. He served as bishop of Clermont from 1195 until 1227 and thereafter as archbishop of Lyon until his death. He was also a

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

, composing poetry in

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

. Robert was involved in several

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

conflicts between 1195 and 1211. Twice imprisoned (1199, 1207) and accused of murder and rapine, his disputes with family and vassals drew intervention from both king and pope. He emerged victorious and in control of the city of Clermont itself. He also added lands and

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s to his diocese and took part in the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

(1209). After his election as archbishop, he was imprisoned a third time for interfering with the marriage politics of the count of Champagne, but was soon liberated by his friends. He was less successful in Lyon, where his pontificate is marked by disputes with the rising merchant class. His health declined in his final two years. Robert's known literary career fell between 1195 and 1212. He is describes as ''lo Vesques de Clarmon'' ('the bishop of Clermont') in the songbooks. Little of his poetry survives and all that does concerns disagreements with his cousin,

Dalfi d'Alvernhe Dalfi d'Alvernha (french: Dauphin d'Auvergne) was the Count of Clermont and Montferrand, a troubadour and a patron of troubadours. He was born around 1150 and died in 1234 or 1235. He is sometimes called Robert IV, but there is no solid evidence ...

. Dalfi states that the bishop had a lady lover and the bishop hints at Dalfi's sexual inadequacy, but it is difficult to know what reality lies behind their joking exchange.

Family and early life

Robert was born into the highest nobility of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He was a younger son of Count

Robert IV of Auvergne 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 ...

and Matilda, daughter of Duke

Odo II of Burgundy Odo II (1118 – June 27 or September 27, 1162) was Duke of Burgundy between 1143 and 1162. Family Odo was the eldest son of Hugh II, Duke of Burgundy and Matilda of Mayenne, daughter of Gauthier, Count of Mayenne and Adelina de Presles. Odo ma ...

. His elder brothers were Counts William X and Guy II. He was a cousin of the troubadour

, a first cousin of Duke

Odo III of Burgundy Eudes III (1166 – July 6, 1218), commonly known in English as Odo III, was duke of Burgundy between 1192 and 1218. Odo was the eldest son of duke Hugh III and his first wife Alice, daughter of Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine. Life Odo did not foll ...

and a first cousin once removed of King Philip II of France (through the latter's grandmother,

Matilda of Carinthia Matilda of Carinthia (Mathilde of Sponheim; died 13 December 1160 or 1161) was a daughter of Engelbert, Duke of Carinthia and his wife Uta of Passau. She married Theobald II, Count of Champagne in 1123. Her children with Theobald were: * Henry I, ...

). He was also related to the

counts of Forez Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire ''département'' and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme ''départements''. The final "z" in Forez () is not pronounced in the Loire ...

and thus to Archbishop Renaud of Lyon. Prior to his election as bishop, Robert was the dean of the chapter of the

cathedral of Autun The Cathedral of Saint Lazarus of Autun (french: Cathédrale Saint-Lazare d'Autun), commonly known as Autun Cathedral a Roman Catholic cathedral in Autun and a national monument of France. Famous for its Cluniac inspiration and its Romanesque scul ...

. Autun lay within the ecclesiastical province of Lyon.

Bishop of Clermont

Robert was elected bishop of Clermont in 1195. In 1197, he dedicated the

Abbey of Le Bouchet An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

, founded by his father. Between 1197 and 1201 Robert was involved in a quarrel with his brother Guy in which both resorted to force. In 1197, Robert excommunicated his brother and placed his lands under interdict. He then ravaged his lands with hired soldiers for the next two years. At the same time, Robert got into a dispute with the troubadour Pons de Capduelh over the castle of

Vertaizon Vertaizon (; oc, Vartaizon) is a commune of the department of Puy-de-Dôme in the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is part of the urban area of Clermont-Ferrand. Geography Location Vertaizon is built on a hill giving a view on the Limagne a ...

, which Pons had received from his wife as a dowry some time before 1196 and which the bishop claimed as a fief. In 1199, Guy wrote to

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

requesting intervention. Before receiving a response, he engineered Robert's capture. Pons seized the bishop and imprisoned him in Vertaizon before handing him over to Guy. The bishop was accused of murder, arson and pillage. When Innocent learned of his imprisonment, he authorized the archbishop of Bourges, Henry de Sully, to absolve Guy on condition of penance for his own excesses. Henry reconciled the brothers in July 1199, and mediated a peace agreement signed in May 1201. As bishop, Robert sought to increase his hold on his castles and to expand his diocese's territory. In 1199, Count Guy did

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 his brother for the castle of

Lezoux Lezoux (; oc, Lesós) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. It was a key location in the filming of the 2004 film Les Choristes (The Chorus). Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department ...

. In 1202, Guy committed the city of Clermont to the bishop's keeping until he had made peace with King Philip. Guy had sided with the English in the Anglo-French War of 1202–1204. Robert thus became the first bishop to govern the city directly, a position subsequent bishops retained down to 1552. In 1205, Innocent III opened an inquiry into the dispute between Robert and Pons, which was still unresolved. At this, King Philip II intervened to force Pons' wife to turn the castle over to Robert. In 1211 Pons and his wife, with their three sons, three daughters and three sons-in-law, sold Vertaizon to the bishop for 7,650 marks, of which 7,000 were to be retained by the bishop as compensation for his unlawful imprisonment. In 1206, Robert and Guy again fell into dispute. In 1207, Guy again imprisoned his brother. Although excommunicated by the pope, he only released Robert after King Philip marched an army against him. He had to pay reparations and give security. In 1207, Robert acquired the fiefs of Montmorin and Mauzun from the king. A castle was begun at Mauzun imitating the royal style introduced into the Auvergne by Philip. Robert participated in the

with his own troops. In July 1209, he and Guy were among the leaders of the army that marched out of Lyon. They had returned to the Auvergne before the end of the year. In 1211, according to the ''Chronicle'' of Bernard Ithier, a new dispute arose between Robert and Guy, during which the count destroyed the monastery of Saint-Pierre de Mozac. A royal army under

Guy II of Dampierre {{Infobox noble , name = Guy II of Dampierre , title = Lord of Dampierre , image = Coat of arms of the House of Welf-Brunswick (Braunschweig).svg , caption = The arms borne , alt = ...

and Archbishop Renaud of Lyon captured nearly all of Count Guy's possessions and confiscated his fiefs. This was the end of his disputes with his brother. In May 1212, a document issued by Robert indicates that Philip had given him the castle of Lezoux, the castle "between two river" (''inter duos rivos'') and that of

Dallet Dallet () is a former commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Mur-sur-Allier.Géraud de Cros, archbishop of Bourges. He returned to his diocese in 1216. In 1217, with Countess Blanche of Champagne as his guarantor, he swore an oath of

fealty An oath of fealty, from the Latin ''fidelitas'' (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Definition In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fea ...

to the king. In 1217, as he was preparing to depart on the Fifth Crusade, Duke Odo III of Burgundy placed his six-year-old son and heir, the future Hugh IV, under the guardianship of Robert and

William of Joinville William of Joinville (French ''Guillaume de Joinville''; died 1226) was a French ecclesiastic. A younger son of Geoffrey IV of Joinville and Helvide of Dampierre, he joined the chapter of Châlons Cathedral, become archdeacon by 1191. He then became ...

. When Odo died suddenly in 1218, Robert became the guardian of the young duke. In 1225, Robert attended the

Council of Bourges The Council of Bourges was a Catholic council convened in November 1225 in Bourges, France; it was the second largest church assembly held in the West up to that time, exceeded in the numbers of prelates that attended only by the Fourth Lateran Co ...

. During his long episcopate in Clermont, the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

set up in Montferrand and the Dominicans in Clermont itself (1219). He was succeeded at Clermont by his nephew,

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 ...

, in April 1227.

Archbishop of Lyon

In 1227, Robert was elected to succeed Renaud de Forez (died 23 October 1226) as archbishop of Lyon 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 ...

after a vacancy of several months. The papal bulls conferring on him the ''

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

'' and informing his

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

s of his election are dated 3 and 7 April 1227. Robert has been accused of paying little attention to Lyon. Early in his pontificate, in his capacity as tutor to the young duke of Burgundy, he had advised Alice of Vergy, Hugh's mother and the regent of Burgundy, that Hugh should be married to Yolanda, daughter of Count

Robert II of Dreux Robert II of Dreux (1154 – 28 December 1218), Count of Dreux and Braine, was the eldest surviving son of Robert I, Count of Dreux, and Agnes de Baudemont, countess of Braine, and a grandson of King Louis VI of France. He participated in ...

. This marriage alliance violated an agreement Alice had made with 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 ...

. In response, a furious Theobald took Robert hostage in 1227. Yolanda's uncle and Robert's personal friend, Count Henry II of Bar, liberated the imprisoned bishop. By this stage of his career, Robert was an elderly and even "esteemed" man. In 1230, Theobald agreed to pay the bishop 1,000 marks of silver in compensation to the bishop. Numerous documents and diplomas exist from Robert's pontificate in Lyon. He practised nepotism, appointing his nephew Hugh to the

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

cy. He brokered an agreement between the monasteries of Saint-Martin d'Ainay and Saint-Martin de l'Île Barbe over the possession of Cuire. He imposed new taxes on wine, which caused the burgers of Lyon to complain and created the first stirrings of the

communal Communal may refer to: *A commune or also intentional community * Communalism (Bookchin) * Communalism (South Asia), the South Asian sectarian ideologies *Relating to an administrative division called comune * Sociality in animals *Community owne ...

movement in Lyon. The letter written by

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...

to Robert on 28 September 1229 is an important witness to the evolution of the

crusading movement The First Crusade inspired the crusading movement, which became an important part of late medieval western culture. The movement influenced the Church, politics, the economy, society and created a distinct ideology that described, regulated, ...

, since for the first time Gregory offered the remission of sins to those who took part in the War of the Keys against the

Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusa ...

. Robert, calling himself "aged and ill", made out his will in 1232. He died on 7 January 1234 during a particularly harsh winter. He was buried in the cathedral of Lyon. There was a divided election following his death and the pope had to intervene to appoint an archbishop, Raoul de La Roche-Aymon, in 1235.

Troubadour

Three poems by ''lo Vesques de Clarmon'' are known: two '' coblas'' and one ''

sirventes The ''sirventes'' or ''serventes'' (), sometimes translated as "service song", was a genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry practiced by the troubadours. The name comes from ''sirvent'' ('serviceman'), from whose perspective the song is allegedly wr ...

''. They can all be found in the Occitan

chansonnier A chansonnier ( ca, cançoner, oc, cançonièr, Galician and pt, cancioneiro, it, canzoniere or ''canzoniéro'', es, cancionero) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings o ...

H, with the ''sirventes'' also preserved in chansonnier D.PC 095 Bischof Robert von Clermont - Lo Vesques de Clarmon (Clermont)
at Bibliografia Elettronica dei Trovatori, v. 2.0. They are: *''Coms que vol enseignar'' *''Peire de Maensac, ges lo reis no seria'' *''Per Crist, si·l fos meus'' All three pieces are directed against his cousin Dalfi. ''Coms que'' was written around 1199. ''Peire de Maensac'', which is the ''sirventes'' and the only one longer than a single stanza, criticises Dalfi for anti-social behaviour and also criticises Dalfi's ''

joglar A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer who ...

'', the Peire de Maensac of the opening line, for not acting like a knight.Per , a study of the political background of Robert's poetry and English translations of his works are found in . It can be dated to 1212 because of a reference to the Albigensian Crusade. ''Per Crist'' and Dalfi's response are part of a private joke, full of innuendo. It can be dated no more precisely than between 1195 and 1209. The compiler of the chansonnier has supplied '' razos'' (explanations) for the lyrics, but these are certainly not based on an actual understanding of the reality that lies behind the text. He says that Robert loved the wife of Sir Chantart de Caulec from Pescadoires, based on his reading of Dalfi's poem. The bishop's poem, with strong sexual undertones, chides Dalfi for not supplying his lover with all the bacon she asked for. The first four lines are: Outside of his and Dalfi's poems, Robert's feud with his brother is mentioned in a poem by

Giraut de Borneil Giraut de Bornelh (; c. 1138 – 1215), whose first name is also spelled Guiraut and whose toponym is de Borneil or de Borneyll, was a troubadour connected to the castle of the viscount of Limoges. He is credited with the formalisation, if not the ...

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{S-end 12th-century births 1234 deaths Bishops of Clermont Archbishops of Lyon People of the Albigensian Crusade French troubadours People from Auvergne