![Robert of Auvergne 1186](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Robert_of_Auvergne_1186.png)
Robert of Auvergne, also called Robert de la Tour (died 7 January 1234), was a
French 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 Au ...
. He served as
bishop of Clermont
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Clermont (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Claromontana''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Clermont'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Puy-d ...
from 1195 until 1227 and thereafter as
archbishop of Lyon
The Archdiocese of Lyon (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Lugdunensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lyon''), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archbishops o ...
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 ''trobairi ...
, 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, spoken in parts o ...
.
Robert was involved in several
feudal 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
castles to his diocese and took part in the
Albigensian Crusade (1209). After his election as archbishop, he was imprisoned a third time for interfering with the marriage politics of the
count 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 ...
, 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 regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. He was a younger son of Count
Robert IV of Auvergne and Matilda, daughter of Duke
Odo II of Burgundy. His elder brothers were Counts
William X and
Guy II. He was a cousin of the troubadour
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 ...
, 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
Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...
(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
A dean, in an ecclesiastical context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and many Lutheran denominations. A dean's assista ...
of the
cathedral of Autun. 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, 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
Pons de Capduelh (fl. 1160–1220Chambers 1978, 140. or 1190–1237Aubrey 1996, 19–20.) was a troubadour from the Auvergne, probably from Chapteuil. His songs were known for their great gaiety. He was a popular poet and 27 of his songs are prese ...
over the castle of
Vertaizon, 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 ...
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
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
,
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 to his brother for the castle of
Lezoux. 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
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members
* Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...
, 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
Mauzun (; oc, Mausun) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.
See also
*Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department
The following is a list of the 464 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France.
Interc ...
from the king. A castle was begun at Mauzun imitating the royal style introduced into the Auvergne by Philip.
Robert participated in the
Albigensian Crusade 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.
In 1215, Robert again joined the Albigensian Crusade, this time accompanied by
Géraud de Cros,
archbishop of Bourges
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
. He returned to his diocese in 1216. In 1217, with Countess
Blanche of Champagne as his guarantor, he swore an oath of
fealty to the king.
In 1217, as he was preparing to depart on the
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by Al-Adil I, al-Adil, brothe ...
, 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 beca ...
. 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, in April 1227.
Archbishop of Lyon
In 1227, Robert was elected to succeed
Renaud de Forez
Renaud de Forez (died in Lyon October 22, 1226) was a French churchman who was Archbishop of Lyon as Renaud II (1193–1226). A son of Count Guigues II of Forez, Renaud acted as regent of the county of Forez for his nephew, Guigues IV, between 1 ...
(died 23 October 1226) as archbishop of Lyon in the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
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 metropol ...
'' and informing his
suffragans 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
Alice (or Alix) de Vergy (1182–1251) was Duchess of Burgundy as the second spouse of Odo III, Duke of Burgundy. She was the regent of Burgundy during the minority of her son 1218–28.
Biography
Alice was the daughter of Hugh, Lord 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
Henry II of Bar in French ''Henri II de Bar'', in German ''Heinrich II von Bar'' (1190–13 November 1239) was a Count of Bar who reigned from 1214 to 1239. He was son of Count Theobald I of Bar and his first wife, Ermesinde of Bar-sur-Seine. Hen ...
, 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
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members
* Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...
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
seneschalcy. He brokered an agreement between the monasteries of
Saint-Martin d'Ainay and
Saint-Martin de l'Île Barbe over the possession of
Cuire
Caluire-et-Cuire (; frp, Caluéres-et-Cuéres) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France.
It is the fifth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' al ...
. He imposed new taxes on wine, which caused the burgers of Lyon to complain and created the first stirrings of the
communal 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
The War of the Keys (1228–1230) was the first military conflict between Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Papacy. Fighting took place in central and southern Italy. The Papacy made strong gains at first, securing the Papal States and in ...
against the
Emperor Frederick II.
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
A ''cobla esparsa'' ( literally meaning "scattered stanza") in Old Occitan is the name used for a single-stanza poem in troubadour poetry. They constitute about 15% of the troubadour output, and they are the dominant form among late (after 1220) au ...
'' 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 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'', the ]Peire de Maensac
Peire de Maensac was an Auvergne (province), Auvergnat knight and troubadour. He was from Maensac (either Mauzat, Manzat or Mainsat) in the lands of Dalfi d'Alvernha. He came from the petty nobility. His brother Austor or Austors was also a troubad ...
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 '']razo
A ''razo'' (, literally "cause", "reason") was a short piece of Occitan prose detailing the circumstances of a troubadour composition. A ''razo'' normally introduced an individual poem, acting as a prose preface and explanation; it might, however ...
s'' (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
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{{S-end
12th-century births
1234 deaths
Bishops of Clermont
Archbishops of Lyon
People of the Albigensian Crusade
French troubadours
People from Auvergne