The Count of Bordeaux (Latin ''comes Burdagalensis'') was the ruler of the city of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

and its environs in the

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 ...

and

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 Pippi ...

periods. The names of the counts are scarcely known until the ninth century, when they start to take on a larger role because of their strategic importance in the defence against Viking raids. Over the next two centuries, the county of Bordeaux was brought into union with the

Duchy of Gascony The Duchy of Gascony or Duchy of Vasconia ( eu, Baskoniako dukerria; oc, ducat de Gasconha; french: duché de Gascogne, duché de Vasconie) was a duchy located in present-day southwestern France and northeastern Spain, an area encompassing the ...

. The County of Saintes (''comitatus Santonicensis'') was often held concomitant with Bordeaux. Towards the end of the tenth century, the counts of Bordeaux began minting money in their own name. There was an active mint at Bordeaux in Merovingian times, and a series of 19 moneyers are known by name between 580 and about 710. Thereafter, minting at Bordeaux ceased until the reign of

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

as emperor, when the mint was re-opened. After that there is another hiatus until minting was resumed in the king's name under Louis IV (936–54) and Lothair (954–86). Subsequently obols are known bearing the names of William,

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

, Sancho and

Odo Odo or ODO may refer to: People * Odo, a given name; includes a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Franklin Odo (born 1939), Japanese-American historian * Seikichi Odo (1927–2002), Japanese karateka * Yuya Odo (born 1990 ...

. The coins of William may belong to the time of

William the Good William II (December 115311 November 1189), called the Good, was king of Sicily from 1166 to 1189. From surviving sources William's character is indistinct. Lacking in military enterprise, secluded and pleasure-loving, he seldom emerged from his ...

or his successor, William Sánchez.Charles Higounet, ''Bordeaux pendant le Haut Moyen Âge'' (Bordeaux: 1963), pp. 303–05.

List of counts

*Sigulf (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

575) *Warnachar (fl. 584) *Galactorius (fl. 585), ''defensor civitatis'' (defender of the city) * Seguin I (c. 781 – 816), also Duke of Gascony * Seguin II Mostelanicus (840 – 846), also Duke of Gascony, also in Saintes *

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 108 ...

(846 – 848), also Duke of Gascony *

Arnold Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia Uni ...

(863 – 864) * Amalvinus (c. 887 – c. 906) * William II the Good (977 – 988) :''Bordeaux inherited by

William II of Gascony William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

. Thereafter united to the duchy and acts as its capital even until Angevin times.''

References

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