The County of Geneva, largely corresponding to the later Genevois province, originated in the tenth century, in the Burgundian

Kingdom of Arles The Kingdom of Burgundy, known from the 12th century as the Kingdom of Arles, was a realm established in 933 by the merger of the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Burgundy under King Rudolf II. It was incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire in 1033 ...

(Arelat) which fell to the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

in 1032.

History

Several nobles had held the title of a Count of Geneva in

Upper Burgundy Upper Burgundy (; ) was a historical region in the early medieval Burgundy, and a distinctive realm known as the ''Kingdom of Upper Burgundy'', that existed from 888 to 933, when it was incorporated into the reunited Kingdom of Burgundy, that ...

(''Bourgogne transjurane'') from the 9th century. The progenitor of the Counts of Geneva was Conrad I, possible

count palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

of Burgundy, in Vienne. Count Cono/Conrad died about 1003 in exile, during the Hermann II's rebellion (his brother

duke of Swabia The Dukes of Swabia were the rulers of the Duchy of Swabia during the Middle Ages. Swabia was one of the five stem duchy, stem duchies of the medieval German kingdom, and its dukes were thus among the most powerful magnates of Germany. The most no ...

, of

Conradines The Conradines or Conradiner were a dynasty of Franconian counts and dukes in the 8th to 11th Century, named after Duke Conrad, Duke of Thuringia, Conrad the Elder and his son King Conrad I of Germany. History The family is first mentioned in 8 ...

lineage). Their son, Robert, count of Geneva, was born about 970 and died about 1020. The county never played a major part as a feudal entity. The city of

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

and its environs were retained, but the approaches to the western end of

Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...

, which had made the position strategic, were soon lost. In 1124, the Bishops of Geneva had their rule over the city acknowledged and continued to make themselves an independent force, while the

Counts of Savoy The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...

encircled the territory and controlled the trade routes. From 1219 on, the counts' stronghold and capital was

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

. At a moment when the male line of the counts was near exhaustion, Robert of Geneva was raised to a shadow papacy by the French cardinals who seceded from the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

and wished to rescind their part in the election of the irascible

Urban VI Pope Urban VI (; ; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death, in October 1389. He was the last pope elected from outside the College of Cardinals. His pontificate be ...

; elected 20 September 1378, Robert took the title of

Clement VII Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate of ...

. Unexpectedly, with the death of his brother, he succeeded as count in 1392. As count, Robert was virtually dependent on the cooperative graces of the count of Savoy. With his death in 1394, the House of Geneva was extinguished and the title passed to the husband of the heiress, Humbert VII of Thoire and Villars who died in 1400. Eventually in 1401, the year after Humbert's death, his heir Odo of Thoire-Geneva sold the comté to Count

Amadeus VIII of Savoy Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was a claimant to the papacy from 1439 to 1449 as Felix VWhen numbering of the popes began t ...

. Though other members of the Genevan House protested, and the House of Chalons (and, after its extinction, the House of Orange-Nassau) remained the strongest claimant, Amadeus successfully completed the integration of the county with his territories, which were raised to a duchy by Emperor

Sigismund of Luxembourg Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elec ...

. The title Count of Geneva passed securely into the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

, where it is maintained as a

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

List of counts

Legendary counts

Medieval historians connected the literary figures of Reynier and Olivier from the late-12th-century ''

Girart de Vienne ''Girart de Vienne'' is a late twelfth-century (c.1180Hasenohr, 547-548.) Old French ''chanson de geste">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''chanson de ...

'' to the Genevois, but this is pure fiction. * c. 770 : Reynier * c. 770–800 :

Oliver Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * ''Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver ...

, his son

Early counts

* c. 890 : Manasses, may be count of Geneva * ... * c. 1002 : Manasses * c. 1012 : Robert, his nephew, son of count Cono/Conrad I (possible Cono count palatine of Burgundy)

Unconfirmed counts

Samuel Guichenon Samuel Guichenon (18 August 1607, Mâcon - 8 September 1664) was a French lawyer, historian and genealogist. Life He was one of three sons born to Grégoire Guichenon and Claudine Chaussat, a Calvinist family originating in Châtillon-sur-Chalaro ...

, in ''Histoire généalogique de la royale maison de Savoie'' (1660) * 880 (?) : Ratbert (870/880 – † 901) * 931 (?) : Albitius (900 – † 931/932), his son * (?) : Conrad (930 – † 963), his son * c. 963–974 (?) : Robert († 974), his sonJean-Yves Mariotte « Du bon usage des faux » (p. 346), paru dans l'ouvrage de Barbara Roth-Lochner, Marc Neuenschwander et François Walter, Des archives à la mémoire : mélanges d'histoire politique, religieuse et sociale offerts à Louis Binz, Librairie Droz, 1995, p. 503 (). * 974–1001 (?) : Albert * 1004 (?) : Renaud * 1016 (?) : Aymon * c. 1060 : Robert

House of Geneva

*c. 1045–c.1061 :

Gerold of Geneva Gerold is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Gerold Bührer (born 1948), Swiss politician and member of the National Council (1991–2007) * Gerold of Cologne (1201–1251), martyr and saint *Gerold Löffler (born 1967), Swiss bo ...

*c. 1061–1080:

Conrad Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) * Saint Conrad (disambiguation) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washington Elsewher ...

, his son *c. 1080–1128 : Aymon I, his brother *1128–1178 : Amadeus I, his son *1178–1195 :

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

his son *1195–1220 : Humbert I, his son *1220–1252 : William II, his brother *1252–1265 : Rudolf, his son *1265–1280 : Aymon II, his son *1280–1308 : Amadeus II, his brother *1308–1320 :

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily () * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1817–1890) N ...

, his son *1320–1367 : Amadeus III, his son *1367–1367 : Aymon III, his son *1367–1369 : Amadeus IV, his brother *1369–1370 :

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

, his brother *1370–1392 :

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

, his brother *1392–1394 : Robert, his brother as

he was

Antipope An antipope () is a person who claims to be Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to the officially elected pope. Between the 3rd and mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by factions within the Church its ...

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

from 1378

House of Thoire

* 1394–1400 : Humbert VII of Thoire and Villars (died 1400), son of Humbert VI, Lord of Thoire and Villars, and Maria of Geneva, daughter of Amadeus III * 1400–1401 : Odo of Thoire and Villars In 1401, Odo sold the County to Amadeus VIII of Savoy. His heirs, however, contested this and the legal processes were not completed until 1424.

House of Savoy

From 1424 the County of Geneva was joined to the House of Savoy, although at times it was granted as

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

to cadet branches of the family. * 1424–1434 : Amadeus VIII,

Duke of Savoy The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...

* 1434–1444 : Philip of Savoy (1417–1444), his son, ''apanagiste'' Count *: 1444–1460 :

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

(1413–1465), Duke of Savoy, his brother * 1460–1482 :

(1436 † 1482), his son, ''apanagiste'' Count, also

King of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (; ) was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an Independent state, independent Christian state, Christian kingdom, it was established by the French House of Lusi ...

* 1482–1491 : John of Savoy (1440–1491), his brother, ''apanagiste'' Count * 1491–1496 : Charles II (1489–1496), Duke of Savoy *: 1496–1497 : Philipp II ''the Landless'' (1438–1497), Duke of Savoy, great-uncle of the previous, son of Louis I *: 1497–1504 : Philibert II ''the Handsome'' (1480–1504), Duke of Savoy, his son *: 1504–1514 :

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

(1486–1553), Duke of Savoy, his brother * 1514–1533 :

Philippe, Duke of Nemours Philip of Savoy, Duke of Nemours (149025 November 1533) was a French nobleman. He was a son of Philip II, Duke of Savoy, and his second wife Claudine de Brosse. He was a half-brother of Louise of Savoy, the mother of Francis I of France. He wa ...

(1490 † 1533), ''apanagiste'' Count of Geneva,

Duke of Nemours Duke of Nemours was a title in the Peerage of France. The name refers to Nemours in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. History In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gâtinais, France, was a possession of th ...

, his brother * 1533–1585 :

Jacques, Duke of Nemours Jacques de Savoie, duc de Nemours (12 October 153115 June 1585) was a French military commander, governor and Prince étranger, Prince Étranger. Having inherited his titles at a young age, Nemours fought for king Henri II of France, Henri II duri ...

(1531–1585), Duke of Geneva 1564, his son * 1585–1595 :

Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Nemours Charles-Emmanuel de Savoie, prince de Genevois and duc de Nemours ( – 13 August 1595) was a French ''prince étranger'', governor, military commander and rebel during the latter French Wars of Religion. The eldest son of Jacques de Savoie and ...

(1567–1595), his son * 1595–1632 :

Henri I, Duke of Nemours Henri of Savoy () (2 November 1572 – 10 July 1632), called originally Marquis de Saint-Sorlin, was the son of Jacques of Savoy and Anna d'Este, the widow of François de Lorraine, Duke of Guise. He succeeded his brother Charles Emmanuel as ...

(1572–1632), his brother * 1632–1641 : Louis, Duke of Nemours (1615–1641), his son * 1641–1652 : Charles Amadeus of Savoy (1624–1652), his brother * 1652–1659 :

Henri II, Duke of Nemours Henri of Savoy (7 November 1625, Paris – 4 January 1659, Paris) was the seventh Duc de Nemours (1652–59), and was also Count of Geneva. Henri, as the third son of Henri de Savoie, 4th Duc de Nemours, was not expected to succeed to the duk ...

(1625–1659), his brother,

Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims or Rheims (; French language, French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by Sixtus of Reims, the diocese w ...

* 1659–1724 :

Marie Jeanne of Savoy Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours (, 11 April 1644 – 15 March 1724) was born a Princess of Savoy and became the Duchess of Savoy by marriage. First married by proxy to Charles of Lorraine in 1662, Lorraine soon refused to recognise the un ...

(1644–1724), daughter of Charles Amadeus, married *:

Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel II (); 20 June 1634 – 12 June 1675) was Duke of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 4 October 1638 until his death in 1675 and under regency of his mother Christine of France until 1648. He was also Marquis of Saluz ...

(1634–1675) husband of the above Subsequently, the County of Geneva was joined to the Duchy of Savoy.