The counts of Albon () were members of the medieval nobility in what is now south-eastern France. Guigues IV, Count of Albon (d. 1142) was nicknamed or 'the Dolphin'. His nickname morphed into a title among his successors. By 1293, the lands ruled by the Counts Albon, the old , were known as the Dauphiné of Viennois ().. The titles and lands had been part of 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 ...

since 1032. They passed to

Philip VI of France Philip VI (; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (), the Catholic (''le Catholique'') and of Valois (''de Valois''), was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 until his death in 1350. Philip's reign w ...

in 1349 on condition that the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the French crown always be titled , and be personal holder of the lands and titles. By condition of the emperor, the Dauphiny could never be united to France. When the king of France had no son, he would personally rule the Dauphiny separately, as dauphin. Thus, the province technically remained in the Holy Roman Empire even after 1349, and it was administered separately from France well into the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

; it was incorporated into France only ''de facto'' with the rise of absolutism in the 17th century.

Lords of Château d'Albon

House of Albon

* Guigues I of Albon ''the Old'' (c. 1000–1070), Count in Oisans, Grésivaudan and Briançonnais, Lord of Château d'Albon, ruled until 1070 * Guigues II of Albon ''the Fat'' (c. 1020–1079), Count in Grésivaudan and Briançonnais, Lord of Château d'Albon, ruled 1070–1079

Counts of Albon

House of Albon

* Guigues III of Albon ''the Count'' (c. 1050–1133), first Count of Albon (the southern part of the ancient County of Vienne; the northern part was granted to the first

Count 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 ...

), ruled 1079–1133 * Guigues IV of Albon, ''le Dauphin'' (c. 1095–1142), Count of Albon, ruled 1133–1142

Counts of Albon and Dauphins of Viennois

* Robert V, Count of Auvergne married Marquise d'Albon, a daughter of Guigues IV. Their descendants adopted the title of

Dauphin of Auvergne This is a list of the various rulers of Auvergne. History In the 7th century Auvergne (province), Auvergne was disputed between the Franks and Aquitanians. It was later conquered by the Carolingians, and was integrated for a time into the kingdom ...

, and it was used by some as the family name.

House of Albon

* Guigues V of Albon (c. 1120–1162), Count of Albon and Grenoble, Dauphin of Viennois, ruled 1142–1162 * Béatrice of Albon (1161–1228), Dauphine of Viennois, Countess of Albon, Grenoble, Oisans et Briançon, ruled 1162–1228, married Hugh III of Burgundy

House of Burgundy The House of Burgundy () was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of King Robert II of France. The House ruled the Duchy of Burgundy from 1032 to 1361 and achieved the recognized title ...

* Guigues VI of Viennois (1184–1237), Dauphin de Viennois, count of Albon, Grenoble, Oisans and Briançon, ruled 1228–1237 * Guigues VII of Viennois (c. 1225–1269), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Albon, Grenoble, Oisans, Briançon, Embrun and Gap, son of, ruled 1237–1269 * John I of Viennois (1263–1282), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Albon, Grenoble, Oisans, Briançon and Embrun, ruled 1269–1282 * Anne of Viennois (1255–1298), Dauphine of Viennois, Countess of Albon, married Humbert, Baron of La Tour du Pin

House of La Tour du Pin

* Humbert I of Viennois (c. 1240–1307), Baron of La Tour du Pin, Dauphin of Viennois and Count of Albon, ruled 1282–1307 * John II of Viennois (1280–1318), Baron of La Tour du Pin, Dauphin of Viennois, ruled 1307–1318 *

Guigues VIII of Viennois Guigues VIII de la Tour-du-Pin (1309 – 28 July 1333) was the Dauphin of Vienne (then within the Holy Roman Empire) from 1318 to his death. He was the eldest son of the John II, Dauphin of Vienne, Dauphin John II and Beatrice of Hungary (12 ...

(1309–1333), Dauphin of Viennois, ruled 1318–1333 * Humbert II of Viennois (1312–1355), Dauphin of Viennois, ruled 1333–1349 Humbert II sold his lands and titles to

Dauphins of Viennois and Dauphins of France

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. ...

* Charles I of Viennois (1338–1380), also king of France as Charles V, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, Duke of Normandy, ruled the dauphinate as the first

Dauphin of France Dauphin of France (, also ; ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin'' is French for dolphin and ...

(1350–1364) and ruled the dauphinate as king of France (1364–1368) * Charles II of Viennois (1368–1422), also king of France as Charles VI, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, ruled the dauphinate as second

(1368–1380), ruled the dauphinate as king of France (1380–1386) and again during (1386–1392) * Charles III of Viennois (1386), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, ruled the dauphinate as third

(1386) * Charles IV of Viennois (1392-1401), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, Duke of Guyenne, ruled the dauphinate as fourth

(1392–1401) * Louis I of Viennois (1397–1415), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, Duke of Guyenne, ruled the dauphinate as fifth

(1401–1415) * John III of Viennois (1398–1417), Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, Duke of Touraine, ruled the dauphinate as sixth

(1415–1417) * Charles V of Viennois (1403–1461), also king of France as Charles VII, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois, Valentinois and Ponthieu, ruled the dauphinate as seventh

(1417–1422), ruled the dauphinate as king of France (1422–1423, ''de facto'' 1457-1461) * Louis II of Viennois (1423–1483), also king of France as Louis XI, Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Diois and Valentinois, ruled the dauphinate as eighth

(1423–1461), ruled the dauphinate as king of France (1461–1466)

Notes

{{reflist Viennois Albon

Lords of Château d'Albon

House of Albon

Counts of Albon

House of Albon

Counts of Albon and Dauphins of Viennois

House of Albon

House of Burgundy The House of Burgundy () was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, descending from Robert I, Duke of Burgundy, a younger son of King Robert II of France. The House ruled the Duchy of Burgundy from 1032 to 1361 and achieved the recognized title ...

House of La Tour du Pin

Dauphins of Viennois and Dauphins of France

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. ...

See also

Notes