The land of

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

. In this position, influenced and affected by several different cultures on different sides, the Provençals maintained a unity which was reinforced when the region was made a separate kingdom during the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

decline of the later ninth century. When

Boso of Provence Boso of Provence (; 841 – 11 January 887) was the first non-Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian pretender to the royal throne of West Francia in 879, who failed to achieve wider recognition, being accepted only in Lower Burgundy and Provence, ...

acquired the region in 879, it was known as

Lower Burgundy Lower Burgundy (; ) was a historical region in the early medieval Burgundy, and a distinctive realm known as the ''Kingdom of Lower Burgundy'', that existed from 879 to 933, when it was incorporated into the reunited Kingdom of Burgundy. During t ...

until it was merged with

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 ...

in 933 to form the

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 ...

. The counts of Arles began calling themselves "count of Provence"; although in name vassals, they were ''de facto'' autonomous princes. After 1032, the county was 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 ...

. In the eleventh century, Provence became disputed between the traditional line and the

counts of Toulouse The count of Toulouse (, ) was the ruler of county of Toulouse, Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the kingdom of the Franks, Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surrounding ...

, who claimed the title of "Margrave of Provence". In the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...

, the title of Count of Provence belonged to local families of Frankish origin, from 1112 to 1245 to the

House of Barcelona The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 (as kings from 1162) until 1410. They descend from the Bellonids, the descendants of Wilfred the Hairy. Th ...

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the House of Aragón), from 1245 to 1382 to the House of Anjou, and from 1382 to 1481 to a cadet branch of the

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. ...

. It was inherited by King

Louis XI of France Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...

in 1481, and definitively incorporated into the

French royal domain The crown lands, crown estate, royal domain or (in French) ''domaine royal'' (from demesne) of France were the lands, fiefs and rights directly possessed by the kings of France. While the term eventually came to refer to a territorial unit, the ...

by his son Charles VIII in 1487.

Merovingian dukes

During the period of the

Merovingian dynasty The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

in Gaul, Provence was a province ruled by '' duces'' (dukes), military leaders and district commanders who served as defenders of the frontiers of the kingdom and ruled over vast territories as opposed to the '' comites'' (counts), who ruled the cities and their environs. Provence was usually a part of the division of the

Frankish realm The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Frankish Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties during the Early Middle A ...

known as the

Kingdom of Burgundy Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various successive Monarchy, kingdoms centered in the historical region of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. The heartland of historical Burgundy correlates with the border area between France and Switze ...

, which was treated as its own kingdom. Their title sometimes appears as ''rector Provinciae''. This is an incomplete list of the known Merovingian-appointed dukes of Provence. * Liberius (until 534),

Ostrogothic The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

appointee * Namatius (bef. 552), Frankish appointee * Bodegisel (fl. c. 566) *Adovarius (561–569) *Lupus (569–570) * Jovin (570–573) * Albin (573–575) * Dinamius (from 575) * Gondulf (fl. c. 581) *Leudegisel (fl. c. 585), of Burgundian Provence * Nicetas (from 587) *Babo (fl. c. 600) *Aegyla (fl. c. 602) *Bado (634–641) * Willibad (641–643), of Burgundian Provence *

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

(fl. c. 679) * Nemfidius (fl. c. 700) * Antenor (fl. c. 697) * Metrannus (fl. c. 700) * Maurontus (c. 720 – 739) * Abbo (fl. c. 739)

Carolingian dukes

Provence was ruled by a poorly known series of dukes during the period of general Carolingian unity until the

Treaty of Verdun The Treaty of Verdun (; ), agreed to on 10 August 843, ended the Carolingian civil war and divided the Carolingian Empire between Lothair I, Louis the German, Louis II and Charles the Bald, Charles II, the surviving sons of the emperor Louis the ...

(843). * Leibulf (until c. 829) * Guerin (c. 829 – 845) * Fulcrad (845 – c. 860)

Carolingian kings

After the division of the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...

by the

(843), the first of the fraternal rulers of the three kingdoms to die was

Lothair I Lothair I (9th. C. Frankish: ''Ludher'' and Medieval Latin: ''Lodharius''; Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario''; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century emperor of the ...

, who divided his middle kingdom in accordance with the custom of the Franks among his three sons. Out of this division came the

Kingdom of Provence Lower Burgundy (; ) was a historical region in the early medieval Burgundy, and a distinctive realm known as the ''Kingdom of Lower Burgundy'', that existed from 879 to 933, when it was incorporated into the reunited Kingdom of Burgundy. During t ...

, given to Lothair's youngest son,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

. A heritage of royal rule was thus inaugurated in Provence which, though it was often subsumed into one of its larger neighbouring kingdoms, was just as often proclaiming its own sovereigns. The kingdom of Provence was also known as

(or Cisjurane Burgundy). Its capital was first Vienne then

Arles Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...

. *

Charles of Provence Charles of Provence or Charles of Burgundy (84525 January 863) was a Carolingian king and ruler of Provence and Lower Burgundy from 855 until his early death in 863. Charles was the youngest son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. ...

(855–863)
''On his death, Provence was divided between his surviving brothers,

Lothair II Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was a Carolingian king and ruler of northern parts of Middle Francia, that came to be known as Lotharingia, reigning there from 855 until his death in 869. He also ruled over Burgundy, holding from 855 just th ...

and the Emperor Louis II. The bulk went to Louis.'' * Louis II (863–875), also

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

from 855
''On his death, as with his

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

, Louis's Provence went to his uncle

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

.'' *

(875–877), also

from 875 *

Louis the Stammerer Louis the Stammerer (; 1 November 846 – 10 April 879) was the king of Aquitaine and later the king of West Francia. He was the eldest son of Emperor Charles the Bald and Ermentrud ...

(877–879)
''With the death of Louis the Stammerer, Provence refused to elect his two sons and instead elected one of their own as king. Boso married Ermengard, daughter of Louis II, to strengthen his and his son's claim.'' * Boso (879–887) * Louis the Blind (887–928), also

from 901 to 905
''Louis's kingdom did not pass to his heirs, but instead to his brother-in-law, the husband of his sister, Hugh, who had acted as his regent since 905. Hugh never used the royal title in Provence.'' * Hugh (911–933)
''In 933, Provence ceased to be a separate kingdom as Hugh exchanged it with Rudolph II of Upper Burgundy for the Iron Crown of Lombardy, that is, rule of Italy.''

Counts and margraves, within the Empire

In the aftermath of the death of Louis the Blind, Provence began to be ruled by local counts placed under the authority of a margrave. Firstly, Hugh of Arles served as duke and regent during Louis' long blindness. Secondly, Hugh gave the march of Vienne and duchy of Provence to Rudolf II of Burgundy in a treaty of 933. Rudolf was never recognised by the nobles of the country and appointed Hugh, Duke of Burgundy, as its first margrave. At the time, the premier counts in the region were the counts of Arles and those of Avignon. Those who would first bear the title ''comes Provinciae'' or "count of Provence" descended from one Rotbold of Arles.

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 ...

and Rotbold I did not divide their father's domains and this indivisibility was maintained by their respective descendants. It is thus impossible to ascertain who succeeded whom in the county as various reigns overlap. By his marriage to Emma of Provence, daughter of Rotbold II,

William III, Count of Toulouse William III Taillefer (also spelled ''Tallefer'' or ''Tallifer''; – September 1037) was the Count of Toulouse, Albi, and Quercy, as well as the Marquis of Gothie from 972 or 978 to his death. He was the first of the Toulousain branch of his fam ...

inherited lands and castles in Provence. Emma inherited the title Margrave of Provence upon her elder brother's death in 1037. Her son

Pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other mammals, lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of ...

by William III did not survive her, but her grandson did and claimed her title in opposition to the younger line of counts of Provence.

Bosonid dynasty

House of Gévaudan

Houses of
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
(comital) and Toulouse (margravial)

With a lack of interest in the ''

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

'' on their southern frontier, the

Catalans Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; ; ; or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, a nationality and autono ...

turned towards their origins, the Mediterranean

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

and northwards. They coveted the region between the

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; ) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the '' départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geographical, ...

and the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

, then under the control of Toulouse. In 1112, the count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer III, married the heiress of Provence, Douce, who was the daughter of the Countess Gerberga of Provence, Gévaudan, Carladais, and part of

Rodez Rodez (, , ; , ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the communau ...

. The marriage was probably taken at the urging of the church, which was then in conflict with the House of Toulouse. In 1076, Count Raymond IV was excommunicated, but he still lent his support to Aicard, the deposed archbishop of Arles (since 1080). With the count away on the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

, the church took the opportunity to seize the balance of power in the region. This marriage effectively put Provence under Catalan control. To accommodate the longstanding claims of the count of Toulouse, in 1125, Raymond's heir, Alfonso Jordan, signed a treaty whereby his family's traditional claim to the title of "Margrave of Provence" was recognised and the march of Provence was defined as the region north of the lower Durance and on the right of the Rhône, including the castles of Beaucaire, Vallabrègues, and Argence. The region between the Durance, the Rhône, the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

, and the sea was that of the county and belonged to the house of Barcelona.

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 ...

, Pont de Sorgues, Caumont and Le Thor remained undivided. Internally, Provence was racked by uncertainties over rights of succession. Douce and Ramon Berenguer signed all charters jointly until her death in 1127, after which he alone appears as count in all charters until his death in 1131. At that time, Douce's younger sister,

Stephanie Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath, garland". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Pol ...

was married to Raymond of Baux, who promptly laid claim to the inheritance of her mother, even though Provence had peacefully passed into the hands of her nephew, Berenguer Ramon I.

Capetian Angevin dynasty

*1246–1285 Charles I, Count of Anjou,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, Provence and Forcalquier (1246), King of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

(1266) and

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

(1277). *1285–1309

Charles II of Naples Charles II, also known as Charles the Lame (; ; 1254 – 5 May 1309), was King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier (1285–1309), Prince of Achaea (1285–1289), and Count of Anjou and Maine (1285–1290); he also was King of Albania ( ...

''the Lame'', King of

and (nominal) Jerusalem and Sicily, son of Charles I *1309–1343 Robert of Naples ''the Wise'', Duke of

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

(1296–1309), King of Naples and (nominal) Jerusalem and Sicily (1309), son of Charles II *1343–1382 Joan I of Naples, Queen of Naples and (nominal) Jerusalem and Sicily (1343–1381) *1349–1362 Louis I of Naples, King of Naples and (nominal) Jerusalem and Sicily, as husband of Joan I of Naples :''Queen Joan died heirless, leaving the county to Louis I of Anjou, son of King John II of France ''the Good'', of the House of Valois Dynasty, Valois, and great-great-grandson of Charles II of Naples.''

Valois-Anjou dynasty

*1382–1384 Louis I of Anjou, Count and then Duke of Anjou (1351), Duke of Calabria and Count of Maine (1356), Duke of Touraine (1370), nominal King of Sicily (1382) *1384–1417 Louis II of Anjou, Duke of Anjou, Duke of Calabria, Calabria and Touraine, Count of Maine, nominal King of Sicily (1384), House of Guise, Count of Guise (1404), son of Louis I *1417–1434 Louis III of Anjou, Duke of Anjou and Touraine, nominal King of Sicily (1417), Duke of Calabria (1424), son of Louis II *1434–1480 René I of Naples ''the Good'', Count of Guise (1417–1422), Duke of Lorraine (province), Lorraine and Counts and dukes of Bar, Bar (1431), Kingdom of Naples, King of Naples and (nominal) Sicily and Jerusalem (1434–1442), Duke of Anjou and Touraine (1434), King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona (in dispute, 1466–1472), son of Louis II *1480–1481 Charles IV, Duke of Anjou, Charles III (V of Maine), also known as Charles of Maine, Count of Maine and Guise (1472), nephew of René I Upon his death, the heirless Charles du Maine bequeathed the counties of Provence-Forcalquier to King

. From that point forward, the title of Count of Provence simply became one of the many hereditary titles of the French monarchs. The only time the title was used independently afterwards was by the future Louis XVIII of France, who was known as the ''Comte de Provence'' until the death of his nephew Louis XVII of France, Louis XVII in 1795, after which he claimed the throne of France.

Governors and grand seneschals, within France

Governors

*1481–1483 Palamède de Forbin *1491–1493 François de Luxembourg

Grand seneschals

*1480–1481 Pierre de La Jaille (see Château de Ranton) *1482–1483 Raymond de Glandevès-Faucon *1483 Palamède de Forbin *1485–1493 Aymar de Poitiers, Count of County of Valentinois, Valentinois

Governors – grand seneschals

*1493–1503 Philip of Hachberg-Sausenberg, margrave de Hochberg *1504–1513 Louis d'Orléans, County of Longueville, Count of Longueville *1514 Jean de Poitiers, lord of Saint-Vallier, Drôme, Saint-Vallier *1515–1525 René of Savoy, Count of Tende *1525–1566 Claude de Savoie, Count of Tende *1566–1572 Honorat I de Savoie, Count of Tende

Grand seneschals

*1572–1582 , Count of Carcès *1582–1610 , Count of Carcès *1610–1655 Jean de Pontevès, Count of Carcès *1655–1662 -Gordes

Governors

*1572–1573 Gaspard de Saulx-Tavannes *1573–1578 Albert de Gondi, comte de Retz *1578–1579 François de La Baume, comte de Suze *1579–1586 Henri d'Angoulême, called, Henri, bâtard de Valois *1586–1590 Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette, Jean-Louis de Nogaret, duc d'Épernon *1590-1592 Bernard de Nogaret, seigneur de La Valette. *1592-1594 Jean-Louis de Nogaret, duc d'Épernon *1592–1594 ''Gaspard de Pontevès, Gaspard de Pontevès, comte de Carcès (the Catholic League (France), Catholic League counter appointment to the office).'' *1594–1631 Charles, Duke of Guise, Charles de Lorraine, duc de Guise *1631–1637 Nicolas de L'Hôpital, Nicolas de L'Hôpital, marquis de Vitry *1637–1653 Louis-Emmanuel de Valois, comte d'Alais *1653–1669 Louis II de Bourbon-Vendôme, Louis de Bourbon-Vendôme, duc de Mercœur *1669–1712 Louis Joseph de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme, Louis-Joseph de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme *1712–1734 Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Claude-Louis-Hector, duc de Villars *1734–1770 Honoré-Armand de Villars, Honoré-Armand, duc de Villars *1770–1780 Camille-Louis de Lorraine *1780–1790 Charles-Just de Beauvau In 1790, the French Revolution definitively ended the governorship.

Sources

* *

References

External links

GENEALOGY.EU: RULERS OF PROVENCE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Provence Rulers of Provence, Lists of French nobility Francia Lists of rulers in Europe Dukedoms of France Lists of dukes County of Provence Holy Roman Empire

Merovingian dukes

Carolingian dukes

Carolingian kings

Counts and margraves, within the Empire

Bosonid dynasty

House of Gévaudan

Capetian Angevin dynasty

Valois-Anjou dynasty

Governors and grand seneschals, within France

Governors

Grand seneschals

Governors – grand seneschals

Grand seneschals

Governors

See also

Sources

References

External links