Erguël is a medieval
seigniory
In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; ; ), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple.
'' Nulle terre sans seigneur'' ("No land without a lord") ...
of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Basel, and under protectorate of
Biel/Bienne
Biel/Bienne (official bilingual wording; German language, German: ''Biel'' ; French language, French: ''Bienne'' ; Bernese German, locally ; ; ; ) is a bilingual city in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. With over 55,000 residents, it is the ...
, under military jurisdiction from 1335, in the now called valley of
St.-Imier, in the now
Bernese Jura
Bernese Jura (, , German: Berner Jura) is the name for the French-speaking area of the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Bern, and from 2010 one of ten Administrative divisions of Switzerland, administrative divisions of the Cantons of Switzerland, cant ...
,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
The Sire of the area used to live in the
Château d'Erguel.
History
In 1264, the Bishop of Basel appointed
Otto of Erguel as the
vogt
An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...
over the Saint-Imier valley fief. Otto raised the valley to become a seigniory and
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
of the
Diocese of Basel
The Diocese of Basel (; ) is a Latin Church, Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland.
Historically, the bishops of Basel were also secular rulers of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel (). Today the diocese of Basel includes the Swiss Cantons of Switze ...
, named Erguel.
accessed 29 January 2011
Asteroid
Asteroid 282669 Erguël, discovered by Swiss amateur astronomer Michel Ory at the Tenagra II Observatory in 2005, was named in memory of the seigniory.Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Funct ...
on 22 July 2013 ().
References
External links
Article dans le Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse
Former subdivisions of Switzerland
{{RC-hist-stub