Vesques De Clarmon
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Robert of Auvergne, also called Robert de la Tour (died 7 January 1234), was a
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
nobleman, prelate and poet from the
Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...
. He served as
bishop of Clermont The Archdiocese of Clermont (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Claromontana''; French language, French: ''Archidiocèse de Clermont'') is a Latin Church, Latin archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Departments of Fr ...
from 1195 until 1227 and thereafter as
archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...
until his death. He was also a
troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...
, composing poetry in
Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
. Robert was involved in several
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...
conflicts between 1195 and 1211. Twice imprisoned (1199, 1207) and accused of murder and rapine, his disputes with family and vassals drew intervention from both king and pope. He emerged victorious and in control of the city of Clermont itself. He also added lands and
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
s to his diocese and took part in the
Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade (), also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted pri ...
(1209). After his election as archbishop, he was imprisoned a third time for interfering with the marriage politics of the
count of Champagne The count of Champagne was the ruler of the County of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the County of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title count of Champagne. Count Theobal ...
, but was soon liberated by his friends. He was less successful in Lyon, where his pontificate is marked by disputes with the rising merchant class. His health declined in his final two years. Robert's known literary career fell between 1195 and 1212. He is describes as ''lo Vesques de Clarmon'' ('the bishop of Clermont') in the
songbooks A song book is a book containing lyrics for songs. Song books may be simple composition books or spiral-bound notebooks. Music publisher (popular music), Music publishers also produced printed editions for group singing. Such volumes were used in ...
. Little of his poetry survives and all that does concerns disagreements with his cousin,
Dalfi d'Alvernhe Dalfi d'Alvernha () was the Count of Clermont and Montferrand, a troubadour and a patron of troubadours. He was born around 1150 and died in 1234 or 1235. He is sometimes called Robert IV, but there is no solid evidence for the name Robert, and ...
. Dalfi states that the bishop had a lady lover and the bishop hints at Dalfi's sexual inadequacy, but it is difficult to know what reality lies behind their joking exchange.


Family and early life

Robert was born into the highest nobility of
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. He was a younger son of Count Robert IV of Auvergne and Matilda, daughter of Duke Odo II of Burgundy. His elder brothers were Counts William IX and Guy II. He was a cousin of the troubadour
Dalfi d'Alvernhe Dalfi d'Alvernha () was the Count of Clermont and Montferrand, a troubadour and a patron of troubadours. He was born around 1150 and died in 1234 or 1235. He is sometimes called Robert IV, but there is no solid evidence for the name Robert, and ...
, a first cousin of Duke
Odo III of Burgundy Eudes III (1166 – 1218), commonly known in English as Odo III, was Duke of Burgundy between 1192 and 1218. Odo was the eldest son of Duke Hugh III and his first wife Alice, daughter of Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine. Life Odo did not follow his ...
and a first cousin once removed of King
Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...
(through the latter's grandmother,
Matilda of Carinthia Matilda of Carinthia (Mathilde of Sponheim; died 13 December 1160 or 1161) was a daughter of Engelbert, Duke of Carinthia and his wife Uta of Passau. She married Theobald II, Count of Champagne in 1123. Her children with Theobald were: * Henry I ...
). He was also related to the
counts of Forez Forez (; ) is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire ''département'' and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme ''départements''. The final "z" in Forez () is not pronounced in the ...
and thus to Archbishop Renaud of Lyon. Prior to his election as bishop, Robert was the dean of the chapter of the cathedral of Autun. Autun lay within the ecclesiastical province of Lyon.


Bishop of Clermont

Robert was elected bishop of Clermont in 1195. In 1197, he dedicated the Abbey of Le Bouchet, founded by his father. Between 1197 and 1201 Robert was involved in a quarrel with his brother Guy in which both resorted to force. In 1197, Robert excommunicated his brother and placed his lands under interdict. He then ravaged his lands with hired soldiers for the next two years. At the same time, Robert got into a dispute with the troubadour
Pons de Capduelh Pons de Capduelh (fl. 1160–1220Chambers 1978, 140. or 1190–1237Aubrey 1996, 19–20.) was a troubadour from the Auvergne, probably from Chapteuil. His songs were known for their great gaiety. He was a popular poet and 27 of his songs are prese ...
over the castle of Vertaizon, which Pons had received from his wife as a dowry some time before 1196 and which the bishop claimed as a fief. In 1199, Guy wrote to
Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
requesting intervention. Before receiving a response, he engineered Robert's capture. Pons seized the bishop and imprisoned him in Vertaizon before handing him over to Guy. The bishop was accused of murder, arson and pillage. When Innocent learned of his imprisonment, he authorized the
archbishop of Bourges In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
, Henry de Sully, to absolve Guy on condition of penance for his own excesses. Henry reconciled the brothers in July 1199, and mediated a peace agreement signed in May 1201. As bishop, Robert sought to increase his hold on his castles and to expand his diocese's territory. In 1199, Count Guy did homage to his brother for the castle of
Lezoux Lezoux (; ) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. It was a key location in the filming of the 2004 film Les Choristes (The Chorus). Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The fol ...
. In 1202, Guy committed the city of Clermont to the bishop's keeping until he had made peace with King Philip. Guy had sided with the English in the Anglo-French War of 1202–1204. Robert thus became the first bishop to govern the city directly, a position subsequent bishops retained down to 1552. In 1205, Innocent III opened an inquiry into the dispute between Robert and Pons, which was still unresolved. At this, King Philip II intervened to force Pons' wife to turn the castle over to Robert. In 1211 Pons and his wife, with their three sons, three daughters and three sons-in-law, sold Vertaizon to the bishop for 7,650
marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
, of which 7,000 were to be retained by the bishop as compensation for his unlawful imprisonment. In 1206, Robert and Guy again fell into dispute. In 1207, Guy again imprisoned his brother. Although excommunicated by the pope, he only released Robert after King Philip marched an army against him. He had to pay reparations and give security. In 1207, Robert acquired the fiefs of Montmorin and
Mauzun Mauzun (; ) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France France, offi ...
from the king. A castle was begun at Mauzun imitating the royal style introduced into the Auvergne by Philip. Robert participated in the
Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade (), also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted pri ...
with his own troops. In July 1209, he and Guy were among the leaders of the army that marched out of Lyon. They had returned to the Auvergne before the end of the year. In 1211, according to the ''Chronicle'' of Bernard Ithier, a new dispute arose between Robert and Guy, during which the count destroyed the monastery of Saint-Pierre de Mozac. A royal army under Guy II of Dampierre and Archbishop Renaud of Lyon captured nearly all of Count Guy's possessions and confiscated his fiefs. This was the end of his disputes with his brother. In May 1212, a document issued by Robert indicates that Philip had given him the castle of Lezoux, the castle "between two rivers" (''inter duos rivos'') and that of Dallet. In 1215, Robert again joined the Albigensian Crusade, this time accompanied by Géraud de Cros,
archbishop of Bourges In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
. He returned to his diocese in 1216. In 1217, with Countess Blanche of Champagne as his guarantor, he swore an oath of
fealty An oath of fealty, from the Latin (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Definition In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fealty" also r ...
to the king. In 1217, as he was preparing to depart on the
Fifth Crusade The Fifth Crusade (September 1217 - August 29, 1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by al- ...
, Duke Odo III of Burgundy placed his six-year-old son and heir, the future Hugh IV, under the guardianship of Robert and William of Joinville. When Odo died suddenly in 1218, Robert became the guardian of the young duke. In 1225, Robert attended the Council of Bourges. During his long episcopate in Clermont, the
Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
set up in Montferrand and the
Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...
in Clermont itself (1219). He was succeeded at Clermont by his nephew,
Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...
, in April 1227.


Archbishop of Lyon

In 1227, Robert was elected to succeed
Renaud de Forez Renaud de Forez (died in Lyon October 22, 1226) was a French people, French Clergy, churchman who was Archbishop of Lyon as Renaud II (1193–1226). A son of Count Guigues II of Forez, Renaud acted as regent of the county of Forez for his nephew, ...
(died 23 October 1226) as archbishop of Lyon in 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 ...
after a vacancy of several months. The
papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...
s conferring on him the ''
pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...
'' and informing his
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...
s of his election are dated 3 and 7 April 1227. Robert has been accused of paying little attention to Lyon. Early in his pontificate, in his capacity as tutor to the young duke of Burgundy, he had advised Alice of Vergy, Hugh's mother and the regent of Burgundy, that Hugh should be married to Yolanda, daughter of Count
Robert II of Dreux Robert II of Dreux (1154 – 28 December 1218), List of Counts of Dreux, Count of Dreux and Braine, was the eldest surviving son of Robert I, Count of Dreux, and Agnes de Baudemont, countess of Braine, and a grandson of King Louis VI of France. ...
. This marriage alliance violated an agreement Alice had made with Count
Theobald IV of Champagne Theobald I (, ; 30 May 1201 – 8 July 1253), also called the Troubadour and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne (as Theobald IV) from birth and King of Navarre from 1234. He initiated the Barons' Crusade, was famous as a trouvère, and was ...
. In response, a furious Theobald took Robert hostage in 1227. Yolanda's uncle and Robert's personal friend, Count
Henry II of Bar Henry II of Bar in French ''Henri II de Bar'', in German ''Heinrich II von Bar'' (1190–13 November 1239) was a Count of Bar who reigned from 1214 to 1239. He was son of Count Theobald I of Bar and his first wife, Ermesinde of Bar-sur-Seine. H ...
, liberated the imprisoned bishop. By this stage of his career, Robert was an elderly and even "esteemed" man. In 1230, Theobald agreed to pay the bishop 1,000
marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
of silver in compensation to the bishop. Numerous documents and diplomas exist from Robert's pontificate in Lyon. He practised nepotism, appointing his nephew Hugh to the
seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
cy. He brokered an agreement between the monasteries of Saint-Martin d'Ainay and Saint-Martin de l'Île Barbe over the possession of
Cuire Caluire-et-Cuire (; ) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in the department of Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, eastern France. It is the fifth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and lies 4 km north-by-east of Lyon. Population Neighb ...
. He imposed new taxes on wine, which caused the burgers of Lyon to complain and created the first stirrings of the communal movement in Lyon. The letter written by
Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...
to Robert on 28 September 1229 is an important witness to the evolution of the
crusading movement The crusading movement encompasses the framework of ideology, ideologies and institutions that described, regulated, and promoted the Crusades. The crusades were religious wars that the Latin church, Latin Church initiated, supported, and some ...
, since for the first time Gregory offered the remission of sins to those who took part in the
War of the Keys The War of the Keys (1228–1230) was the first military conflict between Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Papacy. Fighting took place in Central Italy, central and southern Italy. The Papacy made strong gains at first, securing the Pap ...
against the
Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI of the Ho ...
. Robert, calling himself "aged and ill", made out his will in 1232. He died on 7 January 1234 during a particularly harsh winter. He was buried in the cathedral of Lyon. There was a divided election following his death and the pope had to intervene to appoint an archbishop, Raoul de La Roche-Aymon, in 1235.


Troubadour

Three poems by ''lo Vesques de Clarmon'' are known: two ''
coblas A ''cobla esparsa'' ( literally meaning "scattered stanza") in Old Occitan is the name used for a single-stanza poem in troubadour poetry. They constitute about 15% of the troubadour output, and they are the dominant form among late (after 1220) a ...
'' and one ''
sirventes The ''sirventes'' or ''serventes'' (), sometimes translated as "service song", was a genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry practiced by the troubadours. The name comes from ''sirvent'' ('serviceman'), from whose perspective the song is allegedly wr ...
''. They can all be found in the Occitan
chansonnier A chansonnier (, , Galician and , or ''canzoniéro'', ) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally " song-books"; however, some manuscripts are call ...
H, with the ''sirventes'' also preserved in chansonnier D.PC 095 Bischof Robert von Clermont - Lo Vesques de Clarmon (Clermont)
at Bibliografia Elettronica dei Trovatori, v. 2.0.
They are: *''Coms que vol enseignar'' *''Peire de Maensac, ges lo reis no seria'' *''Per Crist, si·l fos meus'' All three pieces are directed against his cousin Dalfi. ''Coms que'' was written around 1199. ''Peire de Maensac'', which is the ''sirventes'' and the only one longer than a single stanza, criticises Dalfi for anti-social behaviour and also criticises Dalfi's ''
joglar A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist enterta ...
'', the
Peire de Maensac Peire de Maensac was an Auvergnat knight and troubadour. He was from Maensac (either Mauzat, Manzat or Mainsat) in the lands of Dalfi d'Alvernha. He came from the petty nobility. His brother Austor or Austors was also a troubadour, but none of h ...
of the opening line, for not acting like a knight.Per , a study of the political background of Robert's poetry and English translations of his works are found in . It can be dated to 1212 because of a reference to the Albigensian Crusade. ''Per Crist'' and Dalfi's response are part of a private joke, full of innuendo. It can be dated no more precisely than between 1195 and 1209. The compiler of the chansonnier has supplied ''
razo A ''razo'' (, literally "cause", "reason") was a short piece of Old Occitan, Occitan prose detailing the circumstances of a troubadour composition. A ''razo'' normally introduced an individual poem, acting as a prose preface and explanation; it mi ...
s'' (explanations) for the lyrics, but these are certainly not based on an actual understanding of the reality that lies behind the text. He says that Robert loved the wife of Sir Chantart de Caulec from Pescadoires, based on his reading of Dalfi's poem. The bishop's poem, with strong sexual undertones, chides Dalfi for not supplying his lover with all the bacon she asked for. The first four lines are: Outside of his and Dalfi's poems, Robert's feud with his brother is mentioned in a poem by Giraut de Borneil.


Notes


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{S-end 12th-century births 1234 deaths Bishops of Clermont Archbishops of Lyon People of the Albigensian Crusade French troubadours People from Auvergne