List of counts of Albon and dauphins of Viennois


The counts of Albon were medieval counts of Albon in the Kingdom of Burgundy, in what is now south-eastern France. Their title was derived from the Château d'Albon. From the end of the 13th century, they were also styled as dauphins of Viennois. In 1349, the last local dauphin sold his domains and titles to the House of Valois. Over time, by the 15th century, the title Dauphin of Viennois gradually evolved into the Dauphin of France.

History

The region of Viennois, including Albon, belonged to the Kingdom of Burgundy, since 1032 under the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Empire. By the 12th century, counts of Albon gained prominence among the local nobility in Viennois. Count Guigues IV of Albon was nicknamed le Dauphin or 'the Dolphin', and in time, his nickname morphed into a title among his successors. By 1285, the lands ruled by the counts of Albon, the old comitatus Albionis, were known as the Dauphiné of Viennois, but the city of Vienne itself was not in their possession, being governed by the Archbishops of Vienne until the middle of the 15th century.
In 1343, dauphin Humbert II of Viennois, being left childless after the death of his only son, and also being pressured by financial difficulties, decided to sell all of his possessions, titles and rights over Dauphiné. Neither the emperor, nor the pope wanted to buy, and thus a series of complex negotiations were initiated between Humbert and the House of Valois, headed by the ruling French king Philip VI. It was initially agreed that Humbert's domains will pass to Philip's younger som Philip, Duke of Orléans, but already in 1344, those provisions were changed, and a new agreement was made, designating kings's oldest son John, Duke of Normandy as Humbert's heir in the Dauphiné.
By 1349, dauphin Humbert II decided to finalize the sale of his domains. The acquisition was formalized by the treaty of Romans, designating John's oldest son Charles as Humbert's successor, on the condition that Dauphiné will remain a distinctive polity, not incorporated into the French kingdom. Thus in the summer of 1349, young French prince Charles became the first Valois Dauphin of Viennois. In 1350, when John ascended to the French throne, his son Charles became the heir presumptive and thus for the first time both honors were held by the same person. Under provisions of the treaty, it was also stipulated that the heir apparent to the French throne shall always be personal holder of those lands, and thus styled as Dauphin of Viennois. When the king of France had no son, he would personally rule the Dauphiné separately, as dauphin.
Thus, the province formally remained within the Holy Roman Empire even after 1349, and already in 1356 the first Valois dauphin Charles made an homage to the emperor Charles IV at Metz, and received imperial confirmation as feudal lord of Dauphiné, also being appointed as the imperial vicar in the region. In 1378, the emperor appointed the next dauphin Charles as the imperial vicar in the region, but only for his lifetime. In 1456-1467, during the reign of king Charles VII of France, ties between Dauphiné and the French crown were strengthened, but the province continued to be administered separately from the French realm well into the early modern period. It was de facto incorporated into France only with the rise of absolutism in the 17th century.
By the middle of the 15th century, during the reign of dauphin Louis II, counties of Diois and Valentinois were finally integrated into Dauphiné.
In time, since the 15th century, the title Dauphin of Viennois gradually morphed into the Dauphin of France.

Lords of Château d'Albon

[House of Albon]

  • Guigues I of Albon the Old, Count in Oisans, Grésivaudan and Briançonnais, Lord of Château d'Albon, ruled until 1070
  • Guigues II of Albon the Fat, Count in Grésivaudan and Briançonnais, Lord of Château d'Albon, ruled 1070–1079

    Counts of Albon

[House of Albon]

Humbert II sold his lands and titles to House of Valois.

Dauphins of Viennois from the [House of Valois]