County of Montbéliard

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Grafschaft Mömpelgard (de)
Comté de Montbéliard (fr)
County of Montbéliard
State of the Holy Roman Empire
1042 – 1793 →
Capital Montbéliard
Government Principality
Historical era Middle Ages
 - Formed 1042
 - Annexed to Württemberg 1444
 - Unified with France 1793

The County of Montbéliard (French: Comté de Montbéliard) (also known as County of Mömpelgard (German: Grafschaft Mömpelgard)) was a feudal county based around the city of Montbéliard in present-day Province of Franche-Comté in France. It was founded in 1042 by the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II and was led by a line of Counts of Montbéliard descending from the Scarpone, Montfaucon and Württemberg families. Count Eberhard IV of Württemberg had married Countess Henriette of Montfaucon and upon her death in 1444, their son, Count Eberhard V annexed Montbéliard as part of the County of Württemberg, though still retaining its status as a separate county within the County.

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[edit] History

In 1042 at the beginning of the feudalism, the German emperor Conrad II formed the feudal county Montbéliard and gave it to his vassal, Louis of Montbéliard of the House of Scarpone, to whom he gave the title of the first Counts of Montbéliard.

In the twelfth century the Lord of Montfaucon, Amadeus II of the House of Montfaucon, becomes Count of Montbéliard by marriage to Sophie Montbéliard (daughter of Count Theodoric II of Montbéliard).

In 1407, the marriage of Montbeliard Countess Henriette of Montfaucon with Count Eberhard IV of Württemberg of the House of Württemberg, tipped the county into the fold of German Württemberg. In addition to the County of Montbéliard, Countess Henrietta brought wedding dowries: fiefdoms, such as lordships in Granges (Bourg), Clerval, Passavant, Etobon, Porrentruy, with the fiefdoms of Saint-Hippolyte, and lands of Franquemont (Goumois). Some of them were in the County of Burgundy, but the countess administered the County of Burgundy by the sovereign right by virtue of the legacy that is of her grandfather Stephen of Montfaucon, and the tribute that she received from the Duke of Burgundy John the Fearless

By the advent of this marriage, inheritance of the County of Montbéliard and its dependencies added to the Württemberg who brought the lordship of Riquewihr, Ferrette and the County of Horbourg in Alsace.

The County of Montbéliard was not a vassalagee of Württemberg; it was his equal but hereditary committed to the marriage of Count Eberhard IV by Henriette. De facto, it would retain "all its rights, traditions and customs, as well as its language" as it was customary in the vast Holy Roman Empire (German was never imposed Montbéliard).

In 1495, Count of Montbeliard Eberhard V of Württemberg was raised to the rank of Duke and the County of Montbéliard became the "Principality of Montbéliard".

In spite of vicissitudes, this situation was maintained for several centuries. However, with the annexation in 1748 of the "Four Lands" (land dependent Héricourt – Châtelot – Clémont - Blamont) by Louis XIV of France, the Principality was reduced to a "single county" until the French Revolution, or more precisely until November 1793.

[edit] Reunification with France

In 1793, the County of Montbéliard integrated into the First French Republic, bringing it forty new townships (Abbévillers, Aibre, Allenjoie, Allondans, Arbouans, Audincourt, Badevel, Bart, Bavans, Bethoncourt, Bretigney, Brognard, Courcelles-lès-Montbéliard, Couthenans, Dambenois, Dampierre-les-Bois, Dasle, Désandans, Dung, Étouvans, Étupes, Exincourt, Fesches-le-Châtel, Grand-Charmont, Issans, Laire, Montbéliard, Nommay, Présentevillers, Raynans, Sainte-Marie, Sainte-Suzanne, Saint-Julien-lès-Montbéliard, Semondans, Sochaux, Taillecourt, Valentigney, Le Vernoy, Vieux-Charmont and Voujeaucourt).

With Mandeure, from the Republic of Mandeure annexed at the same time, these municipalities were first linked to the departement of Haute-Saône, constituting the new district of Montbéliard in 1793, including 3 cantons (Audincourt, Désandans and Montbéliard). In 1797, they were transferred to the departement Mont-Terrible. The département was abolished in 1800, being annexed to the Haut-Rhin. With the new arrangement put in place that year, there were more than 2 cantons (Audincourt and Montbéliard) in the District of Porrentruy. In 1814, Haut-Rhin lost the territories which had been part of Mont-Terrible and returned them to Switzerland, with the exception of Montbéliard, which was transferred to the department of Doubs.

[edit] Rulers

[edit] House of Scarpone

[edit] House of Montfaucon

[edit] House of Württemberg

[edit] House of Württemberg-Mömpelgard