List of rulers of Auvergne

This is a list of the various rulers of Auvergne.

Contents

History

In the 7th century Auvergne was disputed between the Franks and Aquitanians. It was later conquered by the Carolingians, and was integrated for a time into the kingdom of Aquitaine. The counts of Auvergne slowly became autonomous.

In the 10th century Auvergne became a disputed territory between the Count of Poitiers and the Counts of Toulouse.

In the Middle Ages Auvergne was broken into four feudal domains:

Auvergne was integrated in turn into the appanages of Alphonse of Toulouse, Count of Poitou and Count of Toulouse (1241–1271) and of John of Berry Duke of Berry, Duke of Auvergne, Count of Poitiers and Count of Montpensier (1360–1416).

During the Hundred Years' War Auvergne faced numerous raids and revolts, including the Tuchin Revolt.

In 1424 the Duchy of Auvergne passed to the House of Bourbon.

Quite contemporaneously, the County of Auvergne passed to the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, and upon its extinction in 1531 it passed to Catherine de' Medici before becoming a royal domain.

In 1434, the Dauphinate of Auvergne passed to the House of Bourbon-Montpensier.

Counts of Auvergne

List of Burgundian Dukes of the Roman era

List of Counts of the Frankish era

List of Carolingian and French Counts

After the death of Acfred, who left the comital fisc completely diminished, there appeared no successor who could control the entire Auvergne, with Velay. Several relatives of surrounding regions made claims. Below are the dates of their effective control.

Bishops of Clermont

The title of bishop of Clermont is used from 1160 onwards. Before then they were called bishop of Arvernes. In 2002 the Bishopric of Clermont was incorporated into the Archbishopric of Clermont-Ferrand.

List of Bishops of Arvernes

List of Bishops of Clermont

List of Archbishops of Clermont-Ferrand

Dauphins of Auvergne

What is by convenience called the Dauphinate of Auvergne was in reality the remnant of the County of Auvergne after the usurpation of Count William VII the Young around 1155 by his uncle Count William VIII the Old.

The young count was able to maintain his status in part of his county, especially Beaumont, Chamaliers, and Montferrand. Some authors have therefore named William VII and his descendants Counts of Clermont, although this risks confusion with the County of Clermont in Beauvaisais and the episcopal County of Clermont in Auvergne.

The majority of authors, however, anticipating the formalization of the dauphinate in 1302, choose to call William VII and his successors the Dauphins of Auvergne. Still others, out of convenience, choose to call these successors the Counts-Dauphins of Auvergne.

The title of Dauphin of Auvergne was derived from William VII's mother, who was the daughter of the Dauphin de Viennois, Guigues IV. This meant that William VII's male descendants were usually given Dauphin as a surname.

The numbering of the Counts-turned-Dauphins is complicated. Some authors create a new numbering starting with the first dauphins even though the dauphinate did not really begin until 1302. Others choose to reestablish, beginning with William the Young, the numbering of the viscounts of Clermont who became counts of Auvergne, particularly for the dauphins named Robert.

The parallel existence of the usurpers of the County of Auvergne and of the Counts-Dauphins, who often carried the same first names, also complicates things. To avoid confusion, the numbering system used here is continuous, and Dauphin is used as part of the name where applicable.

List of Dauphins of Auvergne

From 1525-1538 the Dauphinate was confiscated by the king and united with the royal domain.

At her death in 1693, the title returned to the royal domain. It was later given to.

Afterwards, the title returned to the royal domain and was claimed as a courtesy title by the Dukes of Orléans, and the modern Orleanist pretenders.

Dukes of Auvergne

The duchy of Auvergne was created in 1360 by John II of France, out of the former royal territory of Auvergne, confiscated by Philip II of France in 1209.

List of Dukes of Auvergne

After his death in 1527, the title was confiscated and passed to the royal domain.

Louise confronted Charles III's right to succession with the support of her son, king Francis I of France. After her death in 1531, the title passed to the royal domain.

Current heirs

The primogenitural heir to the Counties of Boulogne and Auvergne would be Franz, Duke of Bavaria.

As of 2007, the Bishop of Clermont is Hippolyte Simon, as Archbishop of Clermont-Ferrand.

Today, the primogenitural heir to the Dauphinate of Auvergne (Montpensier) would be The Dowager Archduchess of Austria-Este.

The primogenitural heir to the Duchy of Auvergne (Bourbon and the original dauphinate) would be The Dowager Duchess of Calabria .

Each of the three noblemen also happen to be pretenders of much larger former monarchies, too.

External links