Avignon itself is a consular city (consulate from 1129) under the joint overlordship of the counts of Provence and Toulouse, and the bishop's power in it has given way to the consuls.
His real lordship is outside the walls: Noves, south of the Durance, held by the bishops since the tenth century as the land of Saint Mary and Saint Stephen.
Who holds it
- Name
- Rostaing de Margarit (Rostaing III, also written de Marguerite)
- Title
- Bishop of Avignon
- Since
- 1180 or 1185
- Confidence
- low
The list gives him from 1180 or 1185 to 1197 or until his death in 1209, depending on the source; on 1 January 1200 he is the likeliest bishop but this is not pinned.
What it holds
- Noves: lordship of the bishops since the tenth century
- Rights of the see in Avignon, a consular city; the extent of the bishop's temporal share in 1200 is not pinned
How it was acquired
Noves came to the bishops in the tenth century; Bishop Geoffroy (1175) is noted for draining and managing it.
How things stand that morning
The city governs itself under its consuls; the bishop holds Noves.
Wealth
Farmland and dues of Noves; the see's revenues in a rich Rhone city with its great bridge.
Threats
- The consuls' independence
- The quarrels of Toulouse and Provence over the city
Advocates and rivals
The consuls of Avignon; the counts of Toulouse and Provence, joint overlords of the city.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The holder's dates conflict between sources; Noves is well attested as episcopal.
On the map: Only Noves is drawn. Other later episcopal lordships of Avignon (such as Chateauneuf) are not drawn because their status in 1200 is not pinned.
Primary sources for Empire
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Marbach (compiled to 1238, the section on 1198 to 1210 written in the early 13th century). Alsatian annals on the Staufen side of the Upper Rhine. Read online
- Annals of Reiner of Saint James, Liège, Reiner of Liège (1197 to 1230, kept year by year). Contemporary annals kept inside Liège. Read online
- Chronicle of Burchard of Ursberg, Burchard of Ursberg (about 1229 to 1230, reworked by Conrad of Lichtenau). Written a generation later by a fierce partisan of the Staufen and a critic of Innocent III. Read online
- Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
- Chronicle of Reinhardsbrunn; Chronicle of St Peter's, Erfurt (Erfurt chronicle in the 13th century; Reinhardsbrunn compilation about 1340 to 1349 from older annals). The two Thuringian chronicles. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
- Royal Chronicle of Cologne (in stages from about 1175 to about 1250; the section on 1198 to 1220 written soon after the events). The fullest German narrative of the throne war from the Welf and Cologne side. Read online
- Chronicle of Hainaut, Gislebert of Mons (about 1195 to 1196). Ends in 1195, so it has no 1200 entries, but it is the indispensable background for Flanders and Hainaut: the career of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (VIII of Flanders), his union of the two counties, the settlement with Philip over Artois, the rights, castles, fiefs and vassals of Hainaut listed by a man who ran its chancery, and the youth of Baldwin IX, who held both counties in 1200. Read online
8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.
Sources and studies
- Liste des eveques et archeveques d'Avignon (fr.wikipedia)
- Histoire d'Avignon (fr.wikipedia)
- Noves (fr.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.