The bishops became the chief lords of Belley in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and in 1175 Frederick Barbarossa's diploma to Saint Anthelm made the bishop a prince of the Empire with rights over his city.
But the counts of Savoy had taken over Belley and the Bugey in the early twelfth century, and Anthelm fought Count Humbert III; in 1200 the bishop is a city lord inside Savoyard country.
Who holds it
- Name
- Bernard II
- Title
- Bishop of Belley
- Since
- 1198
- Confidence
- medium
Bishop 1198-1207 (en.wikipedia list). Nothing more was found.
What it holds
- Belley: episcopal lordship of the city under the diploma of 1175 (its exact terms are reported differently: one summary says the regalia and coinage were reserved)
How it was acquired
Diploma of Frederick Barbarossa to Bishop Anthelm of Chignin, 1175.
How things stand that morning
Held by the bishop in name; Savoy dominates the country.
Wealth
City dues and the see's estates in the Bugey.
Threats
- Savoyard overlordship
Advocates and rivals
The counts of Savoy (Thomas I), lords of the Bugey.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The 1175 diploma is reported by fr.wikipedia; its content in 1200 practice is not pinned.
On the map: City only; the bishop's later judicial rights over surrounding villages date from 1360.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.