Clermont is the bishop's city: the bishop rules the old town on its hill, while the counts of Auvergne have their own rival town at Montferrand close by.
In 1200 the bishop is the count's brother and his enemy, and he leans on the king of France, who became the count's direct overlord when Richard ceded his rights over the Auvergne to Philip in the peace of Louviers (1196).
Who holds it
- Name
- Robert of Auvergne
- Title
- Bishop of Clermont
- Since
- 1195 (installed 1198 by one account)
- Confidence
- high
Son of Count Robert IV of Auvergne (died about 1194) and Matilda of Burgundy, daughter of Duke Odo II; brother of Count Guy II. The lists give 1195; Medieval Lands records his installation in 1198. He backs the French king against his brother, hoping to strengthen the bishop against the count. Their quarrel is mediated by the duke of Burgundy in 1201; Guy captures him in 1211; Philip Augustus's army under Guy of Dampierre then strips Guy of most of his county (1213).
Robert is translated to Lyon in 1227.
What it holds
- Clermont: lordship of the city on its hill
- Episcopal castles and lands in the Limagne (not detailed here)
How it was acquired
Not pinned here; the bishops have long been lords of the city, the counts having built Montferrand as their own town.
How things stand that morning
Held, under threat from the count.
Wealth
Dues and justice of the city and the rich Limagne plain.
Threats
- War with his brother the count
- Being dragged into Philip's campaigns in the Auvergne
Advocates and rivals
His brother Count Guy II of Auvergne, who defies Philip and attacks churches and abbeys (Mozac among them); the Dauphin of Auvergne, of the elder branch; the comital town of Montferrand.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1200 into 1201The brothers' quarrel runs on until Duke Odo III of Burgundy mediates between them; the mediation is recorded in 1201.Depends on: Neither brother winning outright, and Burgundy's willingness to intervene. Stopped by: A royal intervention or a decisive local victory.
Places of note
- Montferrand: The counts' rival town, not the bishop's
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The brothers' war is well attested; the bishop's lands outside the city are not established here.
On the map: A disc over the medieval city; the modern commune includes the count's town of Montferrand.
Primary sources for Held of the king
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.
- Chronicle of Andres, William of Andres (about 1220 to 1234). The chronicle and cartulary of a small abbey between Guines and Ardres, near the border of Flanders and Boulogne. 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
- Chronicles of Saint-Martial of Limoges, Bernard Itier and other monks of Saint-Martial; Geoffrey of Vigeois for the earlier chronicle (Geoffrey's chronicle to 1184; Bernard Itier's notes about 1195 to 1225). Bernard Itier, librarian of Saint-Martial, kept dated notes through 1200 of what reached Limoges: Richard's death at Chalus in 1199, the viscounts of Limoges and the lords of the Limousin, John's passage through Aquitaine in 1200 and the affairs of Angouleme and the Lusignans, and the abbey's own elections and prices. Read online
- The Great Chronicle of Tours, Anonymous (a canon of Saint-Martin of Tours) (about 1227). The Loire valley's view of the Angevin succession. Read online
- Universal Chronicle of the Anonymous of Laon, Anonymous (an English-born canon of Laon) (about 1219). A Picard chronicle whose author had lived in England and keeps an eye on both kingdoms. Read online
- Deeds of Philip Augustus, Rigord (about 1186 to 1206, in stages). The French court's own chronicle for the year, from the monk of Saint-Denis who called himself the king's chronographer. Read online
- Deeds of Philip Augustus; The Philippide, William the Breton (Guillaume le Breton) (Gesta about 1214 to 1220; Philippide 1214 to 1224). William abridged Rigord for the years before 1207 and then continued him, so for 1200 the Gesta is a shortened Rigord with a few added touches: the Le Goulet settlement, Blanche's marriage, and the interdict. Read online
- History of the Counts of Guines, Lambert of Ardres (about 1196 to 1203, unfinished). A house history of the counts of Guines and lords of Ardres, written while Count Baldwin II and his son Arnold were alive and finishing in 1203. Read online
4 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.
Sources and studies
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Clermont (en.wikipedia)
- Guy II, Count of Auvergne (en.wikipedia)
- Auvergne (Medieval Lands, fmg.ac)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.