Prince-archbishops · Other imperial lands · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Lyon

On 1 January 1200 Renaud de Forez, brother of the count of Forez, rules Lyon as archbishop and count, sharing the lordship with his cathedral chapter, whose canons style themselves counts of Lyon.

Since the exchange (permutatio) of 1173 the counts of Forez have given up every right in the city and in the land between the Saone, the Rhone and the Monts du Lyonnais, so the church holds a compact county from Anse to Condrieu with a ring of vassal castles. Lyon is imperial in law but French in its trade and its neighbours, and it controls the meeting of the Saone and Rhone, the main road from Champagne and Burgundy to Provence and Italy.

Who holds it

Name
Renaud de Forez (Renaud II)
Title
Archbishop of Lyon, count of Lyon with his cathedral chapter
Since
1193
Confidence
high

Son of Count Guigues II of Forez and brother of the reigning count, Guy III; his younger brother Humbert is also a canon. Abbot of Saint-Just at Lyon from about 1182. His election in 1193 was made by compromise, a few canons choosing for the chapter, and was not unanimous. Over his long reign (he dies on 22 October 1226) he buys, builds or fortifies castles round Lyon (Anse, Condrieu, Givors, Yzeron, Irigny, Dardilly, Francheville, Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or, Rochefort, Saint-André-la-Côte) and binds lesser lords such as the lords of Oingt and Tarare by lending to them; most of these acquisitions cannot be dated and many fall after 1200.

He appears several times at Philip Augustus's court and never at an imperial diet. He backed Philip of Swabia early in the German quarrel and was rewarded with the toll revenue of Bechevelin, the bridgehead across the Rhone (date not pinned), before turning firmly to France. Later course: Philip Augustus grants him the lordship and regalia of the abbey of Savigny (1202), which he forces into submission (1204); from 1203 he is guardian of his nephew Guy IV of Forez; first accord with the citizens of Lyon in 1206, armed conflict with them in 1208, ended by mediators including Duke Odo III of Burgundy.

What it holds

  • Lyon: lordship and comital rights over the city, held jointly by the archbishop and the chapter of Saint-Jean; courts, tolls, market and mint
  • The county of Lyon west of the rivers: bounded by the Saone and Rhone on the east, a line from Grezieu to Saint-Chamond on the west, Anse in the north and Condrieu in the south (fr.wikipedia, Comte de Lyon)
  • Castles and districts given up by the count of Forez in 1173: Chatillon (d'Azergues), Oingt, Chamousset, Yzeron, Saint-Chamond, part of Rochetaillee, Montagny and Felines; most are held of the church by vassal lords
  • East of the Saone: Montanay and lesser holdings in the Dombes; Perouges and Giry were also ceded in 1173 (whether the church controls Perouges in 1200 is not pinned)
  • East of the Rhone, from Vienne to Anthon and Bourgoin: the count's former rights, ceded in 1173; in practice the counts of Albon and the lords of La Tour hold this country (claim only)
  • Metropolitan of the province of Lyon, whose suffragans (Autun, Chalon, Macon, Langres) lie in the kingdom of France; claims the primacy of the Gauls

How it was acquired

The archbishops gathered the city's comital rights during the eleventh and twelfth centuries and had them confirmed by imperial privilege under Frederick Barbarossa. A century-long struggle with the counts of Forez ended in the permutatio of 1173 under Archbishop Guichard: the church gave up its lands and claims beyond the Loire (the Roannais, Thiers, Cervieres, Saint-Romain-le-Puy, Feugerolles, Grangent and other districts) and paid the count, and the count gave up all his rights over Lyon and the castles and districts listed under holds. A demilitarised zone was fixed between Saint-Chamond, La Tour-en-Jarez and Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, where neither party may build.

How things stand that morning

Archbishop and chapter hold the city and the county without any lay count or imperial officer. Renaud keeps out of the German war in practice; his ties run to Forez and to the French court. The citizens have no commune yet. The interdict on Philip Augustus's lands, to be proclaimed from Vienne in January, will bite on Renaud's French suffragans (Autun, Chalon, Macon, Langres) but not on imperial Lyon itself.

Wealth

River traffic on the Saone and Rhone and the tolls on goods, boats and bridges at Lyon; the Bechevelin toll at the Rhone bridgehead (granted by Philip of Swabia, date not pinned); the mint of Lyon; the city markets; vineyards of the Monts d'Or and the Lyonnais; dues from the vassal castles of the Monts du Lyonnais and the Jarez.

Threats

  • The citizens' push for self-government, which turns to open conflict in 1206-1208
  • The chapter's claim to an equal share of every right, a standing source of friction
  • Frontier quarrels with the lords of Beaujeu and the independence of the abbey of Savigny
  • As metropolitan he must answer to Rome for how his French suffragans keep the coming interdict, while depending on the goodwill of Philip Augustus, whose land surrounds his province

Advocates and rivals

No lay advocate: archbishop and chapter rule together and quarrel over shares. The citizens want a voice in the city (accord in 1206, fighting in 1208). The counts of Forez are now family and allies. The lords of Beaujeu press on the northern edge. The great abbey of Savigny, west of Lyon, stands apart until 1202-1204. East of the Rhone the counts of Albon and the lords of La Tour-du-Pin hold the country that Forez ceded on paper.

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.

  1. Mid-January 1200The legate Peter Capuano proclaims at Vienne the interdict on Philip Augustus's lands; the French sees of the province of Lyon must shut their churches.Depends on: The legate carrying out the sentence decreed at Dijon and Philip not submitting first. Stopped by: A quick submission by Philip, or the legate holding the sentence back.

Places of note

  • Cathedral of Saint-Jean: Seat of the archbishop and of the canon-counts; rebuilding in the new Gothic style under Renaud
  • Anse: Northern stronghold of the church of Lyon on the Saone
  • Condrieu: Southern limit of the county on the Rhone
  • Yzeron: Castle district ceded by Forez in 1173
  • Bechevelin: Rhone bridgehead and toll on the left bank, granted by Philip of Swabia (date not pinned)

Where the sources disagree

  • The notes call Renaud independent between France and the Empire and list him among the mediators and neutrals. The fr.wikipedia article on him says he first supported Philip of Swabia in the German quarrel and was rewarded with the Bechevelin toll, before turning to France; the date of the grant is not given, so on 1 January 1200 he may lean Staufen. Allegiance given here as NEUTRAL, following the notes.
  • The notes call him archbishop and count of Lyon. The county was held jointly with the cathedral chapter, whose canons bore the title of counts of Lyon (fr.wikipedia, Comte de Lyon).

Evidence: The 1173 settlement and Renaud's career are well documented (Galland's study of the archbishops of Lyon and Vienne lies behind the French articles). The exact extent of the archbishop's direct domain in 1200, as against vassal castles and later purchases, is not pinned.

On the map: The polygon follows the description of the county (Saone and Rhone, Anse to Condrieu, Grezieu to Saint-Chamond) and adds the 1173 castle districts of Yzeron, Chatillon and Oingt. Inside it many castles were held by vassal lords, not by the archbishop directly, and several of Renaud's purchases come after 1200. The paper rights east of the Rhone are not drawn.

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.

8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.

Sources and studies

  1. Renaud II de Forez (fr.wikipedia)
  2. Renaud de Forez (en.wikipedia)
  3. Permutatio (fr.wikipedia)
  4. Comte de Lyon (France) (fr.wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.