The bishop of Maurienne is lord of his small city, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, in the valley from which the counts of Savoy take their oldest title.
His temporal power appears late and weak beside Savoy's: by the fourteenth century the bishop's tenants in the Arves rise against his officers and in 1327 he has to take the count of Savoy as co-lord. In 1200 he is a city lord in Savoy's heartland, on the road to the Mont Cenis.
Who holds it
- Title
- Bishop of Maurienne
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
The lists disagree: en.wikipedia gives Lambert (1177-1198), a bishop named Allevard (1198-1200) and Bernard de Chignin (1200-1211); fr.wikipedia confuses the Airalds of this period. Bernard de Chignin, a Carthusian, moves to Tarentaise in 1211. Who holds the see on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.
What it holds
- Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne: lordship of the episcopal city (terms in 1200 not pinned)
How it was acquired
Not pinned; the see dates from 579 and its temporal power is judged late.
How things stand that morning
A small episcopal city inside Savoy's oldest land; the succession of bishops around 1198-1200 is confused in the lists.
Wealth
Traffic on the Mont Cenis road; the city market.
Threats
- Savoy's dominance in the valley
Advocates and rivals
The counts of Savoy (Thomas I), lords of the Maurienne valley and of the Mont Cenis road.
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 (month not pinned)Bernard de Chignin, a Carthusian, becomes bishop of Maurienne (en.wikipedia list).Depends on: A vacancy or change in 1200 as the list states. Stopped by: Not known.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Conflicting episcopal lists and no source on the bishop's lordship in 1200 beyond its later form.
On the map: City only. The bishop's lordship in the Arves valley is attested in the fourteenth century and is not drawn.
Sources and studies
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (en.wikipedia)
- Liste des eveques de Maurienne (fr.wikipedia)
- Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (fr.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.