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

Vienne

Since King Rudolf III's grant of 1023 the archbishop of Vienne has held the county of Vienne with its castle, and since 1157 he is arch-chancellor of the Kingdom of Arles.

He is lord of the old Roman city on the Rhone and strikes the deniers of Vienne, a common money of the valley. The counts of Macon still call themselves counts of Vienne, but their hold on the city seems symbolic; the counts of Albon, the future Dauphins, dominate the Viennois around it but never held the city. In mid-January 1200 Vienne is the stage on which the papal legate proclaims the interdict on France.

Who holds it

Name
Aynard de Moirans
Title
Archbishop of Vienne, count of Vienne, arch-chancellor of the Kingdom of Arles
Since
1195
Confidence
medium

The episcopal lists give Robert de La Tour du Pin (about 1170-1195), then Aynard de Moirans (1195 to about 1205), then Humbert II (1206-1215). Aynard's name points to the castle family of Moirans in the Viennois; his family, age and politics are not pinned in the sources checked. Where he stands between Staufen and Welf is not known; the legate's choice of Vienne for proclaiming the French interdict suggests a see willing to host the pope's business beyond the French king's reach.

What it holds

  • Vienne: lordship and comital rights over the city, from Rudolf III's grant of the county of Vienne with its castle (1023)
  • Arch-chancellor of the Kingdom of Arles, a dignity obtained from the Empire in 1157
  • Mint of Vienne (the archbishop's deniers) [the scope of the mint right in 1200 is not pinned]
  • Metropolitan of a province reaching from Geneva and Maurienne to Valence, Die, Viviers and Grenoble

How it was acquired

Rudolf III of Burgundy gave the county of Vienne with its castle to the church of Vienne in 1023; when Burgundy passed to the Empire in 1032-1033 the archbishops kept their position and in 1157 obtained the arch-chancellorship of the Kingdom of Arles from Frederick Barbarossa.

How things stand that morning

The archbishop holds the city. The Albon power surrounds it, and the Macon claim lingers. Vienne, imperial and outside Philip Augustus's reach, has been chosen by the legate Peter Capuano for proclaiming the interdict on France.

Wealth

Rhone river traffic and tolls at Vienne; the mint; the city markets; the estates of a rich and ancient see.

Threats

  • The steady growth of the counts of Albon round the city
  • Hosting the proclamation of the interdict draws Philip Augustus's anger onto a see that borders his clients

Advocates and rivals

The counts of Macon (Guillaume IV, count since 1184) still style themselves counts of Vienne, though fmg judges their power there symbolic. The counts of Albon (Countess Beatrice and her son Andre, the future Dauphin Guigues VI) hold the surrounding Viennois. Within the city the chapter of Saint-Maurice and the abbey of Saint-Andre-le-Bas have their own rights.

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 decreed at the council of Dijon.Depends on: The legate keeping to the plan and Philip not submitting before it is published. Stopped by: Philip sending away Agnes of Merania and taking back Ingeborg before the proclamation.

Places of note

  • Cathedral of Saint-Maurice: Seat of the archbishop; scene of the January proclamation of the interdict

Where the sources disagree

  • The notes leave the archbishop of Vienne not pinned. The lists consulted (de-academic, en.wikipedia) give Aynard de Moirans, 1195 to about 1205.

Evidence: The holder rests on two concordant lists, not on a charter; the archbishop's rural lordships in 1200 are not pinned in the sources checked, so only the city is drawn.

On the map: Only the city is drawn. The archbishop's rural castles and districts in 1200 are not pinned; the castle-residences known later (such as Seyssuel) may post-date 1200.

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. Bischof von Vienne (de-academic, list)
  2. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienne (en.wikipedia)
  3. Burgundy kingdom: Viennois (fmg, Medieval Lands)

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