The bishops of Viviers hold their city and claim the lordship of the Vivarais west of the Rhone directly of the Empire: Conrad III granted the bishop the lower Vivarais as an independent lordship in 1147.
Their richest asset is the lead and silver mines at Largentiere, worked by the bishops and fought over with the counts of Toulouse for three centuries. It is imperial ground on the French bank of the Rhone; the French crown only forces the bishops to accept its suzerainty in 1305.
Who holds it
- Name
- Nicolas
- Title
- Bishop of Viviers, lord of the Vivarais under the Empire
- Since
- 1174 or 1175
- Confidence
- medium
Bishop from about 1174/75 until 1205/06, when he resigned (Roche, cited by fr.wikipedia). He is followed by Burnon (1205/06-1216/17), who in 1210 makes a pact with the count of Toulouse over the mines. Nothing more about Nicolas himself was found.
What it holds
- Viviers: lordship of the episcopal city on the Rhone
- Regalian lordship of the lower Vivarais granted by Conrad III in 1147 (real power shared with the great lay houses of the region)
- Lead and silver mines of Largentiere (then called Segualieres), worked by the bishops and contested with the counts of Toulouse
How it was acquired
Conrad III's grant of 1147 to Bishop William; earlier royal grants. The silver mines were worked by the bishops from the tenth century.
How things stand that morning
The bishop holds Viviers and works the mines; the count of Toulouse contests the silver. No open war is pinned for 1199-1200.
Wealth
Silver from Largentiere, the source of the see's fortune; Rhone traffic below Viviers.
Threats
- Toulouse's claims to the mines
- The French crown's interest in the right bank of the Rhone (only effective in the thirteenth century)
Advocates and rivals
The counts of Toulouse (Raymond VI since 1194), who claim the mines and hold lands in the Vivarais; in 1210 Bishop Burnon enfeoffs a castle to the count, who swears to protect the church of Viviers. The Vivarais nobility.
Places of note
- Largentiere mines: Lead and silver mines of the bishops, contested by Toulouse
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The grant of 1147 and the mines are reported by en.wikipedia and fr.wikipedia; the bishop of 1200 is little more than a name.
On the map: Only the city and the mining district are drawn. The 1147 grant covered the lower Vivarais in name, but which castles the bishop held directly in 1200 (Bourg-Saint-Andeol and Donzere are later episcopal seats) is not pinned.
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.
- Annals of Marbach (compiled to 1238, the section on 1198 to 1210 written in the early 13th century). Alsatian annals on the Staufen side of the Upper Rhine. Read online
- Annals of Reiner of Saint James, Liège, Reiner of Liège (1197 to 1230, kept year by year). Contemporary annals kept inside Liège. Read online
- Chronicle of Burchard of Ursberg, Burchard of Ursberg (about 1229 to 1230, reworked by Conrad of Lichtenau). Written a generation later by a fierce partisan of the Staufen and a critic of Innocent III. Read online
- Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
- Chronicle of Reinhardsbrunn; Chronicle of St Peter's, Erfurt (Erfurt chronicle in the 13th century; Reinhardsbrunn compilation about 1340 to 1349 from older annals). The two Thuringian chronicles. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
- Royal Chronicle of Cologne (in stages from about 1175 to about 1250; the section on 1198 to 1220 written soon after the events). The fullest German narrative of the throne war from the Welf and Cologne side. 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
8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.
Sources and studies
- Liste des eveques de Viviers (fr.wikipedia)
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Viviers (en.wikipedia)
- Largentiere (fr.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.