The richest lordship of the county: Salins in its narrow valley under the Jura, where brine is boiled into salt sold across Burgundy, Switzerland and Savoy.
The lord holds the upper town with the great saltworks and the castle of Bracon above it; the lower town's spring, the Puits-a-Muire, is shared out in portions among churches and lords. The lord is kin to Lorraine, Macon and Auxonne.
Who he is
- Name
- Gaucher IV of Salins (Gaucher de Vienne), with his mother Maurette, heiress of Salins, perhaps still living
- Title
- Lord (sire) of Salins
- Since
- not pinned: en.wikipedia gives Maurette of Salins the dates 1137-1200, so on 1 January 1200 she may still be alive and the lordship hers in right, with Gaucher acting
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Son of Gerard I, count of Macon and Vienne (died 1184), and Maurette, heiress of Salins; so brother of Ida, duchess of Lorraine, and of William IV of Macon, and first cousin of Stephen of Auxonne. Dies 1219; his heiress is a daughter (not checked).
- Confidence
- medium
en.wikipedia Salins-les-Bains: the lordship came to the house of Vienne by the heiress Maurette (1137-1200); her granddaughter sold it to Duke Hugh IV in 1225; Hugh IV gave it to John of Chalon in 1237 in exchange for the county of Chalon. Gaucher's own dates are not checked against a dedicated source
Overlord
The count palatine (with fiefs of the archbishop of Besancon, not pinned).
What it holds
- The upper town of Salins (Bourg-Dessus) with the great saltworks
- Castle of Bracon above Salins
- Shares and rents in the Salins brine
How it was acquired
By his mother Maurette, heiress of the old lords of Salins.
Allies and rivals
Kin of Stephen of Auxonne and of the duke of Lorraine; under the count palatine. Side in the Otto-Stephen war not pinned.
How things stand that morning
Holds Salins under the count palatine.
Wealth
Salt, the great money-maker of the county, sold by the cartload and carried over the Jura passes. No figures.
Military
Bracon castle and the town walls. No numbers.
Threats
- The count's and the duke's appetite for Salins salt.
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.
- later courseMaurette dies in 1200 (date not pinned); Salins later passes from her granddaughter to Duke Hugh IV by sale (1225) and to John of Chalon by the exchange of 1237.Depends on: Gaucher dying without a son (1219). Stopped by: n/a
Places of note
- Great saltworks of Salins: Brine boiled into salt
- Castle of Bracon: Lord's castle above Salins
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Salins's salt and its two towns are well known; the lord's dates for 1200 are not checked against a dedicated source.
On the map: Small lordship, large wealth: the drawing understates it.
Sources and studies
- Salins-les-Bains
- HLS: Salins
- Simon II, Duke of Lorraine (Ida, daughter of Gerard I and Maurette of Salins)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.