The Vivarais, west of the Rhone, is imperial ground whose count is the bishop of Viviers.
Its lay lords hold castles along the river (Crussol, La Voulte, Tournon, drawn separately) and in the uplands (Aubenas under the Montlaur, the Fay fiefs). The count of Toulouse and the bishop dispute rights here, notably the silver mines of Largentiere.
Who he is
- Name
- The Montlaur of Aubenas, the Bastet of Crussol, the lords of La Voulte, the Fay and others (holders on 1 January 1200 not pinned)
- Title
- Several lineages
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Philippa of Fay, heiress of fiefs in the Vivarais, is countess of Valentinois by her marriage with Aymar II.
- Confidence
- low
General knowledge of the Vivarais lineages; not checked against charters for 1200.
Overlord
The bishop of Viviers, count of the Vivarais under Frederick Barbarossa's golden bull of 1177, under the emperor; the count of Toulouse also claims rights in the region
What it holds
- Aubenas and Montlaur (the Montlaur)
- Crussol above Saint-Peray, facing Valence (the Bastet)
- La Voulte on the Rhone
- The Fay fiefs on the plateau (Philippa of Fay)
How it was acquired
Hereditary.
Allies and rivals
Between the bishop of Viviers, the count of Toulouse and the count of Valentinois.
How things stand that morning
Not pinned castle by castle.
Wealth
Rhone tolls, chestnut and pasture uplands, the silver of Largentiere (disputed).
Military
Castles; no field force of note.
Threats
- The bishop of Viviers and Toulouse contesting overlordship
Places of note
- Crussol: Castle facing Valence
- Largentiere: Silver mines disputed between the bishop and Toulouse
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Grouped record: the lineages are known, the holders and their exact lands on 1 January 1200 are not.
On the map: Placeholders for lineages, not pinned holders.
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
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.