William II of Geneva
Encyclopedia
William II was the Count of Geneva
, originally a usurper, from 1225 until his death. He fought a long series of wars with the House of Savoy
and lost control of all of his county outside of the traditional Genevois
and saw his influence over the city of Geneva
proper and the Bishop of Geneva severely reduced.
William was the second son of Count William I of Geneva
(died 1195) and younger brother of Count Humbert I of Geneva. When Humbert died in 1225, William seized the county and expelled Humbert's sons, his nephews, Peter and Ebal, who eventually found protection under Peter le Petit Charlemagne, who had brought them with him to England
by 1244. That year Peter, the elder, married a rich English heiress, Mathilda de Lacy. Peter le Petit Charlemagne was in fact William's nephew, a son of his sister Margaret.
In September 1229 at Tournon
William was one of the arbiters of a dispute between the Bishop of Valence, William, who was a brother of le Petit Charlemagne, and the citizens of Valence
. In 1234 he had his second son, Amadeus, installed as a canon
in the Diocese of Lausanne. In 1239 Amadeus was successful in leading the pro-Genevan party over he pro-Savoyard in the episcopal election which placed Jean de Cossonay on the bishop's seat.
In 1236–37, Aymon, Baron of Faucigny, made himself protector of the priory of Chamonix
despite the fact that the count of Geneva had a prior right. The ensuing war, in which Aymon's son-in-law, le Petit Charlemagne, was captured by William's son Rudolf
, resulted in Genevan defeat, for on 13 May 1237 William II was forced to accept the judgement of Peter's brother, Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy, condemning him to an indemnity of 20,000 marks and the cession of the strategic Castle Arlod on the Rhône
near its confluence with the Valserine, which commanded the approach to the Lyonnais
. The sum of 20,000 marks was beyond William's ability to pay and the value of the fortress he was compelled to give up too high. The count of Geneva and Peter continued to be at war intermittently for the next five years. In 1242 William and le Petit Charlemagne fought a final brief war for control of Arlod. On 26 August, however, meeting his adversary "in front of Arlod", he was forced to cede it.
In 1250 William II went to war again against le Petit Charlemagne in an effort to check his expansion in the pays de Vaud. Although no contemporary source describes the course of the war, it is evident that William was defeated. He lost the fortress of Les Clées
, which commanded the pass into Burgundy
, and that of Bourg-du-Four in the centre of Geneva
. He was also forced to accept the arbitration of Peter's brother, Philip, Archbishop of Lyon, who in turn imposed a "Carthagenian settlement"
on 28 June: the count was forced to cede to Peter a large gagerie as security against the payment of an indemnity set at 10,000 marks, which was half of the indemnity ordered in 1237. The gagerie comprised the castles of Geneva, Les Clées, Charousse, Ballaison
, Rue
; the homages of the Count of Gruyére and of the lords of Langin, Oron and Vufflens; and all the jurisdictions William possessed in the Pays de Vaud, the Chablais
and in Faucigny
, between the Arve
and the Dranse and between the Cluse de Gex and the Pont de Bargen. By this concession the once powerful county of Geneva was reduced to little more than the Genevois
. The archbishop further intervened in the dispute between William and Peter over Arlod, deciding that it should remain in Peter's possession until an inquiry could determine if it pertained to the sire of Gex
or to the prior of Nantua
, who happened at that time to be Boniface, brother of Peter and Philip.
William II died at Domène
in November 1252 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Rudolf, while his younger son, Henry, received the fortresses of Vuache and Ternier. Besides his sons Rudolf, Amadeus and Henry, William II had four others. One Savoyard Renaissance historian described William II as “quarrelsome”.
Count of Geneva
The County of Geneva, largely corresponding to the later Genevois province, originated in the tenth century, in the Burgundian Kingdom of Arles which fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 1032.-History:...
, originally a usurper, from 1225 until his death. He fought a long series of wars with the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
and lost control of all of his county outside of the traditional Genevois
Genevois
Genevois is the name used in Geneva used for the dialect of Arpitan used in the canton of Geneva. The title « Cé qu'è lainô » of the anthem of Geneva is in Genevois....
and saw his influence over the city of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
proper and the Bishop of Geneva severely reduced.
William was the second son of Count William I of Geneva
William I of Geneva
William I of Geneva was Count of Geneva from 1178 to 1195, in succession to his father, Count Amadeus I of Geneva...
(died 1195) and younger brother of Count Humbert I of Geneva. When Humbert died in 1225, William seized the county and expelled Humbert's sons, his nephews, Peter and Ebal, who eventually found protection under Peter le Petit Charlemagne, who had brought them with him to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by 1244. That year Peter, the elder, married a rich English heiress, Mathilda de Lacy. Peter le Petit Charlemagne was in fact William's nephew, a son of his sister Margaret.
In September 1229 at Tournon
Tournon
Tournon is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Tournon, in the Savoie département* Tournon-d'Agenais, in the Lot-et-Garonne département* Tournon-Saint-Martin, in the Indre département...
William was one of the arbiters of a dispute between the Bishop of Valence, William, who was a brother of le Petit Charlemagne, and the citizens of Valence
Valence, Drôme
Valence is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Drôme department, situated on the left bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon on the railway to Marseilles.Its inhabitants are called Valentinois...
. In 1234 he had his second son, Amadeus, installed as a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
in the Diocese of Lausanne. In 1239 Amadeus was successful in leading the pro-Genevan party over he pro-Savoyard in the episcopal election which placed Jean de Cossonay on the bishop's seat.
In 1236–37, Aymon, Baron of Faucigny, made himself protector of the priory of Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
despite the fact that the count of Geneva had a prior right. The ensuing war, in which Aymon's son-in-law, le Petit Charlemagne, was captured by William's son Rudolf
Rudolf of Geneva
Rudolf or Rudolph was the Count of Geneva from 1252 until his death in 1265. He was the eldest son of William II, and was described by a Renaissance historian as “the more quarrelsome son of a quarrelsome father.” He was a constant warrior, and his most frequent foes were of the House of...
, resulted in Genevan defeat, for on 13 May 1237 William II was forced to accept the judgement of Peter's brother, Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy, condemning him to an indemnity of 20,000 marks and the cession of the strategic Castle Arlod on the Rhône
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
near its confluence with the Valserine, which commanded the approach to the Lyonnais
Lyonnais
The Lyonnais is a historical province of France which owes its name to the city of Lyon.The geographical area known as the Lyonnais became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy after the division of the Carolingian Empire...
. The sum of 20,000 marks was beyond William's ability to pay and the value of the fortress he was compelled to give up too high. The count of Geneva and Peter continued to be at war intermittently for the next five years. In 1242 William and le Petit Charlemagne fought a final brief war for control of Arlod. On 26 August, however, meeting his adversary "in front of Arlod", he was forced to cede it.
In 1250 William II went to war again against le Petit Charlemagne in an effort to check his expansion in the pays de Vaud. Although no contemporary source describes the course of the war, it is evident that William was defeated. He lost the fortress of Les Clées
Les Clées
Les Clées is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-History:Les Clées is first mentioned in 1134 as Clees....
, which commanded the pass into Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
, and that of Bourg-du-Four in the centre of Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. He was also forced to accept the arbitration of Peter's brother, Philip, Archbishop of Lyon, who in turn imposed a "Carthagenian settlement"
Carthaginian peace
Carthaginian Peace can refer to two things: either the peace imposed on Carthage by Rome in 146 BC, whereby the Romans systematically burned Carthage to the ground, or the imposition of a very brutal 'peace' in general.-Origin:...
on 28 June: the count was forced to cede to Peter a large gagerie as security against the payment of an indemnity set at 10,000 marks, which was half of the indemnity ordered in 1237. The gagerie comprised the castles of Geneva, Les Clées, Charousse, Ballaison
Ballaison
Ballaison is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-References:*...
, Rue
Rue
Rue is a genus of strongly scented evergreen subshrubs 20–60 cm tall, in the family Rutaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, Macaronesia and southwest Asia. There are perhaps 8 to 40 species in the genus...
; the homages of the Count of Gruyére and of the lords of Langin, Oron and Vufflens; and all the jurisdictions William possessed in the Pays de Vaud, the Chablais
Chablais
Chablais was a province of the Duchy of Savoy. Its capital was Thonon-les-Bains.This region is currently divided into three territories, the Chablais savoyard, the Chablais valaisan, and the Chablais vaudois, and is now split across two countries: France and Switzerland...
and in Faucigny
Faucigny
Faucigny is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Historically, Faucigny was a region in Savoy which included the area of the modern département of Haute Savoie and the municipalities of Chamonix, Argentière, and Les Houches.-Geography:In the...
, between the Arve
Arve
The Arve river flows for approximately 100 km through France, in the département of Haute-Savoie, and in Switzerland...
and the Dranse and between the Cluse de Gex and the Pont de Bargen. By this concession the once powerful county of Geneva was reduced to little more than the Genevois
Genevois
Genevois is the name used in Geneva used for the dialect of Arpitan used in the canton of Geneva. The title « Cé qu'è lainô » of the anthem of Geneva is in Genevois....
. The archbishop further intervened in the dispute between William and Peter over Arlod, deciding that it should remain in Peter's possession until an inquiry could determine if it pertained to the sire of Gex
Gex, Ain
Gex is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.It lies from the Swiss border and from Geneva. It is a sous-préfecture of Ain.-History:...
or to the prior of Nantua
Nantua
Nantua is a commune and subprefecture in the Ain department in eastern France.-History:The town grew up around a Benedictine Monastery founded in 671 by St...
, who happened at that time to be Boniface, brother of Peter and Philip.
William II died at Domène
Domène
Domène is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France....
in November 1252 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Rudolf, while his younger son, Henry, received the fortresses of Vuache and Ternier. Besides his sons Rudolf, Amadeus and Henry, William II had four others. One Savoyard Renaissance historian described William II as “quarrelsome”.