County of Valentinois


The County of Valentinois was a fiefdom within Dauphiné Viennois and was a part of the Holy Roman Empire from 1032 until the sixteenth century.
The last Dauphin, Humbert II de la Tour-du-Pin depleted his treasury by funding an unsuccessful Crusade to conquer the Holy Land. After the death of his only son and heir, André, Humbert sold his lands to Philip VI of France in 1349 for 400,000 écus and an annual pension. To keep up appearances, the sale was referred to as a "transfer." In order to prevent the title from going extinct, Humbert instituted a statute whereby the Dauphiné was exempted from many taxes. This statute was subject to many parliamentary debates at the regional level, as local leaders sought to defend their autonomy and privilege against the state.
From 1349, the Dauphiné was transformed into the Dauphiné of France, a title carried by all the heirs to the French throne. In 1498, Louis XII of France divided the lands of the Dauphiné and gave them to Valence, Diois, and Grenoble as a dukedom to Cesar Borgia.

Counts of Valentinois

The County of Valence was a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire, which was first held by Odilon, a count in Valence.

Family of Odilon

Named after the castle of Pictavis, now part of Châteauneuf-de-Bordette, and unrelated to the city of Poitiers in western France.
The counts of Valentinois of House of Poitiers remained vassals of the Dauphin of Viennois until 1338; they held the title until the death of Louis of Poitiers in 1419.
On 1029 Valence passed to the House of Albon the Dauphins of Viennois. In 1338 it fell to Philip VI of France.

House of Valois

After the death of Cesar Borgia, the Duchy became a part of the French Royal domain as a part of the Dauphiné. It is now the capital of the Drôme department within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.