Viviers County
The county of Viviers with the capital Viviers on the Rhône already existed at the time of the Carolingians . It was confiscated by the Count of Toulouse in the 10th century .
In fact, it was the Bishop of Viviers who exercised the power of the count. In 1149 he recognized the sovereignty of the Roman-German emperor . The Albigensian Crusade was exploited by the Count of Valentinois to usurp the north of Vivarais , for which he paid homage to the King of France in 1226 .
The Seneschal of Beaucaire confiscated the episcopal part of the county in 1229, which Louis IX. repealed, Philip III. but then repeated in 1272. The bishop was only able to take possession of the land again through submission to the crown of France (1286). With a Traité de Pariage , power was then divided between king and bishop in 1307.
In the 15th century, the bishops took on the title of Count of Viviers, Prince of Donzère and Châteauneuf-du-Rhône .