Guido II (Auvergne)

Guido II († 1222 ) was a count of Auvergne . He was the son of Count Robert IV and Mathilde of Burgundy, daughter of Duke Odo II of Burgundy .

Life

Guido was involved in the war between King Philip II of France and the ruler of the “ Angevin Empire ”, Richard the Lionheart . As Duke of Aquitaine, the latter was the direct liege lord of the Auvergne, but let the count rule largely independently. In the spring of 1196, however, Richard the Lionheart had ceded his sovereign rights over the Auvergne to Philip II in the Treaty of Louviers , whereby the French crown was now from indirect to direct overlord of the Counts of Auvergne. Guido was not ready to recognize this new order as he saw his independent position threatened by the Crown. He tried to consolidate his rule by building castles such as Tournoël and Châtel-Guyon ("Castle of Guido"). When the king marched into the Auvergne and besieged Issoire , Guido and his cousin, the Dauphin Robert , called Richard the Lionheart for help. He initially promised them his support, but then did not grant it so as not to endanger his peace with King Philip. When the war between Richard the Lionheart and Philip II broke out again in the summer of 1196, the Lionheart asked Count Guido and Dauphin Robert to support him in the fight. Both refused because Lionheart had previously let them down.

After the "Canso de la crozada" by Guilhem de Tudèle, Guido carried out the first military actions of the Albigensian Crusade in May 1209 . Together with the Vice Count of Turenne , the Archbishop of Bordeaux and the Bishops of Limoges , Agen and Cahors , he led an army of crusaders into the Quercy countryside , which belonged to the Count of Toulouse , who was banned at the time. After taking smaller towns, they besieged Casseneuil Castle . The Cathars present in the village were burned at the stake. But when the minimum combat time for crusaders of forty days had passed, they ended the operation and withdrew to their lands. A few months later, the main army of the crusade began to move, but Guido no longer took part.

Guido's hostile attitude towards the crown also sparked a conflict within his own family. In contrast to him, his brother, Bishop Robert von Clermont, stood up for the king, from whom he hoped to strengthen the episcopal position over the counts. In the fratricidal war, Guido was excommunicated , but in return he was able to capture Bishop Robert in 1211. He had also attacked several religious institutions, including the royal Mozac Abbey . In response, the king sent an army under Guido von Dampierre to the Auvergne, which conquered several castles. In December 1213, Guido's son was captured by the enemy in the fall of Tournoël, whereupon he was forced to capitulate. He had to submit completely and was completely expropriated. Only his son was reimbursed a considerably reduced part of the Auvergne, the rest remained in the possession of the crown as terre royale d'Auvergne .

After his death, Guido was buried in the monastery Le Bouchet-Vauluisant ( Manzat ).

progeny

From his marriage to the noblewoman Péronelle de Chambon he had several children, including:

• William X († 1246), Count of Auvergne
• Alix († 1250), ∞ with Raimund IV. , Vice Count of Turenne ( House Comborn )
• Ermengarde († 1225), ∞ with Guigues IV. , Count of Forez

Web link

• Website on the history of the Auvergne (fr.)

predecessor	Office	successor
William IX.	Count of Auvergne 1195-1222	Wilhelm X.