House of Vergy
Encyclopedia
Château de Vergy
Beaune
Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Cote d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Paris and Geneva.Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France and the annual wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune is the primary wine auction in France...
in Burgundy
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
(present-day communes of Reulle-Vergy
Reulle-Vergy
Reulle-Vergy is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, L'Étang-Vergy
L'Étang-Vergy
L'Étang-Vergy is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
and Curtil-Vergy
Curtil-Vergy
Curtil-Vergy is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
). The first fort on the site dates to the Roman period. The medieval castle was razed in 1609 and only small traces remain.
7th century
The first known lord of Vergy is Guérin (Warin) de Vergy, brother of saint LeodegarLeodegar
Saint Leodegar or Leger, Bishop of Autun , was the great opponent of Ebroin— the mayor of the Palace of Neustria— and the leader of the faction of Austrasian great nobles in the struggles for hegemony over the waning Merovingian dynasty...
. Guérin was stoned around 681
681
Year 681 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 681 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Bulgars under Asparukh win...
at the foot of the rocky spur at Vergy, shortly after his brother's martyrdom.
First House of Vergy (9th-10th centuries)
The first house of Vergy arose in the 9th century with Warin, or Guérin, I of VergyGuerin of Provence
Guerin, Garin, Warin, or Werner was the Count of Auvergne, Chalon, Mâcon, Autun, Arles and Duke of Provence, Burgundy, and Toulouse. Guerin stabilised the region against the Saracens from a base of Marseille and fortified Chalon-sur-Saône...
(760 - >819), who was count of Chalon and count of Mâcon, then count of Auvergne (818).
Second House of Vergy (11th-12th centuries)
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
. Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
took refuge there in 1159. It was during this era that the church of Saint-Saturnin was built, still to be seen today.
Castle (13th-17th century)
With the other Burgundian possessions, Vergy was merged into the royal domains in 1477, on the death of Charles the Bold. The castle was immediately ceded to William IV de Vergy-Autrey by Louis XILouis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
. In 1609, following the participation Charles of Lorraine
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...
(governor of Burgundy) in the Catholic League
Catholic League (French)
The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576...
from 1589 onwards, Henri IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
completely razed the castle. Except for the church of Saint-Saturnin, the burg of Vergy has now entirely disappeared.
Notable members
- Jeanne de Vergy
- Théodoric de Vergy
- Jean III de Vergy, ( -1418), sénéchal marshal and governor of the county of BurgundyCounty of BurgundyThe Free County of Burgundy , was a medieval county , within the traditional province and modern French region Franche-Comté, whose very French name is still reminiscent of the unusual title of its count: Freigraf...
- Antoine de Vergy (1375–1439), count of Dammartin, King's chamberlainChamberlain (office)A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
, marshal of FranceMarshal of FranceThe Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
, Order of the Golden FleeceOrder of the Golden FleeceThe Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe... - Pierre-Henri de Treyssac de Vergy (v. 1740 - 1774), writer, pamphleteer and diplomatic agent
Bishops of Autun :
- Wallon de Vergy (895-919)
- Hervée de Vergy (920-v.929) (or Hervaeus, Herivaeus)
- Guy de Vergy (1224–1245) (or Guido)
Bishops of Paris :
- Humbert de Vergy (1030–1060) (ou Imbert), lord of Vergy
Bishops of Mâcon :
- Renaud de Vergy (1185–1197)
Archbishops of Besançon :
- Guillaume de Vergy (1371–1391), made a cardinal in 1391 by Antipope Clement VIIAntipope Clement VIIRobert of Geneva was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism.-Biography:...
, favourite of Charles V of FranceCharles V of FranceCharles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois... - Antoine de Vergy (1528–1541)
Turin Shroud
The Vergy family is the first historically attested owner of the Turin Shroud. It was Jeanne de Vergy who - in accordance with her husband Geoffroy de Charny's vows - put on the first showings of the relic at Lirey. The relic was twice absent in her castle at MontfortMontigny-Montfort
Montigny-Montfort is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
.
History of the Shroud and the Charny and Vergy families (excerpt of an electronic publication):
1353: Geoffroy 1st de Charny, a presumed descendant of the Knights of the Temple who died at the stake with Jacques de Molay, is allowed to build a church in Lirey.
1356: Death of Geoffroy 1st de Charny. His wife Jeanne de Vergy, gives the Shroud to the Canons of Lirey who keep it in their collegiate church.
1357: First public exhibition of the Shroud in Lirey collegiate church. A pilgrimage medal, dating from that time, shows the image of the Shroud with very precise indications in spite of its small dimensions. On this medal one can see a frontal and dorsal view of the body, the linen herring patterns, four marks of burns as well as the coats of arms of the Charny and Vergy families. This pilgrimage medal is exhibited at the Cluny museum in Paris (France).
1378: Clement VII, Jeanne de Charny's nephew, is elected Pope...
Vergy in medieval literature
- La Chastelaine de Vergy : 13th century courtly romance, in octosyllabes, anonymous. Very popular in royal and noble courts, Marguerite de France (1492-1549) made a summary of its plot in L'HeptaméronHeptameronThe Heptameron is a collection of 72 short stories written in French by Marguerite of Navarre, published in 1558. It has the form of a frame narrative and was inspired by The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio...
. The story recounts the trials of the forbidden love suffered by a knight for the châtelaine of VergyChâtelaine de VergyThe Châtelaine de Vergy or Chastelaine de Vergy is an anonymously-written short 13th century romance of courtly love in old French.-Overview:...
. - G. de Montreuil, La violette (or Gérard de Nevers) : in this 13th century chivalric romance, Gérard de Nevers defends the château de Vergy against another knight