John, Count of Chalon

John (1190 – 30 September 1267), called the Old (l'Antique), was a French nobleman, the Count of Auxonne and Chalon-sur-Saône in his own right and regent in right of his son, Hugh III, Count of Burgundy. In contemporary documents, he was sometimes called "Count of Burgundy", as by King William of Germany in 1251.[1]

John
Count of Chalon
John, Count of Chalon
Born1190
Died(1267-09-30)30 September 1267
Noble familyHouse of Ivrea
Spouse(s)Mahaud of Burgundy
Isabeau or Isabel of Courtenay
Laurette de Commercy
Issue
FatherStephen III of Auxonne
MotherBeatrice, Countess of Chalon

He was the son of Stephen III of Auxonne and Beatrice, Countess of Châlon.[2]

On June 5, 1237, he exchanged his inherited patrimony of Auxonne and Chalon with Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy for the following territories: Salins [3] (which was at the time the second city of the County of Burgundy), Belvoir, Vuillafans, Ornans, Montfaucon, Arlay, the castle of Clées in Vaud, Chaussin, and Orgelet. He thus became one of the most powerful nobles in the county. [3]

Although he gave charters to the towns in his territory, he also welcomed the Dominican friars as inquisitors.

The possession of Salins, with its salt production, gave John the fortune necessary to extend his territories. To protect the trade routes, he built the following fortresses: Le Pin, Montmahoux, Saint-Anne, Arguel, and Nozeroy, where he normally resided.

To avoid the customs imposed by the Count of Pontarlier, he bought the forests in the region around Pontarlier and Jougne, which he logged, creating new roads. He founded the towns of Châtelblanc, Chaux-Neuve, and Rochejean, the last of which contains his name.

Family

He had three wives and 16 children.

He married Mahaud (or Mahaut) of Burgundy, the daughter of Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy and Beatrice of Albon. She died March 26, 1242. They had the following children:

  • Elisabeth of Burgundy (1210–1277). In 1248, she married Henry I de Vergy.
  • Blanche de Chalon (died 1306). In 1260, she married Guichard V de Beaujeu, and Béraud IX de Mercœur in 1268.
  • Hugh III (1220–1267), who became Count of Burgundy by his marriage to Adelaide I of Burgundy.
  • Margaret (died 1262) married Henry de Brienne.

He remarried to Isabeau (or Isabel) of Courtenay, the daughter of Robert I of Courtenay. They had the following children:

  • John (1243–1309), seigneur de Rochefort. He became Count of Auxerre by his marriage to Alix de Bourgogne-Auxerre.
  • Stephen (died 1302), Seigneur de Rouvres.
  • Peter (died 1273) Seigneur de Châtel-Belin. In 1258, he married Beatrice, the daughter of Amadeus IV of Savoy.

Upon Isabeau's death September 22, 1257, he remarried to Laurette de Commercy, the daughter of Simon II, Seigneur de Commercy, and Matilda, Countess of Saarbrücken. They had the following children:

  • John I of Châlon (1259–1316), seigneur d'Arlay. Founder of the Châlon-Arlay branch of the house of Ivrea. In 1272, he married Margaret, daughter of Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy.
  • Hugh (died 1312), prince-bishop of Liège (1295–1301), and Archbishop of Besançon .
  • Margaret (died 1328), who married Hugh of Burgundy.
  • Agnes (died 1350). In 1285, she married Amedeus II, Count of Geneva.

References
  1. Layettes du trésor des chartes, iii, 3934 & 3935.
  2. Constance Brittain Bouchard, Sword, Miter, and Cloister: Nobility and the Church in Burgundy from 980-1198, (Cornell University Press, 1987), 308.
  3. The kingdom of Burgundy, the lands of the house of Savoy and adjacent territories, Eugene Cox, The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 5, C.1198-c.1300, ed. Rosamond McKitterick, David Abulafia, (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 362.


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