Bertrand I of Baux
Bertrand I of Baux | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1237 |
| Died | 1281 |
| Spouse | Thiburge II of Orange |
Bertrand I of Baux was lord of Baux of the house of Baux. He was a younger son of Raymond of Baux.
Life
[edit]His mother was Étiennette de Provence (died around 1163), daughter of Gilbert I of Gévaudan, Viscount of Millau and Lodève and later count of Gévaudan, and Gerberge of Provence, Countess of Provence. Étiennette was the sister of Douce de Gévaudan, Countess of Provence, wife of Raymond Berengar III, Count of Barcelona. When the latter died in 1129, Raymond des Baux asserted his claim to the County of Provence, thus beginning the Baussenque Wars.
A Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
[edit]During the Baussenque Wars, a significant event symbolized the reconciliation between the houses of Barcelona and des Baux. The young Alfonso II of Aragon owed his rescue to Bertrand des Baux, who, by taking him behind his horse, enabled him to escape from the enemy-held Château d'Albaron and return to the city of Arles. For a traditional friend of the House of Toulouse, this was a truly chivalrous act. It ensured the reconciliation of Les Baux with the princes of the House of Aragon.
In 1173, Bertrand of Baux married Thiburge II of Orange, heiress of Orange. He had a fortified castle built on a hill overlooking the village of Suze. It is half-embedded in the ochre rock, featuring gigantic defensive ramparts, deep moats, a drawbridge, battlements, and a well.
Silvacane Abbey
[edit]In 1175, Bertrand des Baux began construction of the abbey church of Silvacane, where he was buried. The church, built between 1175 and 1230, features high naves covered with pointed barrel vaults, resting on powerful cruciform supports.
On July 30, 1178, the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I Barbarossa, was crowned king in Arles by the Archbishop of Arles. Bertrand des Baux received from the Emperor the right to call himself Prince of Orange, to take up arms, to exercise its prerogatives, and to wear the crown and all the insignia of sovereignty, including the right to wear a closed crown.
Marriage and children
[edit]Bertrand and Thiburge II of Orange had several children:
- Hugh III of Baux (1173-1240), the eldest, continued the elder branch of the Baux family. He was consul of Arles and viscount of Marseilles, and retained the lordship of Baux. His son Barral of Baux (c. 1217-1270) accompanied Charles of Anjou to Italy, and there, through his son Raymond became the ancestor of the line of the counts of Avellino.
- Tiburge des Baux;
- William I of Baux (c. 1176-1218), Prince of Orange, became the head of the House of Orange, of whom we find several descendants in Italy, involved with their cousins, in the affairs of the Kingdom of Naples. He is the father of William II of Baux. From him descend the lords of Courthézon, including the Baux/Del Balzo di Soleto (hence the Orsini Del Balzo) and the Baux/Del Balzo d'Alessano and Specchia.