Charolais, France facts for kids
Charolais (pronounced shar-oh-LAY) is a historic area in France. It is named after its main town, Charolles. Today, you can find Charolais in the Saône-et-Loire département, which is part of the Burgundy region.
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History of Charolais
Charolais was once owned by a French noble family called Chalon-Arlay. In 1237, Count John the Old gave it to Duke Hugh IV of Burgundy.
Inheritance and New Rulers
The area of Charolais became a county (a territory ruled by a count). Hugh's granddaughter, Beatrice, inherited it. In 1272, she married Count Robert of Clermont. Robert was a younger son of King Louis IX of France and an ancestor of the House of Bourbon royal family.
In 1314, Charolais passed to Robert's second son, John. John's daughter, Beatrice, married Count John I of Armagnac in 1327.
Becoming Part of Burgundy
Later, John's grandson, Count Bernard VII of Armagnac, sold the county to Duke Philip II of Burgundy in 1390. This made Charolais part of the Duchy of Burgundy. From then on, the title 'Count of Charolais' was usually given to the person who was next in line to become the Duke of Burgundy.
Struggles for Control
After Duke Charles the Bold died in 1477 during the Battle of Nancy, King Louis XI of France tried to take control of Charolais. However, Maximilian I of Austria strongly disagreed. He was married to Charles's daughter, Mary.
In the same year, the people of Charolais were loyal to Duchess Mary. They rebelled and forced the French out. After a conflict called the War of the Burgundian Succession, Charolais officially returned to the House of Habsburg family in 1493, according to the Treaty of Senlis. Even so, it was still considered a French territory.
Charolais was like a last reminder of Burgundy's independence. Burgundy was once ruled by powerful and wealthy dukes known as the Great Dukes of Burgundy.
Later Ownership
Charolais shared some history with another region, the Imperial County of Burgundy (also known as Franche-Comté). Both areas were part of the dowry (property a bride brings to her marriage) of Maximilian's daughter, Margaret of Austria. When she died in 1530, they went to her nephew, Emperor Charles V. From 1569 onwards, they were held by Habsburg Spain under Charles's son, Philip II.
While the County of Burgundy became part of France in 1678, Charolais was bought by the Bourbon prince Louis of Condé in 1684. It did not become part of the French Crown until 1760. That's when Count Charles of Charolais died, and King Louis XV added it to the Estates of Burgundy.
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