House of Baux

The House of Baux is a French noble family from the south of France. It was one of the richest and most powerful families of medieval Provence, known as the 'Race d’Aiglon'. They were independent lords as castellans of Les Baux and Arles and wielded very considerable authority at the local level. They held important fiefs and vast lands, including the principality of Orange.

In baux (and in Provençal-Occitan, li baou) is the word for 'cliffs, escarpment'. In its use as the family name, it refers to the natural fortress on which the family built their castle, the Château des Baux and the village that surrounded it. The escarpment provided a raised and protected mountain valley that protected their food supply; the natural ridge of the Alpilles allowed control of all the approaches to the citadel of Les Baux-de-Provence and the surrounding countryside, including the passage up and down the Rhone, and the approaches from the Mediterranean. Together, these natural advantages made the fortress impervious to the military technology of the time.

The family of des Baux is still thriving today in Naples in the person of several noble families descended from younger sons who followed Charles of Anjou south. In particular from Bertrand, Lord of Baux and Prince of Orange, derive three cadet branches of the house, which moved to southern Italy, giving rise to the Italianized branches of the "Orsini del Balzo" Counts of Avellino, Dukes of Andria and Princes of Taranto.

After the death of, the last sovereign of Baux, the chateau and town were seized by King Rene, who gave them to his second wife, Queen Jeanne of Laval. When Provence was united with the crown almost 150 yrs of royal governors followed, including the lords, later counts and princes, de Manville. Les Baux became a centre for Protestantism. Its unsuccessful revolt against the crown led Cardinal Richelieu in 1632 to order that the castle and its walls should be demolished. This was accomplished with the aid of artillery.

Lords of Baux


The earliest definite ancestor was Pons (Poncius Iuvenis, 'Pons the Younger'). The name may indicate a trader from Greece, while his sobriquet, 'the Younger', distinguished him from his father, Pons the Elder. Pons the Younger was mentioned in three legal acts:
 * 1st in the act of donation of 14 May 971 donating Montmajour to Boson & his wife Folcoare,
 * 2nd in 975 in the act of donation of land to St Etienne d'Arles, now called St. Trophime (Arch. du chap. d'Arles, liv. autent. f. 22)
 * 3rd with his wife Profecte in an act of donation in 981

The family descent then is:
 * Pons the Younger (born c. 950, fl. 971-1028), father of
 * Hugh I (born c. 970 – after 1059), father of
 * William Hugh of Baux Guillaume Hugues or "Guilhem Uc" (after 1030 – 1105), father of
 * Raymond I (before 1095 – 1150), father of
 * Hugh II (reigned 1150 – 1167; retired to Sardinia where he died in 1179)
 * Betrand I (1167–1181), brother of Hugh II
 * Hugh III (1181–1240), lord of Baux, viscount of Marseille, eldest son of Bertrand I
 * Barral of Baux (Barral I, 1240–1268), father of
 * Bertrand III (1268–1305), father of
 * Raymond II (1305–1322), father of
 * Hugh IV (1322–1351), father of
 * Robert (1351–1353)
 * Raymond III (1353–1372), brother of Robert, father of
 * John I (1372–1375)
 * Alice I (1372–1426), sister of John

This branch of the House of Baux was declared extinct in 1426. The domains were inherited by Counts of Provence.

Lords of Berre, Meyragues, Puyricard and Marignane

 * , second oldest son of, lord of Berre, Meyragues and Puyricard, and Marignane (1181–1201)

From this branch originated the family branches of the, Lords of Meyrargues and Puyricard, who became extinct in 1349, and lords of Marignane, acquired by House of Valois-Anjou, as well as the Dukes of Andria.

Princes of Orange



 * Bertrand I des Baux (1171–1181)
 * Raymond II of Baux, (1218–1282)
 * William I, youngest son of Bertrand I des Baux, (1181–1218)
 * William II, co-Prince (with brothers),1218-1239
 * Bertrand II, (1281–1314)
 * Raymond III (1314–1340)
 * Raymond V (1340–1393)
 * Mary of Baux-Orange (1393–1417), daughter, married John III of Châlon-Arlay

In 1417, the House of Ivrea or House of Châlon-Arlay succeeded as princes of Orange.

A brother of William I started the branch of the Lords of Courbezon (House of Baux-Courbezon), which became extinct in 1393. Another brother started the line of Lords of Suze, Solerieux and Barri (House of Baux-Suze-Solerieux-Barri), which became extinct and reverted afterwards to the counts of Orange.



Ancestors of the Lords of Baux
The ancestors of the Lords of Baux:


 * Leibulf de Provence (vers 750–835)
 * m. Odda ?
 * Leibulf des Baux (middle of the 9th century).
 * m. ??
 *  Pons d’Arles (end of the 9th century)
 * m. Blismodis de Mâcon
 * Humbert, Bishop of Vaison-la-Romaine (890–933)
 * Ison d’Arles (890–942)
 * m. Princess ? of Benevento
 * Lambert Ursus seigneurs de Reillanne
 * m. Galburge de Bénévent
 * Seigneurs de Reillanne
 * Pons de Marseille (910–979),
 * m. Judith de Bretagne, daughter d'Alain II de Bretagne
 * Honoratus de Marseille (930–978), Bishop of Marseille
 * William of Marseille (935–1004)
 * m. Bellilde, daughter d’Arlulf de Marseille
 * Vicomtes de Marseille
 * m. Belletrude
 * (hyp) Pons de Fos (vers 945–1025)
 * m. Profecta de Marignane
 * Seigneurs de Fos
 * (hyp) Hugues des Baux (981–1060) [[Image:Arms of the Lords of Baux.svg|30px]]
 * m. Inauris de Cavaillon (?)
 * Guillaume Hugues de Baux (1060–1095)[[Image:Arms of the Lords of Baux.svg|30px]]
 * m. Vierne
 * Raymond-Raimbaud des Baux (1095–1150)[[Image:Arms of the Lords of Baux.svg|30px]]
 * m. Étiennette de Gévaudan [[Image:Aragon arms.svg|30px]]
 * Bertrand des Baux [[Image:Arms of the House of Baux-Orange.svg|30px]]
 * m. Thiburge II d'Orange [[Image:Original arms of the Principality of Orange.svg|30px]]

Simplified Family Tree of the Lords of Baux
The family tree of the lords of Baux:

Sources for the Vicomtes de Marseille

 * Édouard Baratier, Ernest Hildesheimer et Georges Duby, Atlas historique...
 * and the table of Henry de Gérin-Ricard, Actes concernant les vicomtes de Marseille et leurs descendants...

Genealogy works

 * Georges de Manteyer, La Provence du premier au douzième siècle, études d'histoire et de géographie... (1908),
 * Juigné de Lassigny, Généalogie des vicomtes de Marseille...,
 * Fernand Cortez, Les grands officiers royaux de Provence au moyen-âge listes chronologiques...,
 * Papon, de Louis Moréri, du marquis de Forbin, ''Monographie de la terre et du château de Saint-Marcel, près Marseille: du Xe au XIXe siècle... ("Monograph of the land and the castle of Saint-Marcel, near Marseille, from the tenth to the nineteenth century ..."), Marseille, 1888
 * J. Berge, Origines rectifiées des maisons féodales Comtes de Provence, Princes d'Orange ..., France-Riviera, 1952
 * Poly, Jean-Pierre, La Provence et la société féodale (879–1166), Paris: Bordas, 1976,
 * Jacques Saillot, Le Sang de Charlemagne...

Genealogy works

 * Gioacchino del Balzo di Presenzano, http://www.delbalzo.net/genealogia2.htm GENEALOGY Maison del Balzo/des Baux extensive bibliography
 * G.Noblemaire, Histoire de la Maison des Baux, Parigi: 1912 and 1975
 * J.Dunbabin, Charles I of Anjou, London/New York: 1998
 * E.Leonard,Les Angevins de Naples, Paris: 1954
 * Almanach of Gotha, 1888-1943
 * F. Mazel,La Noblesse et l’Eglise en ProvenceFin X – debut XIV siecle, L’Exemple des familles d’Agoult-Simiane, des Baux et de Marseilles, CTHS – Paris: 2002
 * H.Aliquot et R.Merceron,Armorial d’Avignon et Du Comtat Venaissin, Avignon:1987
 * Cambridge Medieval History, Volumes I – IX, Cambridge: 1911
 * Cambridge Medieval History, Vol II, III, IV, Revised Edition 1996 -2003
 * Cambridge Modern History, Volumes I-XII, Cambridge: 1962-63