- Bourbonnais
Bourbonnais (
Occitan : "Borbonés / Barbonés") was a historic province in the centre ofFrance that corresponded to the modern "département" ofAllier , along with part of the "département" of Cher. Its capital was Moulins.History
Its first known lord was Adhémar (or Aymar) in the 10th century AD. He acquired the castle of Bourbon (today
Bourbon-l'Archambault ) which gave its name to the family, theHouse of Bourbon .The first House of Bourbon ended in 1200 with the death of
Archambault VII . It left only one heiress, Mahaut de Bourbon, whose husband, Guy II of Dampierre, added Montlucon to the possessions of the lords of Bourbon, extending to the River Cher during the 11th and 12th centuries.The second house of Bourbon started in 1218 with Archambault VIII, son of Guy II and Mahaut, and brother of
William II of Dampierre . He was followed by his son Archambaut IX, who died inCyprus in 1249 during acrusade . Bourbonnais was then acquired by the House of Burgundy.In 1272, Béatrix de Bourgogne (1258-1310), Lady of Bourbon, married Robert de France (1256-1318),
Count of Clermont , son of king Louis IX (Saint-Louis). It was the beginning of the long-lastingHouse of Bourbon , providing kings of France from Henry IV throughLouis-Phillipe in 1848, when monarchy was abolished in France.The Bourbons had concluded an alliance with the royal capacity. They had put their forces at the service of the king, thus benefitting from the geographic position of Bourbonnais, located between the royal field and the duchies of
Aquitaine and Auvergne. This alliance, as well as the marriage of Béatrix de Bourgogne and Robert de France, aided the rise and prosperity of the province. In 1327, it was set up as a duchy-peerage by king Charles ("le Bel").hields and Armorial Bearings
ee also
*
Sire de Bourbon
*List of seigneurs, later dukes, of Bourbon (in French)
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