county · France and the Low Countries

County of Forez

1000 CE – 1531 CE (approx.) · capital Montbrison

A county of the upper Loire, ruled from Montbrison, that separated from Lyon in 1173 and passed to the dukes of Bourbon.

Origins

In the 10th and 11th centuries a single family held the counties of Lyon and Forez, contesting control of Lyon with its archbishops. The register dates the county from around 1000. By the 1173 agreement known as the Permutatio, Count Guy II gave up his rights in Lyon to the archbishop and kept Forez.

Rule and society

The counts ruled from Montbrison over a land of plains and hills on the upper Loire, founding towns and abbeys. They cultivated close ties with the French crown and with the lords of Beaujeu. The county's customs and archives are unusually well preserved, including the 15th-century Armorial of Forez.

Decline and legacy

In 1371 the heiress Anne of Forez married Louis II, Duke of Bourbon, and the county joined the Duchy of Bourbon. After Francis I confiscated the lands of Constable Charles of Bourbon, Forez was united with the Kingdom of France in 1531.

Lineage

County of ForezKingdom of France 987 CE – 1792 CE

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Forez. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-forez
MLA
“County of Forez.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-forez. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “County of Forez.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-forez.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Forez’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-forez (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻