county · Germany and Central Europe

County of Gruyère

1073 CE – 1555 CE (approx.) · capital Gruyères

A Swiss Alpine county known for cheese and cattle, whose counts went bankrupt and lost their lands to Fribourg and Bern.

Origins

The first known count of Gruyère, Rudolf, appears around 1073 to 1115 in the Saane valley of the western Swiss Alps. The counts built their castle above the small town of Gruyères and ruled a territory of pastures and villages on the borderland between French- and German-speaking Switzerland.

Rule and society

The county lived from cattle and dairying; the hard cheese produced there gave its name to Gruyère cheese. The counts were vassals of Savoy and allied with Bern and Fribourg. The town and castle of Gruyères were among the most picturesque in the region.

Decline and legacy

Count Michel of Gruyère fell heavily into debt, and in 1554 to 1555 his creditors, the cities of Fribourg and Bern, divided the county between them. Fribourg kept Gruyères and the lower valley, while Bern took the upper Saane valley (Saanen). The castle is now a museum.

Lineage

County of GruyèreCanton of Fribourg 1478 CE – 1798 CE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻