county · France and the Low Countries
County of Valentinois
Origins
In the early 12th century the Poitiers family, of uncertain origin, established itself as counts in the Valentinois, the lands around Valence on the left bank of the Rhône. By the 13th century they had also acquired the Diois to the east, forming the united county of Valentinois and Diois.
Rule and society
The counts ruled a land of river trade, vineyards and Alpine valleys, holding their lands within the Kingdom of Arles. Much of their energy went into long struggles with the bishops of Valence and Die, who claimed lordship over the cities, and with the neighbouring dauphins of Viennois.
Decline and legacy
The last count, Louis II of Poitiers, bequeathed the county to the Dauphin of France, and it passed to the crown in 1419 despite claims by Savoy. Louis XII later made it a duchy for Cesare Borgia in 1498, and Henry II gave it to Diane de Poitiers.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- County of Valentinois was a vassal of Holy Roman Empire1100 CE – 1419 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Valentinois. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-valentinois
- MLA
- “County of Valentinois.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-valentinois. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “County of Valentinois.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-valentinois.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Valentinois’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-valentinois (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻