The first house of Orange is a Burgundian royal house that appears in the second half of the first century, and seems to have originated from the Viscounts of Nice. They ruled the County of Orange located in southern France from 885-1150. The house was succeeded by the House of Baux due to a lack of male heirs.

Orange-Nice
Or, a horn azure, bound, enguled and virolled gules
CountryKingdom of Arles
Holy Roman Empire
Current regionOccitans
Founded885
FounderPons de Mevouillon
Final rulerTiburge of Orange
TitlesCount of Orange
Lord of Nice, Courthézon, Vence and Gréolières
Depositionv. 1150

History

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In the tenth century, Guillaume the Liberator after defeating the Moors at the battle of Tourtour, distributed the reconquered lands terra nullius to his fellow soldiers and vassals. The Nice region returns to Annon then by to descendants who take the title of Viscount of Nice.[1]

The county of Orange was acquired gradually around 1070 by Bertrand-Raimbaud d'Orange through his two marriages.

In Gréolières Rostaing, baron of Gréolières-Vence, built the castle of Gréolières, which is mentioned as early as 1079. This castle replaced the Bau de Saint Jean, called Marjone, facing the hamlet of Saint-Pons, built in 1047.

Weakened over the generations by the rule of indivision of the possessions, the eviction of the family of Nice is done successively in 1108 and 1117 to the benefit of the Bishopric of Nice. In 1108, the descendants of Raimbaud de Nice authorized the canons of Nice to acquire by gift or purchase the "honores" of their men. Nine years later, Jausserand-Laugier of the Gréolières branch sold half of his possessions in Nice to Bishop Pierre and the canons, the other half being left after his death. The municipality of Nice thus became at this date an independent maritime republic, which would be endowed around 1144 with a consulate [fr].[2]

In 1152, Laugier de Gréolières paid homage to the bishop of Nice. Thus in a little less than half a century, the bishops Pierre and Arnaud thus succeeded in eliminating from eastern Provence the descendants of Odile or, at least, in subjecting them to their authority.[2] In 1155 Prince William of Baux, son of Tibors de Sarenom heiress of the First House of Orange and Bertrand I of Baux [fr] succeeded as Count of Orange, and was promoted to Prince of Orange in 1163 by Frederick Barbarossa, leading to the establishment of the House of Baux-Orange as Princes of Orange. Around 1230, Count Raimond Bérenger IV of Provence undertook the control of the upper Loup valley and to chew up the local nobility. The domains of Vence and Gréolières are conquered by Romée de Villeneuve around 1229, and in 1235 Raimond Bérenger IV consecrates him first baron of Vence. The fief remained in the family of Villeneuve, barons of Vence, until the Revolution

Genealogy

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Nice branch

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Pons
de Mevouillon
x Blismodis
Pons II
de Mevouillon
x Richilde
Annon
sgr de Vence
x Bonafilia
Pierre de Mirabel
bishop of Vaison
Féraud de Nice
bishop of Gap
Pons III
of Mevouillon
Laugier de Nice
v. 950-1032
Odile de Provence
dame de Nice
Branch
of Vence
Accelena d'AptRaimbaud
cosgr de Nice et Vence
1006- 1073
Adelaide
de Reillanne
Pierre de Nice
bishop of Sisteron
Jauccana
x Amic de Vence
Gerberge
x Berenger
vicount of Avignon
Rostaing
sgr de Gréolières
1032- 1067
Peter II of Nice
Bishop of Sisteron
1035- 1103
Gisla
x Rostaing
sgr d'Agoult
Laugier-Rufus
sgr of Nice
1041- 1075
x Amance de Castellane
Rostaing-Raimbaud
x Acelène de Fréjus
Bertrand- Raimbaud
sgr of Orange
x Adelaide of Canavese
Branche
de Vence
Laugier-Rostaing
x Ermengarde
BertrandRaimbaud II
potestas of Nice
Francon
potestas of Nice
Raimbaud II
sgr. of Orange
† 1121

x Rixende of Apt
Laugier
bishop of Avignon
Jausserand- Laugier
(or Gaucerand)
sgr of Gréolières
Laugier IIIPoncie
x Guillaume Talon
Giraud Adhémar
de Monteil
Tiburge
dame d'Orange
Guillaume
sgr d'Aumelas
Laugier
sgr de Gréolières
Maison de Châteauneuf
(sgr de Tourrette)
House of AdhemarRaimbaud
1140- 1173
sgr of Orange
Tiburge II
dame of Orange
x Bertrand
sgr of Baux
Tiburgette
x Adhémar de Murviel
Lords of Baux
princes of Orange

Branch of Vence

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Branch
of Nice
Amic I
x Belletrude
LaugardeLambert II
sgr of Cucuron
x Adeltrude
Adeltrude
Lambert
sgr de Vence
x Austrude de Marseille
Odile
x Foulques
vic de Marseille
Amic II
x Jauccana de Nice
Guillaume
sgr de Cucuron
x Profecte
GélinLaufroiEnguerrand
Foulques
1030-1042
Guillaume
x Aimerude
Hugues
x Aimerude
Guillaume
1042- 1055
Pierre Guillaume
1028-1055
Bertrand Hugues
1041-1055
Geoffroi

Sources

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References

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