Independent Dauphiné

Around the turn of the year 1000, a new local power gradually established itself in the Alps: the family of the Counts of Albon. In 1116, Oisans was integrated into the principality that would soon take the name Dauphiné. The title had already appeared a few years earlier: in 1110, Guigues IV was the first of the line to call himself “Dauphin”. His reign also saw the eruption of an already old rivalry between the House of Albon and the House of Savoy. The fighting was violent, to the point that Guigues IV died from wounds received while fighting the Savoyards. In theory, Dauphiné remained a vassal of the Emperor. In practice, the Dauphins ruled as sovereigns: they administered justice, levied their own taxes, minted coins, and conducted autonomous diplomacy. But Dauphiné power eventually wore itself out. Continuous wars against Savoy ruined its finances, and above all, heirs disappeared one after another. Faced with deadlock, the last Dauphin, Humbert II, made a radical decision: in 1349, he sold Dauphiné to the Kingdom of France. The ties between the two families were old, which facilitated the agreement. In 1346, Humbert II granted the inhabitants of La Grave the right to choose two representatives responsible for collecting part of the community's taxes, the tailles. This form of autonomy shows that the Gravarots were not merely passive subjects. And then there were those moments when power truly passed in front of people's doors. The Dauphins often took the Lautaret road to reach Briançon, and their passage never went unnoticed. One famous example: on May 18, 1334, Humbert II crossed the region. One can easily imagine the effect such a procession produced: gleaming horses, armor, bright fabrics, banners snapping in the wind… For the peasant communities of La Grave, where distractions were rare, it was an event.