Dauphiné, a Royal Province

After Dauphiné was attached to France in 1349, life in our valleys continued to organize itself. A few years later, in 1366, the community of La Grave acquired ownership of its mills, an important act: owning its tools of production meant gaining autonomy and prosperity. In 1391, the inhabitants — gathered under the status of Universitas Arénarum — went even further by buying back the favaterie, a local fief that belonged to the Favetier, a nobleman of the region. Step by step, the Gravarot community built a true collective heritage. Meanwhile, Dauphiné remained a strategic and therefore coveted land. Dauphinois knights took part in the Hundred Years' War, and the province itself became a political stake. But in June 1430, at the Battle of Anthon, the Dauphinois troops — outnumbered three to one — won a brilliant victory against the Savoyards allied with the English. The invasion failed, and Dauphiné was saved. It was a founding moment in regional memory: the small mountain province proved that it could stand up to the greatest powers. The Dauphin who followed the matter most closely was none other than the future Louis XI, who governed Dauphiné directly from 1447 onward. He knew the province well and, after becoming king, confirmed the freedoms of the Oisans communities. La Grave thus entered the royal framework while preserving part of its local autonomy. This fragile balance between attachment to France and defense of communal rights would mark the valley for centuries.