Independent Dauphiné

Around the turn of the year 1000, the family of the Counts of Albon gradually established itself in the Alps. Guigues I received imperial investiture to govern Briançonnais. In 1116, Oisans was integrated into the principality that would take the name Dauphiné. Guigues IV, the first to bear the title “Dauphin” as early as 1110, fought violent wars against the House of Savoy and died from wounds received in combat. In practice, the Dauphins governed as sovereigns: justice, taxation, coinage, and diplomacy. But the principality wore itself out. In 1349, Humbert II sold Dauphiné to the Kingdom of France. The treaty provided for broad autonomy and reserved the title of Dauphin for the king's heir. For Mizoën, this period durably fixed the political framework: dependence on the Dauphins and then on France, with mountain communities preserving strong local autonomy.