The Gradual Redemption of Freedoms

In the mid-16th century, the inhabitants of Mizoën sought, like other communities in Oisans, to take control of their destiny. In 1548, then again in 1555, the common people of Mizoën undertook to obtain by albergement and then to purchase from the Dauphin the mountain of Rif Tort, corresponding to today’s Emparis Plateau. The goal was very concrete: to gain new pastures in order to increase livestock, produce more cheese and food, but also obtain more manure to “fertilize” the cultivated land around the village. This effort was part of a broader movement to redeem seigneurial rights and privileges, driven by the desire for self-government. In Mizoën, this autonomy took the form of the election of a consul, responsible for local administration, a true prototype of village democracy in the Renaissance period. On a very local scale, these practices recall the spirit of the neighboring Escartons of Briançon and bear witness to a strong tradition of self-management in Oisans.