Robert of Auvergne, also called Robert de la Tour (died 7 January 1234), was a French nobleman, prelate and poet from the Auvergne. He served as bishop of Clermont from 1195 until 1227 and thereafter as archbishop of Lyon until his death. He was also a troubadour, composing poetry in Occitan.
Robert was involved in several feudal conflicts between 1195 and 1211. Twice imprisoned (1199, 1207) and accused of murder and rapine, his disputes with family and vassals drew intervention from both king and pope. He emerged victorious and in control of the city of Clermont itself. He also added lands and castles to his diocese and took part in the Albigensian Crusade (1209). After his election as archbishop, he was imprisoned a third time for interfering with the marriage politics of the count of Champagne, but was soon liberated by his friends. He was less successful in Lyon, where his pontificate is marked by disputes with the rising merchant class. His health declined in his final two years.
Robert's known literary career fell between 1195 and 1212. He is describes as lo Vesques de Clarmon ('the bishop of Clermont') in the songbooks. Little of his poetry survives and all that does concerns disagreements with his cousin, Dalfi d'Alvernhe. Dalfi states that the bishop had a lady lover and the bishop hints at Dalfi's sexual inadequacy, but it is difficult to know what reality lies behind their joking exchange.
Family and early life
Robert was born into the highest nobility of France. He was a younger son of Count Robert IV of Auvergne and Matilda, daughter of Duke Odo II of Burgundy. His elder brothers were Counts William X and Guy II. He was a cousin of the troubadour Dalfi d'Alvernhe, a first cousin of Duke Odo III of Burgundy and a first cousin once removed of King Philip II of France (through the latter's grandmother, Matilda of Carinthia). He was also related to the counts of Forez and thus to Archbishop Renaud of Lyon.
Prior to his election as bishop, Robert was the dean of the chapter of the cathedral of Autun. Autun lay within the ecclesiastical province of Lyon.
Bishop of Clermont
Robert was elected bishop of Clermont in 1195. In 1197, he dedicated the Abbey of Le Bouchet, founded by his father.
Between 1197 and 1201 Robert was involved in a quarrel with his brother Guy in which both resorted to force. In 1197, Robert excommunicated his brother and placed his lands under interdict. He then ravaged his lands with hired soldiers for the next two years. At the same time, Robert got into a dispute with the troubadour Pons de Capduelh over the castle of Vertaizon, which Pons had received from his wife as a dowry some time before 1196 and which the bishop claimed as a fief.
In 1199, Guy wrote to Pope Innocent III requesting intervention. Before receiving a response, he engineered Robert's capture. Pons seized the bishop and imprisoned him in Vertaizon before handing him over to Guy. The bishop was accused of murder, arson and pillage. When Innocent learned of his imprisonment, he authorized the archbishop of Bourges, Henry de Sully, to absolve Guy on condition of penance for his own excesses. Henry reconciled the brothers in July 1199, and mediated a peace agreement signed in May 1201.
As bishop, Robert sought to increase his hold on his castles and to expand his diocese's territory. In 1199, Count Guy did homage to his brother for the castle of Lezoux. In 1202, Guy committed the city of Clermont to the bishop's keeping until he had made peace with King Philip. Guy had sided with the English in the Anglo-French War of 1202–1204. Robert thus became the first bishop to govern the city directly, a position subsequent bishops retained down to 1552.
In 1205, Innocent III opened an inquiry into the dispute between Robert and Pons, which was still unresolved. At this, King Philip II intervened to force Pons' wife to turn the castle over to Robert. In 1211 Pons and his wife, with their three sons, three daughters and three sons-in-law, sold Vertaizon to the bishop for 7,650 marks, of which 7,000 were to be retained by the bishop as compensation for his unlawful imprisonment.
In 1206, Robert and Guy again fell into dispute. In 1207, Guy again imprisoned his brother. Although excommunicated by the pope, he only released Robert after King Philip marched an army against him. He had to pay reparations and give security. In 1207, Robert acquired the fiefs of Montmorin and Mauzun from the king. A castle was begun at Mauzun imitating the royal style introduced into the Auvergne by Philip.