Beaujeu, Rhône

Beaujeu
Beaujeu
Commune
	The Church of Saint-Nicolas, in Beaujeu
	Coat of arms
	Location of Beaujeu
	Beaujeu Beaujeu
	Coordinates: 46°09′18″N 4°35′20″E / 46.155°N 4.5889°E
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Rhône
Arrondissement	Villefranche-sur-Saône
Canton	Belleville
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Sylvain Sotton
Area 1	17.85 km2 (6.89 sq mi)
Population (2021)	2,123
• Density	120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	69018 /69430
Elevation	277–880 m (909–2,887 ft) ; (avg. 293 m or 961 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Beaujeu (Bôjor/Biôjœr in Arpitan) is a commune of the Rhône department in eastern France.

It lies between Mâcon and Lyon.

Beaujeu gives its name to the famous wine region of Beaujolais (Biôjolês), a former province of France of which it is the historical capital. However it was overtaken in the 14th century by Villefranche-sur-Saône, which remains the main commercial centre of the region.

History

Beaujolais was a semi-autonomous fiefdom of the Lords of Beaujeu. The barony was acquired in the 9th century by Guillaume, Comte du Lyonnais and Count of Forez; on his death, his son Bérard became the first Lord of Beaujeu.

List of rulers

Lords:

Berard of Beaujeu + c. 966
Guichard I of Beaujeu c. 966-977
Humbert I of Beaujeu + c. 977-1016
Guichard II of Beaujeu c. 1016-1050
Guichard III of Beaujeu c. 1050-1070
Humbert II of Beaujeu c. 1070-1102
Guichard IV of Beaujeu 1102-1137
Humbert III of Beaujeu 1137-1174
Humbert IV of Beaujeu 1174-1202
Guichard V le Grand of Beaujeu 1202-1216
Humbert V of Beaujeu 1216-1250
Isabelle de Beaujeu 1250-1297 (married Renaud)
Renaud I of Forez, count of Forez 1250-1297
Louis de Beaujeu 1250-1295
Guichard VI of Beaujeu 1295-1331
Edouard I of Beaujeu 1331-1351 (Marshal of France)
Antoine of Beaujeu 1351-1374
Edouard II of Beaujeu 1374-1400 (+1400 without succession)

After the death of Edouard II, the barony passed to his uncle Louis II, Duke of Bourbon and was used as a title first by members of the Bourbon family and then by the House of Orléans. In 1522, Francis I of France confiscated the title and gave it to his mother Louise of Savoy, but it reverted to the French crown on her death in 1531.