Thèse de doctorat en Histoire
Sous la direction de Pierre Bonnassie.
Soutenue en 1996
à Toulouse 2 .
L'histoire de la seigneurie de montpellier est eclairee depuis sa formation [. . . ] territoriaux, en se fondant sur la prosperite economique de la ville de montpellier. Pour cela, ils introduisirent et utiliserent systematiquement la feodalite et d'autres innovations pour l'expansion et la gestion de leur domaine. On peut y voir l'influence catalane, due aux relations politiques et economiques, tres intimes depuis le siecle precedent, entre montpellier et barcelone. Au debut du xiiie siecle, le consulat s'etablit definitivement a montpellier, en profitant du changement dynastique de la seigneurie (avenement comme seigneur de pierre ii, roi d'aragon, par son mariage avec marie, unique heritiere legitime des guilhem) et le premier tiers de ce siecle y est marque par la realisation d'une republique municipale. Passee cette periode exceptionnelle, tandis que dans le reste du languedoc, l'administration directe de la royaute de france s'implante de plus en plus solidement, jacques 1er recouvre et consolide son pouvoir dans notre seigneurie et y etablit un systeme financier propre a la cour aragonaise.
The lordhip of montpellier in the 12th and 13th centuries - the forma-
The history of the seigneurial administration of montpellier is studied from its formation under the rule of the guillems (especially from ca. 1100) to its phase of establishment under the rule of jacques i, king of aragon. In the 12th century, the guillems rose to the rank of territorial princes in lower languedoc, basing themselves on the economic prosperity of the town of montpellier. For this purpose, they introduced and used feudalism (feud-vassalic tie) systematically and other innovations for the expansion and the effective administration of their domains. We can see here the influence of catalonia, on account of the political and economical relations, which were very intimate since the preceding century, between montpellier and barcelona. At the beginning of 13th century, a consulate was established, taking advantage of the dynastic change of lordship (peter ii, king of aragon, became lord of montpellier by his marriage to mary, who was the sole legitimate heiress of the guillems). The first three decades of this century saw the realization of a town republic, almost free of the lordship, in montpellier. This exceptional period passed and james i, son of peter ii, recovered and consolidated his power in montpellier and its region to establish