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-en-Beaujolais
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	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 (Arpitan: Biôjor) is a commune of the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies southwest of Mâcon and northwest of Lyon, on the river Ardière.

Beaujeu gives its name to the famous wine region Beaujolais and the former province Beaujolais (Biôjolês), 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.