Editing Prince-bishop (section)

=== France ===
From the tenth century civil wars on, many bishops took over the powers of the local count, as authorised by the king. For example, at Chalons-sur-Marne the bishop ruled the lands {{Convert|20|km|abbr=on}} around the town, while the Archbishop of Rheims demarcated his territory with five fortresses of Courville, Cormicy, Betheneville, Sept-Saulx and Chaumuzy.<ref>{{cite book |first=Rosamond |last=McKitterick |first2=Paul |last2=Fouracre|first3=David |last3=Luscombe|first4=Timothy |last4=Reuter|first5=David |last5=Abulafia|first6=Jonathan |last6=Riley-Smith|first7=C. T. |last7=Allmand|first8=Michael |last8=Jones |title=The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 4, C.1024-c.1198, Part 2 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_New_Cambridge_Medieval_History_Volum/cUl53tLtFukC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA531&printsec=frontcover  |date=1995 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0521414113 |pages=531–532}}</ref>
A number of French bishops did hold a noble title, with a tiny territory usually about their seat; it was often a [[prince]]ly title, especially Count but also Prince or Baron, including actual seigneurial authority and rights.<ref name=nor/> Indeed, six of the twelve original [[Pairie]]s (the royal vassals awarded with the highest precedence at Court) were episcopal: the [[Archbishop of Reims]], the [[Bishop of Langres]], and the [[Bishop of Laon]] held a [[Duke|ducal]] title, the bishops of [[Bishop of Beauvais|Beauvais]], [[Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne|Chalôns]], and [[Bishop of Noyon|Noyon]] had [[Count|comital]] status. They were later joined by the [[Archbishop of Paris]], who was awarded a ducal title, but with precedence over the others.<ref name=nor/><ref name=ed/> 

France also counted a number of prince-bishops formerly within the Holy Roman Empire such those of Besançon, Cambrai, Strasbourg, Metz, Toul, Verdun, and Belley. The bishops of Arles, Embrun, and Grenoble also qualify as princes of episcopal cities. The bishop of Viviers was Count of Viviers and Prince de Donzère. The bishop of Sisteron was also Prince de Lurs, the title of count was held by the Archbishop of Lyons, and the bishops of Gap, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Vienne and Die were Seigneurs of their cities.

Never part of the empire were Lisieux, Cahors, Chalon-sur-Saône, Léon, Dol and Vabres whose bishops were also counts. Ajaccio was Count of Frasso. The bishops of Sarlat, Saint-Malo (Baron de Beignon) and of Luçon were Barons and Tulle was Viscount of the city. The bishop of Mende was governor and count, Puy held the title Count of Velay, Quimper was Seigneur of the city and Comte de Cornouailles, Valence was Seigneur and Count of the city. Montpellier's bishop was Count of Mauguio and Montferrand, Marquis of Marquerose and Baron of Sauve, Durfort, Salevoise, and Brissac. The bishop of Saint-Claude was Seigneur of all the lands of Saint-Claude. The bishops of Digne (Seigneur and Baron), Pamiers (co-Seigneur), Albi, Lectoure, Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Papoul, Saint-Pons, and Uzès were Seigneurs of the cities.<ref name="ed">{{cite book |last1=Edmond Biré |title=Histoire et littérature |date=1895 |publisher=E. Vitte |pages=52–53 |edition=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Augustin Sicard |title=L'ancien clergé de France: Les évêques avant la Révolution Volume 1 of L'ancien clergé de France |date=1893 |pages=44–45}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Le correspondant, Volume 155|publisher=Bureaux du Correspondant|year=1889|pages=210–211}}</ref><ref name="nor">{{cite book |last1=Norman Ravitch |title=Sword and Mitre Government and Episcopate in France and England in the Age of Aristocracy |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sword_and_mitre/JCyLDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA54&printsec=frontcover |date=2019 |publisher=de Gruyter |isbn=9783111359540 |pages=54–56}}</ref>