Talk:Viscounty of Marseille

There is only one known seal for the house of Marseille, lord of Marseille, Trets and many other places. The colours are almost certain but could be inverse. They almost surely also used the bosonid cross although there's no other seal to confirm it. Like the counts of Forcalquier, the viscounts of Marseille and several houses (Baux, Fos, Rians, etc) are a cadet branch of the bosonid counts of Provence. This explains why that particular emblem is used by all those families (including the counts of Toulouse for the marquisate of Provence).



Other local dynasties later married into the dynasty and wore the title of viscount. The Baux family had several viscounts : they are cousins and closely related families in Provence usually intermarry every sixth generation (that is called "grand cousinages"). They used both the nativity star of their holdings and the bosonid cross, sometimes combining both (Barral des Baux has such a seal).



Two other dynasties : Giraud Adhémar is the last viscount by marriage with Mabille de Marseille, before the city rebels against him (one seal with the bosonid cross, the other with the arms of the dynasty). Later, Oberto di Ventimiglia married Guillemette de Marseille and inherited several titles but I'm not sure he actually claimed the title of viscount (which didn't exist anymore, not that it stopped the Baux family from using and representing it in the XIIIth and XIVth c.). Those modified arms of the counts of Vintimille probably are related to the holdings he inherited by marriage from the viscounts.