16.04.2026 18:30 - 20:00
Musée de Bagnes, Chemin de l'Eglise 13, 1934 Le Châble VS
A widespread conflict over alpine pastures (14th-16th centuries)
Alexandre Bochatay's lecture
The origin of alpine pastures and summer pastures in the Val de Bagnes is a question that historian Muriel Eschmann addresses in her dissertationLes alpages dans la vallée de Bagnes (XIIIe-XIVe siècles). She argues that there is a slow continuity in the use of alpine pastures, probably dating back to ancient times, which leads us to believe that they were alpine pastures throughout the Middle Ages. After the inflection point of the 14th century, due in particular to the Great Plague of 1349, competition on the alps declined slightly. Indeed, the more remote alpine pastures, such as Charmontane, were partly or totally abandoned during the major epidemic peaks. This is undoubtedly why Valdôtains were granted the right to rent the alp as early as 1377.
Allocated to Aosta Valley peasants throughout the 15th century, Charmontane was coveted by Bagnards who wished to reinvest the valley floor. These assertive ambitions led to conflicts, sometimes armed and violent, as in 1517, 1528 and 1539. The situation became so tense between the local communities, as well as between the lords of the Valais and Savoy, that the conflict took on supra-regional proportions with the intervention of Emperor Charles V and Pope Paul III.
Finally, in 1551, the Valais lords decided to seize the mountain pasture and definitively allocate it to the Bagnards. The Duke of Savoy, Charles II, was taken by surprise and, in the midst of a very complicated period, was unable to prevent this Valaisan venture. From then on, the situation was never reversed, and the Bagnards have enjoyed Charmontane without interruption to this day.
The origin of alpine pastures and summer pastures in the Val de Bagnes is a question that historian Muriel Eschmann addresses in her dissertationLes alpages dans la vallée de Bagnes (XIIIe-XIVe siècles). She argues that there is a slow continuity in the use of alpine pastures, probably dating back to ancient times, which leads us to believe that they were alpine pastures throughout the Middle Ages. After the inflection point of the 14th century, due in particular to the Great Plague of 1349, competition on the alps declined slightly. Indeed, the more remote alpine pastures, such as Charmontane, were partly or totally abandoned during the major epidemic peaks. This is undoubtedly why Valdôtains were granted the right to rent the alp as early as 1377.
Allocated to Aosta Valley peasants throughout the 15th century, Charmontane was coveted by Bagnards who wished to reinvest the valley floor. These assertive ambitions led to conflicts, sometimes armed and violent, as in 1517, 1528 and 1539. The situation became so tense between the local communities, as well as between the lords of the Valais and Savoy, that the conflict took on supra-regional proportions with the intervention of Emperor Charles V and Pope Paul III.
Finally, in 1551, the Valais lords decided to seize the mountain pasture and definitively allocate it to the Bagnards. The Duke of Savoy, Charles II, was taken by surprise and, in the midst of a very complicated period, was unable to prevent this Valaisan venture. From then on, the situation was never reversed, and the Bagnards have enjoyed Charmontane without interruption to this day.
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Fabienne Lutz-Studer