County of Champagne

County of Champagne Comitatus Campaniensis (Latin) Conté de Champaigne (Old French)
12th century–14th century
Coat of arms
County of Champagne (green) within the Kingdom of France in 1180
Status	Vassal state within the Kingdom of France
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Government	Feudal county
Count
• 1102-1125	Hugh of Troyes
• 1305-1314	Louis I of Navarre
Historical era	High Middle Ages
• Established	12th century
• County merged with the French Crown	14th century
Today part of	France

The County of Champagne (Latin: Comitatus Campaniensis; Old French: Conté de Champaigne),^[1] was a medieval territory and feudal principality in the Kingdom of France. It developed on the rich plains between Paris and the border of the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century. It became an economic hub of northern France and an international trade center in part due to the trade fairs instituted by Count Theobald II, and steady land clearing led to economic and urban growth. Count Henry the Liberal established the city of Troyes as the county's capital and expanded the state. The court of Champagne under Count Henry and Countess Marie saw a proliferation of literary authors. In the 13th century, Count Theobald III, Countess Blanche, and Count Theobald IV oversaw a centralization of the state. The county is noted for its support to the crusades and monastic foundations, especially those of the Cistercians, which originated within its borders. From 1234 the count of Champagne was also the king of Navarre, and the marriage of Queen Joan I of Navarre with King Philip IV of France led to the county being absorbed into the royal domain of the kings of France in the 14th century.