Erguel Erguël | |
---|---|
1264-1797 [1] | |
Capital | Erguël |
Religion | Catholic |
Sire | |
• 1264-? | Otto of Arguel |
History | |
• Established | 1264-1797 [1] |
• Becomes Protectorate of
Biel/Bienne | 1335 |
• Merged into the
French department of
Mont-Terrible | 1797 |
1800 | |
1815 |
Erguël is a medieval seigniory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Basel, and under protectorate of Biel/Bienne, under military jurisdiction from 1335, in the now called valley of St.-Imier, in the now Bernese Jura, Switzerland. [2]
The Sire of the area used to live in the Château d'Erguel.
In 1264, the Bishop of Basel appointed Otto of Erguel as the vogt over the Saint-Imier valley fief. Otto raised the valley to become a seigniory and parish of the Diocese of Basel, named Erguel. [3] [4]
Asteroid 282669 Erguël, discovered by Swiss amateur astronomer Michel Ory at the Tenagra II Observatory in 2005, was named in memory of the seigniory. [2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 22 July 2013 ( M.P.C. 84383). [5]