Monthey and the Monthéleo dynasty

16 February 2021

The town in the canton of Valais is situated at the foot of the Dents du Midi, the Portes du Soleil, the Val d’Illiez, and its river, the Vièze.

The town’s name and castle first appeared in the 13th century (castrum Monteyz). Much more is known of the local Monthéleo dynasty (see, among others, Abbé Tamini’s book Les Nobles de Monthéleo de Montheis). They ruled the town until 1536 and rebuilt the castle in the 14th and 15th centuries. 

The town in the Lower Valais (Bas-Valais, Unterwallis) was a territory of the Dukes of Savoy until 1536, and then of the Republic of the Seven Zenden or Zehnden (die Republik der Sieben Zenden/ la Républic des sept Dizains) of the Upper Valais (Haut-Valais/Oberwallis). This rule lasted until the French invasion in 1798.

Monthey is considered the first industrial town in Valais and has pioneered the chemical, synthetic, stone, and metal building sectors. 

(Source and further information: www.monthey.ch).