The Free County of Burgundy (French: Franche Comté de Bourgogne; German: Freigrafschaft Burgund), was a medieval county (from 982 to 1678), within the traditional province and modern French region Franche-Comté, whose very French name is still reminiscent of the unusual title of its count: Freigraf ('free count', or franc comte in French, hence the term franc(he) comté for his feudal principality). It should not be confused with the more westerly Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne), a fiefdom of France since 843.
County of Burgundy in 1632[]
The County of Burgundy was the name Bernard of Saxe-Weimar gave to the principality he established in the Franche-Comté, with its capital at Besançon. The county also included parts of Swabia, and possibly parts of Alsace. As of 1635, the County of Burgundy, and Bernard's claim to it, is recognized by the United States of Europe, with the provision that it will pass to the USE if Bernard and Claudia de' Medici do not leave heirs.