Villars

Villars lies amid the ponds and low hills of the Dombes. The castle of its lords stood on a raised mound, a poype, and was recorded as early as 1030. By marriage the lordship passed to the house of Thoire, whose descendants held lands across this border country. In 1402 Humbert VII disposed of his possessions as the houses of Savoy and Bourbon extended their influence in the region. A road between Lyon and Bourg passed through Villars by the later Middle Ages.