Viscounts of Béarn
The viscounts of Béarn (Basque: Bearno, Gascon: Bearn or Biarn) were the rulers of the viscounty of Béarn, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms the current département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64).
Béarn is bordered by Basque provinces Soule and Lower Navarre to the west, by Gascony (Landes and Armagnac) to the north, by Bigorre to the east, and by Spain (Aragon) to the south.
List of Viscounts of Béarn[]
House of Gascony[]
Until 1251, probably all counts of Gascony descended from the House Gascony, head of the Duchy of Gascony.
| Ruler | Dates | Gascon line | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ?-866 | Béarn line | Centule descended agnatically from Lupo III Centule of Gascony. | |
| 866-905 | Béarn line | Son of the predecessor. | |
| Centule II | 905-940 | Béarn line | Son of the predecessor. |
| Gaston I | 940-984 | Béarn line | Son of the predecessor. |
| Centule III | 984-1004 | Béarn line | Son of the predecessor. |
| Gaston II | 1004-1012 | Béarn line | Son of the predecessor. |
| Centule IV the Old | 1012-1058 | Béarn line | Son of the predecessor. |
| Gaston III | c.1020-1045 | Béarn line | Ruled jointly with his father, and preceded him. |
| Centule V the Young | 1058-1090 | Béarn line | Son of Centule IV. |
| Gaston IV the Crusader | 1090-1131 | Béarn line | Son of the predecessor. |
| Centule VI | 1131-1134 | Béarn line | Son of the predecessor. |
| Guiscarda | 1134-1147 | Béarn line | Sister of the predecessor, married Peter, who descended agnatically from Sancho IV Garcés of Gascony. |
| 1134-1140? | line | ||
| Peter II | 1147-1154 | line | Son of the predecessors |
| Gaston V | 1154-1170 | line | Son of the predecessor |
| Mary | 1170-1171 | line | Sister of the predecessor, married the Catalan Guilhem de Montcada. During their joint rule, other rulers appeared contesting their rule, or were merely legendary:
|
House of Montcada[]
- 1170–1173 : 16th William I (married to Mary)
- 1173–1215 : 17th Gaston VI the Good (son)
- 1215–1223 : 18th (brother of previous)
- 1223–1229 : 19th William II (son)
- 1229–1290 : 20th Gaston VII the Great (son)
- 1290–1319 : 21st Margaret (daughter of, married Roger-Bernard III of Foix)
House of Foix[]
Béarn line[]
- 1302–1315 : 22nd Gaston VIII (son of, also count of Foix)
- 1315–1343 : 23rd Gaston IX (son of, also count of Foix)
- 1343–1391 : 24th Gaston X Phoebus (son of, also count of Foix)
- 1391–1398 : 25th Matthew (son of , who was son of , who was younger brother of Gaston II of Foix-Béarn, also count of Foix and viscount of Castelbon)
- 1398–1428 : 26th Isabelle (sister of, also countess of Foix and viscountess of Castelbon, married Archambaud of Grailly)
Grailly line[]
- 1412–1436 : 27th John I (son of, also count of Foix, viscount of Villemur and count of Bigorre)
- 1436–1472 : 28th Gaston XI (son of, also count of Foix, viscount of Nébouzan and count of Bigorre, married Eleanor of Navarre, queen of Navarre) (References to "Gaston of Bearn" in history texts often refer to him)
- 1479–1483 : 29th Francis Phoebus (son of Gaston of Foix, prince of Viane, also king of Navarre, count of Bigorre, count of Foix))
- 1483–1517 : 30th Catherine (sister of, also queen of Navarre, countess of Bigorre, countess of Foix), married John of Albret, king of Navarre
In 1512 Ferdinand II of Aragon conquered the better part of the kingdom of Navarre, leaving the kingdom with only the small section it held north of the Pyrenees.
House of Albret[]
- 1517–1555 : 31st Henry I (son of, also king of Navarre, count of Foix, duke of Albret, count of Bigorre)
- 1555–1572 : 32nd Joan (daughter of, queen of Navarre, countess of Foix, duchess of Albret, countess of Bigorre, married Anthony of Bourbon)
House of Bourbon[]
- 1572–1607 : 33rd Henry II (son of, also king of France, king of Navarre, duke of Bourbon, duke of Vendôme, count of Bigorre, count of Foix)
In 1620 the viscountcy of Béarn was reunited to the French crown, whereas Lower Navarre was in 1607.
References[]
- Pierre Tucoo-Chala (2000), Princi Negue-Librairie des Pyrénées & de Gascogne (ed.), Petite histoire du Béarn (in French), Pau, ISBN 2846180644
External links[]
- "L'historie du Béarn" (in French). Retrieved 12 May 2017.
See also[]
- Viscounts of Béarn
- Béarn