Count of Barcelona

During this period, the County of Barcelona was one of many Counties at the March located in the Eastern Pyrenees and known as Gothia or Marca Hispanica. The Counts of this March were appointed by the Carolingian authorities.

The crisis of the Carolingian Empire, incapable of attending to the requests for help against the Moorish attacks coming from the Catalan counts, resulted in a disconnection between them and the Carolingian central power far North. The County of Barcelona became a hereditary title.

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriage(s)	Death
Wilfred I the Hairy 878 –897		c.840 Girona Disputed filiation	Guinidilda 877 10 children	897 Tremp aged 46–47
Wilfred II Borrell I 897 –26 April 911		c.874 Girona First son of Wilfred I and Guinidilda	Garsenda 898 1 child	26 April 911 Barcelona aged 36–37
Sunyer 26 April 911 –947		c.890 Girona Sixth son of Wilfred I and Guinidilda	Aimilda 914 1 child Richilde 925 5 children	15 October 950 Lagrasse aged 59–60
Miro I 947 –966		c.926 Barcelona Second son of Sunyer and Richilde	Unmarried	966 aged 39–40
Borrell II 947 –992 (joint rule 947-966)		c.927 Barcelona Third son of Sunyer and Richilde	Luitgarde 968 5 children	992 aged 64–65
Ramon Borrell 988 –8 September 1017 (joint rule 988–992)		26 May 972 Girona Son of Borrell II and Luitgarde	Ermesinde of Carcassonne 993 2 children	8 September 1017 Barcelona aged 45
Ermesinde of Carcassonne 993–1021 1035–1039 (joint rule 993–1017); (regent 1017–1021, 1035–1039)		972 Carcassonne Daughter of Roger I of Carcassonne and Adelaide of Melgueil	Ramon I Borrell III 993 2 children	1 March 1058 Sant Quirze de Besora aged 85–86
Berenguer Ramon I the Crooked 8 September 1017 –31 March 1035 (under regency of Ermesinde of Carcassonne 1017–1021)		1004 Son of Ramon Borrell and Ermesinde of Carcassonne	Sancha of Castile 1021 2 children Guisla of Lluçá 1027 3 children	31 March 1035 Barcelona aged 30–31
Ramon Berenguer I the Old 31 March 1035 –26 June 1076 (under regency of Ermesinde of Carcassonne 1035–1039)		1023 Girona Son of Berenguer Ramon I and Sancha of Castile	Élisabeth de Nîmes 1039 3 children Blanche de Narbonne 16 March 1051 (annulled 1052) no children Almodis de La Marche 1056 Barcelona (together since 1052) 4 children	26 June 1076 Barcelona aged 52–53
Almodis de La Marche 1052 –16 October 1071 (joint rule)		c.1020 Toulouse Daughter of Bernard I de La Marche and Amélie de Rasès	Hugh V of Lusignan 1038 (annulled c.1040) 3 children Pons, Count of Toulouse 1040 or 1045 (annulled 1052) 4 children Ramon Berenguer I 1056 Barcelona (together since 1052) 4 children	16 October 1071 Barcelona aged 50–51
Ramon Berenguer II the Towhead 26 June 1076 –6 December 1082		c.1053 Girona First/Second son of Ramon Berenguer I and Almodis de La Marche	Mafalda of Apulia-Calabria 1078 Barcelona 3 children	6 December 1082 Sant Feliu de Buixalleu aged 28–29
Berenguer Ramon II the Fratricide 26 June 1076 –1097 (joint rule 1076–1082)		c.1053 First/Second son of Ramon Berenguer I and Almodis de La Marche	Unmarried	1097 Jerusalem aged 43–44
Ramon Berenguer III the Great 6 December 1082 –19 July 1131 (joint rule 1082–1097)		11 November 1082 Rodez Son of Ramon Berenguer II and Mafalda of Apulia-Calabria	María Díaz de Vívar 1103 2 children Almodis de Mortain 1106 no children Douce I, Countess of Provence 3 February 1112 Arles 7 children	19 July 1131 Barcelona aged 48
Ramon Berenguer IV the Saint 19 July 1131 –6 August 1162		c.1113 Barcelona or Rodez Son of Ramon Berenguer III and Douce I, Countess of Provence	Petronilla of Aragon August 1150 Lleida 5 children	6 August 1162 Borgo San Dalmazzo aged 48–49

Tomb of Count Ramon Berenger I (d. 1076).

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriage(s)	Death
Petronilla 6 August 1162 – 18 July 1164		29 June 1136 Huesca daughter of Ramiro II of Aragon and Agnes of Aquitaine	Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona August 1150 Lleida 5 children	15 October 1173 Barcelona aged 37

The succession of Ramon Berenguer IV and Petronilla led to the creation of the Crown of Aragon.

Martin died without legitimate descendants (interregnum 31 May 1410 – 24 June 1412). By the Compromise of Caspe of 1412 the County of Barcelona and the rest of the dominions of the Crown of Aragon passed to a branch of the House of Trastamara.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Ferdinand I the Honest		3 September 1412 – 2 April 1416	He was the nephew of Martin I and the first Count of Barcelona of the House of Trastámara.
Alphonse IV the Magnanimous		2 April 1416 – 27 June 1458	He was the son of Ferdinand I.
John II the Faithless or the Just		27 June 1458 – 1462	He was the brother of Alphonse IV. The Catalans confronted him during the Catalan Civil War and in 1462 transferred the title of count to another Trastamara House pretender|-

During the Catalan Civil War the Catalan authorities transferred the title of Count of Barcelona to a succession of 3 foreign sovereigns.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Henry I the Impotent		1462 - 1463	He was the Ferdinand I grandson and thus also from the Trastámara House.
Peter IV of Portugal		1463 – 1466	He was the greatgrandson of Peter III.
René I		1466 – 1472	He was the grandson of John the Hunter. He was also the Count of Provence.-

After the Catalan Civil War, the House of Trastamara was restituted as tenants of the Count of Barcelona title and thus sovereigns of the Principality of Catalonia.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
John II the Faithless or the Just		1472 – 20 January 1479	He was the brother of Alphonse IV. The Catalans confronted him during the Catalan Civil War and afterward reinstated him as Count of Barcelona.
Ferdinand II		20 January 1479 – 23 January 1516	He was the son of John II.
Joanna		23 January 1516 – 12 April 1555	She was the daughter of Ferdinand II. Her rule was nominal as it was her son Charles who was co-ruler.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Philip III		1641 – 17 September 1665	He was the son of Philip II. He was reinstated as Count of Barcelona.
Charles II		17 September 1665 – 1 November 1700	He was the son of Philip III.

In 1697 the Duke of Vendôme briefly re-conquers the Catalan capital city of Barcelona, and Louis XIV of France was reinstated as Count of Barcelona for some months. On January 9, 1698, Catalonia is returned to Charles II after signing the Treaty of Rijswijk.

Charles II's testament in favor of Philip of Anjou destabilized Western Europe because it meant too much power for the Kingdom of France. The rest of the European powers tried to impose another pretender to the Crown of Spain: the Archduke Charles of Austria. The Catalans were caught in the middle of this major conflict: the Spanish Succession War. They initially supported Philip of Anjou but afterward shifted their allegiance towards Archduke Charles, who was committed to maintaining the composite monarchy system and thus respected the Catalan Constitutions.

The first page of the Catalan Constitutions granted by Philip IV, Count of Barcelona in 1704

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Philip IV		1700 – 1705	He was the great grandson of Philip III.
Charles III		1705 – 1714	He was the son of Philip III.

In 1714, Catalan lost their war (within the Spanish war of Succession conflict) against the remaining sole pretender to the Crown of Spain: Philip of Anjou. Through the Nueva Planta decrees, the new king Philip V abolished the Catalan Constitutions and dissolved the Crown of Aragon. The Principality of Catalonia became another province of the Crown of Castille, and thus the title of Count of Barcelona was emptied of real political significance and power. Since then, the numbering of the Counts of Barcelona follows that of the Crown of Castille. That is the reason why Philip of Anjou was called by the Catalan Authorities 'Felip IV' in 1702 but called himself 'Felipe V' when he sized the title of Count of Barcelona in 1714, after winning the war against the Catalans.

The first page of the Catalan Constitutions mentioning Philip V of Spain as 'Felip IV' Count of Barcelona

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Philip V		1714 – 15 January 1724	He was the great grandson of Philip III, previously referred as Philip IV.
Louis I		15 January 1724 – 31 August 1724	He was the son of Philip V of Spain.
Philip V (second reign)		6 September 1724 – 9 July 1746	Previously referred as Philip IV.
Ferdinand VI		9 July 1746 – 10 August 1759	Son of Philip V.
Charles III		10 August 1759 – 14 December 1788	Son of Philip V.
Charles IV		14 December 1788 – 19 March 1808	Son of Charles III.
Ferdinand VII		19 March 1808 – 6 May 1808	Son of Charles IV. He and his father renounced their sovereignties and trespassed them to Napoleon Bonaparte.

In 1808 Charles IV and his son Ferdinand resign from their Crown of Spain titles and transfer them to Emperor Napoleon, who kept for himself the title of Count of Barcelona. By 1812, once he had full military control over the Principality of Catalonia, he separated it from the Crown of Spain and annexed it to the French Empire.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Napoleon I, Emperor		1808–1813	Napoleon annexed Catalonia to the French Empire as 4 new departments.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Ferdinand VII (restored)		4 May 1814 – 29 September 1833	Son of Charles IV. He and his father renounced their sovereignties and trespassed them to Napoleon Bonaparte.
Isabella II		29 September 1833 – 30 September 1868	Daughter of Ferdinand VII.

Isabella of Spain was deposed by a liberal revolution and went into exile.

During Isabella's reign the last coinage from the Principality of Catalonia was minted

After a brief Republican period, the Spanish government offered the kingship and its accessory titles (including that of 'Count of Barcelona') to Amadeo Duke of Aosta and son of the king of Italy Victor Emmanuel II.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Amadeo I		16 November 1870 – 11 February 1873	After a brief kingship Amadeo abdicated.

A pronunciamiento deposed the Republican government that followed the abdication of Amadeo I and restored the Bourbons as kings of Spain.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Alfonso XII		29 December 1874 – 25 November 1885	Son of Isabella II.
Alfonso XIII		17 May 1886 – 14 April 1931	Son of Alfonso XII.

In the 12 April 1931 municipal elections, the Republicans short of winning a majority of councilors overall, won a sweeping majority in major cities. These elections were perceived as a plebiscite on the monarchy, and the king left the country and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931.

During the 2nd Spanish Republic and Francoist Dictatorship the Bourbons remained in exile and retained their dynastic titles, including 'Count of Barcelona'.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Alfonso XIII (in exile)		14 April 1931 – 28 February 1941	The deposed and exiled king kept the Crown of Spain and its associated titles.
Juan (claimant in exile)		15 January 1941 – 22 November 1975	Son of Alfonso XIII. To assert his claim to the throne, after his father's death, he used the title of Count of Barcelona.

Although on 26 July 1947, Spain was declared a kingdom, no monarch was designated until 1969, when Franco established Juan Carlos of Bourbon as his official heir. With the death of Franco on 20 November 1975, Juan Carlos became the King of Spain.

Name	Portrait	Reign	Notes
Juan Carlos I		22 November 1975 – 1977	Grandson of Alfonso XIII.
Juan		1977 – 1993	In 1977 his son Juan Carlos I officially granted him the title of Count of Barcelona as a courtesy in exchange for renouncing his claim to the Spanish throne.
Juan Carlos I		1993 – 19 June 2014	Recovered the title of Count of Barcelona after his father's death. He abdicated in favor of his son Felipe.
Felipe VI		19 June 2014 – Present	Current King of Spain and Count of Barcelona (amongst other titles).