County of Bigorre

The County of Bigorre was a small feudatory of the Duchy of Gascony in the ninth through 15th centuries. Its capital was Tarbes.

Coat of arms of the county of Bigorre

The county was constituted out of the dowry of Faquilène, an Aquitainian princess, for her husband Donatus Lupus I, the son of Lupus III of Gascony. The original Bigorre was considerable in size, but successive generations, following on Gascon traditions, gave out portions as appanages to younger sons. The county lost Lavedan, Aster, Aure, and Montaner in the first two generations.

The original dynasty died out in Bigorre in the 11th century, the county passing to the House of Foix and then that of Béarn. In the 12th century, it went to the house of Marsan and then of Comminges and in the thirteenth to that of Montfort. It was briefly in the hands of the Armagnacs and passed between English and French suzerainty during the Hundred Years' War before finally being recovered by the French. In the 15th century, it fell to the House of Foix again and thence to the crown in an exchange of properties.

List of counts of Bigorre
RulerDatesGascon lineNotes
Donatus Lupus I840-?Bigorre line
Lupus I?-910Bigorre lineSon of the predecessor.
Donatus Lupus II910-930Bigorre lineSon of the predecessor.
Raymond I Donatus930-?Bigorre lineSon of the predecessor.
Arnold?-980Bigorre lineSon of the predecessor.
García Lupus980-1030Bigorre lineSon of the predecessor.
Gersenda1030-1038Bigorre line Daughter of the predecessor, married Bernard Roger of Foix.
Bernard I Roger1030-1034Foix line
Bernard II1038-1077Foix lineSon of the predecessors.
Raymond II1077-1080Foix lineSon of the predecessor.
Beatrice I1080-1095Foix line Sister of the predecessor, married Centule of Béarn.
Centule I the Young1080-1090Béarn line
Bernard III1095-1113Béarn lineSon of the predecessors.
Centule II1113-1130Béarn lineSon of the predecessor.
Beatrice II 1130-1156Béarn line Daughter of the predecessor, married Peter of Marsan.
Peter IMarsan line
Centule III1156-1178Marsan lineSon of the predecessors.
Stephanie-Beatrice III1178-1194Marsan line Daughter of the predecessor, married Bernard of Comminges. They were separated in 1192
Bernard IV of Comminges1180-1192Comminges line
Petronilla1194-1251Comminges line Daughter of the predecessors, in her long countship she married various nobles:

House of Montfort
  • 1251 – 1256 Alice with her second husband
    • 1251-1256 Raoul of Courtenay

House of Chabanais

After this point the succession became disputed and whether the county owes allegiance to England or France was also fought over. In 1360, the Treaty of Brétigny made it decisively French. In 1407, it belonged to Bernard VII of Armagnac, who sold it that year to John I, Count of Foix. From then on it is a subsidiary title of the counts of Foix.

References
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