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.
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 Gascon dynasty, probably descended from Lupus II of Gascony, 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

House of Gascony

Until 1251, probably all counts of Bigorre descended from the Ducal House of Gascony.
RulerDatesGascon lineNotes
Donatus Lupus I840-?Bigorre lineDonat descended agnatically from Lupo III Centule of Gascony.
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 lineDaughter of the predecessor, married Bernard, who descended agnatically from Aznar Sánchez of Gascony.
Bernard I Roger1030-1034Foix lineDaughter of the predecessor, married Bernard, who descended agnatically from Aznar Sánchez of Gascony.
Bernard II1038-1077Foix lineSon of the predecessors.
Raymond II1077-1080Foix lineSon of the predecessor.
Beatrice I1080-1095Foix lineSister of the predecessor, married Centule, who descended agnatically from Lupo III Centule of Gascony.
Centule I the Young1080-1090Béarn lineSister of the predecessor, married Centule, who descended agnatically from Lupo III Centule of Gascony.
Bernard III1095-1113Béarn lineSon of the predecessors.
Centule II1113-1130Béarn lineSon of the predecessor.
Beatrice II1130-1156Béarn lineDaughter of the predecessor, married Peter, who descended agnatically from Sancho IV Garcés of Gascony.
Peter I1130-1156Marsan lineDaughter of the predecessor, married Peter, who descended agnatically from Sancho IV Garcés of Gascony.
Centule III1156-1178Marsan lineSon of the predecessors.
Stephanie-Beatrice III1178-1194Marsan lineDaughter of the predecessor, married Bernard, who descended agnatically from Aznar Sánchez of Gascony. They were separated in 1192
Bernard IV of Comminges1180-1192Comminges lineDaughter of the predecessor, married Bernard, who descended agnatically from Aznar Sánchez of Gascony. They were separated in 1192
Petronilla1194-1251Comminges lineDaughter 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

  • 1256 - 1283 Esquivat
  • 1283 - 1302 Laura
    • 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.