Viscounts of Béarn

Theviscounts ofBéarn(Basque:Bearno,Gascon:BearnorBiarn) were the rulers of theviscounty of Béarn,located in thePyreneesmountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the threeBasqueprovinces ofSoule,Lower Navarre,andLabourd,as well as small parts ofGascony,it forms the currentdépartementofPyrénées-Atlantiques(64).

Béarn is bordered by Basque provincesSouleandLower Navarreto the west, by Gascony (LandesandArmagnac) to the north, byBigorreto the east, and by Spain (Aragon) to the south.

List of Viscounts of Béarn

Until 1251, probably all counts of Gascony descended from the House Gascony, head of the Duchy of Gascony.

Ruler	Dates	Gascon line	Notes
Centule I	?-866	Béarn line	Centule descended agnatically fromLupo III Centule of Gascony.
Loup Centule	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 fromSancho IV Garcés of Gascony.
Peter I Roger	1134-1140?	Gabarretline
Peter II	1147-1154	Gabarretline	Son of the predecessors
Gaston V	1154-1170	Gabarretline	Son of the predecessor
Mary	1170-1171	Gabarretline	Sister of the predecessor, married the CatalanGuilhem de Montcada.During their joint rule, other rulers appeared contesting their rule, or were merely legendary: 1171–1171:Theobald of Béarn(from Bigorre) 1171–1173:Sentonge(from Auvergne)

1302–1315:Gaston VIII(son of, also count of Foix)
1315–1343:Gaston IX(son of, also count of Foix)
1343–1391:Gaston X Phoebus(son of, also count of Foix)
1391–1398:Matthew(son ofRoger Bernard II, viscount of Castelbon,who was son ofRoger Bernard I, viscount of Castelbon,who was younger brother ofGaston II of Foix-Béarn,also count of Foix and viscount of Castelbon)
1398–1428:Isabelle(sister of, also countess of Foix and viscountess of Castelbon, marriedArchambaud of Grailly)

1412–1436:John I(son of, also count of Foix, viscount of Villemur and count of Bigorre)
1436–1472:Gaston XI(son of, also count of Foix, viscount of Nébouzan and count of Bigorre, marriedEleanor of Navarre,queen of Navarre) (References to "Gaston of Bearn" in history texts often refer to him)
1479–1483:Francis Phoebus(son ofGaston of Foix, prince of Viane,also king of Navarre, count of Bigorre, count of Foix))
1483–1517:Catherine(sister of, also queen of Navarre, countess of Bigorre, countess of Foix), marriedJohn of Albret, king of Navarre

In 1512Ferdinand II of Aragonconquered the better part of thekingdom of Navarre,leaving the kingdom with only the small section it held north of the Pyrenees.

1517–1555:Henry I(son of, also king of Navarre, count of Foix, duke of Albret, count of Bigorre)
1555–1572:Joan(daughter of, queen of Navarre, countess of Foix, duchess of Albret, countess of Bigorre, marriedAnthony of Bourbon)

1572–1607:Henry II(son of, alsoking of France,king of Navarre, duke of Bourbon, duke of Vendôme, count of Bigorre, count of Foix)

In 1620 theviscountcy of Béarnwas reunited to the French crown, whereasLower Navarrewas in 1607.

Pierre Tucoo-Chala (2000), Princi Negue-Librairie des Pyrénées & de Gascogne (ed.),Petite histoire du Béarn(in French), Pau,ISBN 2846180644