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 Béarn

?-866 : 1st Centule I
866–905 : 2nd Loup Centule (son)
905–940 : 3rd Centule II (son)
940–984 : 4th Gaston I (son)
984–1004 : 5th Centule III (son)
1004–1012 : 6th Gaston II (son)
1012–1058 : 7th Centule IV (son)
- until 1045 : 8th Gaston III (son)
1058–1090 : 9th Centule V (son)
1090–1131 : 10th Gaston IV – the Crusader (son)
1131–1134 : 11th Centule VI (son)
1134–1154 : 12th Guiscarda (daughter, married Peter I Roger of Gabarret)

House of Gabarret

1134–1153 : 13th Peter II (son)
1153–1170 : 14th Gaston V (son)
1170–1171 : 15th Mary (sister, who married Guillem I of Montcada)

Probably legendary

1171–1171 : Theobald of Béarn (from Bigorre)
1171–1173 : Sentonge (from Auvergne)

House of Montcada

1170–1173 : 16th William I (married to Mary)
1173–1215 : 17th Gaston VI (son)
1215–1223 : 18th William Raymond (brother of previous)
1223–1229 : 19th William II (son)
1229–1290 : 20th Gaston VII (son)
1290–1319 : 21st Margaret (daughter of, married Roger-Bernard III of Foix)

House of Foix-Béarn

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 [or Fébus] of Foix-Béarn (son of, also count of Foix)
1391–1398 : 25th Matthew (son of Roger Bernard II, viscount of Castelbon, who was son of Roger Bernard I, viscount of Castelbon, who was younger brother of Gaston II of Foix-Béarn, also count of Foix and viscount of Castelbon)
1398–1412 : 26th Isabelle (sister of, also countess of Foix) and viscountess of Castelbon, married Archambaud of Grailly)

House of Foix-Grailly

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

Main article: House of Albret and Albret

1517–1555 : 31st Henri I (son of, also king of Navarre, count of Foix, duke of Albret, count of Bigorre)
1555–1572 : 32nd Jeanne (daughter of, queen of Navarre, countess of Foix, duchess of Albret, countess of Bigorre, married Anthony of Bourbon)

House of Bourbon

1572–1607 : 33rd Henri 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.