Centule III, Count of Bigorre

Centule III (died 1185) was the Count of Bigorre from 1163 until his death. He was the eldest son of Beatrice III and Peter I and succeeded his mother in Bigorre on her death.

In 1170 he became a vassal of Alfonso II of Aragon in return for receiving the Val d'Aran in full. Under his watch the communal movement began to sweep Bigorre, but he avoided violent confrontations by granting the towns of his realm charters. The first charter was granted to Bagnères in 1171.

In 1155 he married Matelle, the widow of Peter of Béarn, and left one daughter, Stephanie, who passed Bigorre and the Viscounty of Marsan, which Centule had inherited from his father, to firstly Peter II of Dax and then Bernard IV of Comminges.

Sources

• Bisson, T. N. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986. ISBN 0-19-821987-3. For Centule, see p. 37.