County of Ribagorza

The County of Ribagorza or Ribagorça (Catalan: Comtat de Ribagorça, Aragonese: Condato de Ribagorza, Latin: Comitatus Ripacurtiae) was originally the independent creation of a local Basque dynasty, later absorbed into the Kingdom of Navarre, and then into the Crown of Aragon. Historically it had a strong connection with the counties of Sobrarbe and Pallars. Its territory consisted of the valleys of the rivers Ésera, Isábena, and Noguera Ribagorzana. The seat of its counts was at Benabarre. Other notable towns include Benasque, Graus and Pont de Suert. Today the western portion of the county roughly corresponds to the Aragonese comarca of Ribagorza, with its administrative centre in Graus; the eastern portion roughly corresponds to the Catalan comarca of Alta Ribagorça.

The first history of the region was written in the early fifteenth century and preserved in a fragmentum historicum ex cartulario Alaonis (historical fragment from a cartulary of Alaon).

List of counts

• Raymond I (872–920), son of Lupe, Count of Bigorre
• Bernard I Humfred (I) (920 – 950/955), son of Raymond I, jointly with brother Miro
• Miro (920–?), son of Raymond I, jointly with brother Bernard I
• Raymond II (950/955 – 970), son of Bernard I
• Humfred (II) (970–979), son of Raymond II
• Arnold (979–990), son of Raymond II
• Isarn (990–1003), son of Raymond II
• Tota (1003–1010), daughter of Raymond II
• Partitioned following intervention by Sancho García of Castile
  • William Isarn (1010–1018), illegitimate son of Isarn
  • Mayor García of Castile (1010–1025), sister of Sancho García and granddaughter of Raymond II, until 1019/20 jointly with her husband
  • Raymond III of Pallars, (1010–1025), descendant of Raymond I, husband of Mayor García, co-claimant until their 1019/20 divorce, then counterclaimant
• Sancho III of Pamplona (1018–1035), ruler first of William Isarn's portion, then of entire county by conquest and submission, he married Mayor Sánchez of Castile, niece and eventual heiress of Mayor García and descendant of Raymond II
• Gonzalo (1035–1045), son of Sancho III, ruled as regulus (petty king) or rex (king)
• Absorbed into the territories of his brother Ramiro I of Aragon on Gonzalo's death, on occasion created as an appanage.
  • Sancho Ramírez, illegitimate son of Ramiro I and half-brother of king Sancho Ramírez.
  • Peter I of Aragon and Navarre appeared as King of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe during the reign of his father, king Sancho Ramírez.
  • Peter (1322–1381), a younger son of James II of Aragon.
  • Alfonso of Aragon and Foix (1381–1412), son of Peter
  • Alfonso of Aragon and Eiximenis (1412–1425), son of Alfonso, following his death the county reverted to the crown of Aragon
  • Alfonso (1469–1485), illegitimate son of John II of Aragon
  • John (1485–1512), illegitimate son of predecessor Alfonso
  • Alfonso (1512–1533), son of John
  • Martin (1533–1565 and 1573–1581), son of Alfonso
  • John Alfonso (1565–1573), son of Martin
  • Ferdinand (1581–1592), son of Martin
  • Francis (1592–1598), son of Martin

See also

• Ribagorçan dialect

References

• Iglesias Costa, Manuel (2001). Historia del Condado de Ribagorza (PDF) (in Spanish). Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses. Diputación de Huesca. ISBN 84-8127-121-7.
• Lewis, Archibald Ross. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.