Álvaro (1239 in
Burgos – 1268 in
Foix), called ''Àlvar el Castellà'' ("the Castilian") in
Catalan, was the
Count of Urgell and
Viscount of Àger
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
from 1243. He was the son of Ponç I and succeeded his brother
Ermengol IX within a year of their father's death.
Upon inheriting the county of Urgell, he exchanged his birth name, Rodrigo, for Álvaro and married Constance of Montcada, a relative of the ruling family of
Béarn
The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Bas ...
, at the order of
James I of Aragon in 1253. However, he detested this marriage and had it annulled, marrying Cecilia of Foix, daughter of
Roger-Bernard II of Foix, in 1256. This was to be the source of great enmity and conflict between the houses of Béarn and Foix. The
House of Barcelona supported the Bearnese.
In 1259, Álvaro breached his
feudal obligations to the king of Aragon and brought down the royal wrath on his principality: the
seneschal
The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
Pere de Montcada invaded and occupied
Ponts Ponts may refer to:
* Ponts, Lleida, a municipality in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.
* Ponts, Manche, a commune in the Manche department in the Lower Normandy region in France.
*Ponts-et-Marais
Ponts-et-Marais () is a commune in the Se ...
. In 1267, the king of Aragon intervened again, this time in the legal dispute between Álvaro's two wives. Álvaro was forced to flee with his wife Cecilia of Foix, leaving Urgell in the hands of his son
Ermengol X
Ermengol X (1254–1314) was the Count of Urgel and Viscount of Àger from 1268 to 1314. He was the son of Álvaro of Urgell and his second wife, Cecilia, daughter of Roger-Bernard II of Foix.
Ermengol inherited Urgel at the age of fourteen upon t ...
.
References
External links
Double Tomb of Don Àlvar Rodrigo de Cabrera, Count of Urgell and His Wife Cecília of Foix - Metropolitan Museum of Art
See also
*
County of Urgell
External links
The Cloisters - Collection Database
1239 births
1268 deaths
Counts of Urgell
13th-century Catalan people
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