Roger IV (died 24 February 1265), son and successor of
Roger-Bernard II the Great, was the eighth
count of Foix
The Count of Foix ruled the independent County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their cour ...
from 1241 to his death. His reign began with the south again at war with the north in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and, though he was reluctant to join his father's old ally,
Raymond VII of Toulouse, in revolt and he did not aid the
king of England,
Henry III, in his
Saintonge War.
Roger IV was a vassal of both the
count of Toulouse (for his
county of Foix) and the
king of France (for his
Carcassonne lands), then
Louis IX. His loyalty to the king, however, took precedence and war broke out with Raymond VII (October 1242). Although Raymond was forced to submit to the king on 30 November, the war with Roger continued until January 1243, when the king ended it. The count of Foix was now solely a vassal of the king and Raymond spent the rest of his life (until 1249) trying to retrieve Roger's homage, to no avail.
Like his father, Roger IV had troubles with the church and the
bishop of Urgel
The Diocese of Urgell is a diocese in Catalonia (Spain) and Andorra in the historical County of Urgell, in particular and, in 1257, he successfully released the viscounty of
Castelbon from the bishop's jurisdiction. In February 1245, he gave many freedoms to his subjects and he signed ''
paréages'' with the abbots of
Mas-d'Azil (1246),
Boulbonne (1253), and
Combelongue (1255). In 1251, he built the church at Boulbonne, transferred his ancestors' remains there, and defended it against the exactions of numerous enemies. He persecuted
Catharism, the heresy of his mother, Ermesinda of Castlebon, in order not to be at odds with the
Inquisition. He died on 24 February 1265 and was interred in Boulbonne next to his father.
Marriage and children
Roger married Brunissenda of
Cardona, a daughter of
Ramon VIII, Viscount of Cardona. They had six children:
*
Roger-Bernard III of Foix (died 1302).
*Peter of Foix.
*Sybille of Foix. Married
Aimery IV, Viscount of Narbonne.
*Ines of Foix. Married
Eschivat III, Count of Bigorre
*Philippa of Foix. Married
Arnauld, Count of Pailhars.
*
Esclaramunda of Foix. Married
James II of Majorca.
References
Sources
*
*
External links
*
Histoire des comtes de Foix
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roger 04 Of Foix
1265 deaths
House of Foix
Counts of Foix
Occitan nobility
Year of birth unknown