The viscounts 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 B ...

(

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

: ''Bearno'', Gascon: ''Bearn'' or ''Biarn'') were the rulers of the

viscounty of Béarn The Viscounty, later Principality of Béarn ( oc, Bearn, label= Gascon or ) was a medieval lordship in the far south of France, part of the Duchy of Gascony from the late ninth century. In 1347, the viscount declared Béarn an independent princip ...

, located in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three

provinces of

Soule Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arron ...

Lower Navarre Lower Navarre ( eu, Nafarroa Beherea/Baxenabarre; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; french: Basse-Navarre ; es, Baja Navarra) is a traditional region of the present-day French ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the ...

, and

Labourd Labourd ( eu, Lapurdi; la, Lapurdum; Gascon: ''Labord'') is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques ''département''. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial c ...

, as well as small parts of

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

, it forms the current ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

'' of

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...

(64). Béarn is bordered by Basque provinces

and

to the west, by Gascony (

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word ''l ...

and

Armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...

) to the north, by

Bigorre Bigorre ({{IPA-fr, biɡɔʁ; Gascon: ''Bigòrra'') is a region in southwest France, historically an independent county and later a French province, located in the upper watershed of the Adour, on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, part of th ...

to the east, and by Spain (

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to s ...

) to the south.

List of Viscounts of Béarn

House of Gascony

Until 1251, probably all counts of Gascony descended from the House Gascony, head of the Duchy of Gascony.

House of Montcada

* 1170–1173 : 16th

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

(married to Mary) * 1173–1215 : 17th Gaston VI the Good (son) * 1215–1223 : 18th William Raymond (brother of previous) * 1223–1229 : 19th William II (son) * 1229–1290 : 20th Gaston VII the Great (son) * 1290–1319 : 21st

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...

(daughter of, married Roger-Bernard III of Foix)

House of Foix

Béarn line

* 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 (son of, also count of Foix) * 1391–1398 : 25th

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

(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) * 1398–1428 : 26th

Isabelle Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of ''Elizabeth (given name), Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba, Elisheva''), Arising in ...

(sister of, also countess of Foix and viscountess of Castelbon, married

Archambaud of Grailly Archambaud de Grailly (1330 – 1412) was Viscount of Castillon and Gruson from 1356 until his death, and from 1369 Count of Bénauges and Captal de Buch. He was the younger son of Peter II of Grailly and his wife, Rosamburge of Périgo ...

)

Grailly line

* 1412–1436 : 27th

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * 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 Eleanor of Navarre ( eu, Leonor and es, Leonor) (2 February 1426 – 12 February 1479), was a Navarrese princess and monarch. She served as the regent of Navarre from 1455 to 1479, during the absence of her father, and then briefly as the qu ...

, queen of Navarre) (References to "Gaston of Bearn" in history texts often refer to him) * 1479–1483 : 29th

Francis Phoebus Francis Phoebus ( eu, Frantzisko Febus, french: François Fébus, oc, Francés Fèbus, es, Francisco Febo; 4 December 1467 – 7 January 1483) was King of Navarre (1479–1483), Viscount of Bearn, and Count of Foix (1472). He was the son of G ...

(son of Gaston of Foix, prince of Viane, also king of Navarre, count of Bigorre, count of Foix)) * 1483–1517 : 30th

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

(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 Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia fro ...

conquered the better part of the

kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre (; , , , ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona (), was a Basque kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, alongside the Atlantic Ocean between present-day Spain and France. The medieval state took ...

, leaving the kingdom with only the small section it held north of the Pyrenees.''

House of Albret

* 1517–1555 : 31st

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the N ...

(son of, also king of Navarre, count of Foix, duke of Albret, count of Bigorre) * 1555–1572 : 32nd

Joan Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *: Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multip ...

(daughter of, queen of Navarre, countess of Foix, duchess of Albret, countess of Bigorre, married Anthony of Bourbon)

House of Bourbon

* 1572–1607 : 33rd Henry II (son of, also

king of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the fir ...

, king of Navarre, duke of Bourbon, duke of Vendôme, count of Bigorre, count of Foix) ''In 1620 the

viscountcy of Béarn A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a Title#Aristocratic titles, title used in certain European countries for a nobility, noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-he ...

was reunited to the French crown, whereas

was in 1607.''