The County of Ribagorza or Ribagorça (; ; ) was a medieval county on the southern side of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

, including the northeast of modern

Aragón Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) 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 south): Huesca, Zaragoza, a ...

and part of the northwest of modern

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, both in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It was originally the independent creation of a local dynasty, later absorbed into the

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...

and then into the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...

. It had a strong historical connection with the neighboring counties of

Sobrarbe Sobrarbe is a comarca of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the north of Huesca province, making up part of the autonomous community of Aragon. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as ''fabla''. Sobrarbe is a mountainous ...

(to the west) and

Pallars Pallars is a historical region, historical and natural region of Catalonia. Located in the Pre-Pyrenees and Pyrenees area, most of its territory is mountainous. The Noguera Pallaresa river is named after this region. Geography The physiography o ...

(to the east). Its territory consisted of the valleys of the rivers

Ésera The Ésera () is a tributary of the Cinca in the High Aragon. It is part of the valley of the Ebro and its drainage basin. Its etymology is Celtic and it is cognate with several European rivers: Isar, Jizera, Isère, Isel, IJssel, and Eisack ...

Isábena Isábena (), in (), or in , is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 278 inhabitants. The town is situated at the foot of the rocky Morrón de ...

, and

Noguera Ribagorzana Noguera may refer to: * Noguera (comarca) is one of the Comarques of Catalonia (Spain) * Noguera (surname), a surname * Noguera Pallaresa and Noguera Ribagorçana are rivers tributary to the river Segre, in Catalonia Catalonia is an auto ...

. The seat of its counts was at

Benabarre Benabarre (), in Ribagorçan dialect, Ribagorçan and Aragonese dialect, Aragonese: Benavarri () is a town and municipality in the Aragonese Comarcas of Aragon, comarca of Ribagorza (comarca), Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain. Benabarr ...

. Other notable towns include

Benasque Benasque (; in Benasquese dialect: ''Benás''; ) () is a town in the comarca of Ribagorza, province of Huesca, (Spain). It is the main town in the Benasque Valley, located in the heart of the Pyrenees and surrounded by the highest peaks in tha ...

Graus Graus () is a village in the Spanish province of Huesca, located in the Pyrenees at the confluence of rivers Esera and Isabena. It is the administrative capital of the region. It is one of the areas of Aragon in which is still preserved the Ara ...

and

Pont de Suert El Pont de Suert (, Ribagorçan: ''Lo Pont de Suert'') is a town and municipality in Catalonia. It is the capital of Alta Ribagorça county in the Alt Pirineu region. It is located at 838 metres above sea level, on the banks of river Noguera Riba ...

. Today the western portion of the county roughly corresponds to the Aragonese ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

'' of Ribagorza, with its administrative centre in

; the eastern portion roughly corresponds to the Catalan ''comarca'' of

Alta Ribagorça Alta Ribagorça () is a comarca in the Alt Pirineu region, in Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is El Pont de Suert. The highest peak is the Comaloformo (3030 metres above sea level) in the massif of Bessiberri. Northeast of the region is the west ...

. The first history of the region was written in the early fifteenth century and preserved in a ''

fragmentum historicum ex cartulario Alaonis The ''Fragmentum historicum ex cartulario Alaonis'' ("historical fragment from the cartulary of Alaón"), also called the ''Crónica de Alaón renovada'' ("revised chronicle of Alaón"), is a short, anonymous chronicle of the County of Ribagorza. A ...

'' (historical fragment from a cartulary of Alaon), though a genealogy of the ruling dynasty of counts perhaps dating from the early 11th century appears in the ''

Códice de Roda The ''Códice de Roda'' or ''Códice de Meyá'' (Roda or Meyá codex) is a medieval manuscript that represents a unique primary source for details of the 9th- and early 10th-century Kingdom of Navarre and neighbouring principalities. It is current ...

''.

List of counts

* Raymond I of Pallars and Ribagorza (872–920), son of Lupe,

count of Bigorre The County of Bigorre was a small feudatory of the Duchy of Gascony in the 9th through 15th centuries. Its capital was Tarbes. The county was constituted out of the dowry of Faquilène, an Aquitainian princess, for her husband Donatus Lupus I, ...

. After his death his lands were divided among his four sons, two ruling jointly in Pallars, two in Ribagorza * Miro (920–?), son of Raymond I, jointly with brother Bernard I * Bernard I Humfred (I) (920 – 950/955), son of Raymond I, jointly with brother Miro. Through his marriage to Toda Galíndez of Aragon he and his successors were (sometimes only nominally) also counts of

. * 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 The name Sancho () is an Iberian name of Basque origin (Santxo, Santzo, Santso, Antzo, Sans). Sancho stems from the Latin name Sanctius. Feminine forms of the name are Sancha, Sancia, and Sanchia (), and the common patronymic is Sánchez and ...

'' **

William Isarn William Isarn (''Guillermo Isárnez'') was the Count of Ribagorza from 1010 until his death in 1017 or 1018. He was a young man when he became party to a power-sharing agreement between his cousin and her husband, sponsored by the Count of Castile ...

(1010–1018), illegitimate son of Isarn ** Mayor García (1010–1025), granddaughter of Raymond II and sister of Sancho García of Castile, until 1019/20 she claimed the county jointly with her husband ** Raymond III of Pallars, (1010–1025), distant cousin (both descended from Raymond I) and husband of Mayor García, he was co-claimant until their 1019/20 divorce, then counter-claimant *

Sancho III of Pamplona Sancho Garcés III ( 992–996 – 18 October 1035), also known as Sancho the Great (, ), was the Kingdom of Pamplona, King of Pamplona from 1004 until his death in 1035. He also ruled the County of Aragon and by marriage the counties of County o ...

(1018–1035), ruler first of William Isarn's portion, then of the entire county by conquest and submission, he married

Muniadona of Castile Muniadona of Castile (1066), also called Mayor or Munia, was Queen of Pamplona (10111035) by her marriage with King Sancho Garcés III, who later added to his domains the Counties of Ribagorza (1017) and Castile (1028) using her dynastic rights ...

, niece and eventual heiress of Mayor García and great-granddaughter of Raymond II *

Gonzalo Gonzalo may refer to: * Gonzalo (name) * Gonzalo, Dominican Republic, a small town * Isla Gonzalo, a subantarctic island operated by the Chilean Navy * Hurricane Gonzalo, 2014 See also

* Gonzalez (disambiguation) * Gonzales (disambiguatio ...

(1035–1045), son of Sancho III, ruled as ''regulus'' (petty king) or ''rex'' (king) of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe *''Absorbed into the territories of his brother

Ramiro I of Aragon Ramiro I (bef. 10078 May 1063) was the first King of Aragon from 1035 until his death. His kingdomship was petit, and unfederated, which was sometimes referred to as a petty kingdom. Although his legacy was a minor kingdom, he would expand th ...

on Gonzalo's death, on occasion created as an

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

.'' **

Sancho Ramírez Sancho Ramírez ( 1042 – 4 June 1094) was King of Aragon from 1063 until 1094 and King of Pamplona from 1076 under the name of Sancho V (). He was the eldest son of Ramiro I and Ermesinda of Bigorre. His father was the first king of Aragon ...

, illegitimate son of Ramiro I and half-brother of king

. **

Peter I of Aragon and Navarre Peter I (, , ; 1068 – 1104) was King of Aragon and also Pamplona from 1094 until his death in 1104. Peter was the eldest son of Sancho Ramírez, from whom he inherited the crowns of Aragon and Pamplona, and Isabella of Urgell. He was named i ...

appeared as King of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe during the reign of his father, king

. **

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

(1322–1381), a younger son of

James II of Aragon James II (Catalan: ''Jaume II''; Aragonese: ''Chaime II;'' 10 April 1267 – 2 or 5 November 1327), called the Just, was the King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. He was also the King of Sicily (as James I) f ...

. ** 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 Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

Alfonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...

(1469–1485), illegitimate son of

John II of Aragon John II (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Juan II'', Catalan language, Catalan: ''Joan II'', Aragonese language, Aragonese: ''Chuan II'' and ; 29 June 1398 – 20 January 1479), called the Great (''el Gran'') or the Faithless (''el Sense Fe''), was ...

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1485–1512), illegitimate son of predecessor Alfonso **

(1512–1533), son of John **

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

(1533–1565 and 1573–1581), son of Alfonso ** John Alfonso (1565–1573), son of Martin **

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

(1581–1592), son of Martin **

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

(1592–1598), son of Martin

References

* *Lewis, Archibald Ross.
The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050
'. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965. {{refend Comarcas of Aragon Ribagorza