The House of Entença was an ancient and noble dynasty of 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 ...

History

The Entença noble family originated in the town of Entença in

La Franja La Franja (; "The Strip"; ) is the area of Catalan-speaking territories of eastern Aragon bordering Catalonia, in Spain. It literally means ''"the strip"'' and can also more properly be called (Aragonese Strip), (Western Strip) or (Eastern St ...

, presently in

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, ...

, around the 11th century. Later, in the 13th century the Barony of Entença was established in the

Priorat Priorat () is a comarca (county) in Camp de Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The region is named due to the monastery of Scala Dei which held many properties and the capital is now the town of Falset. Economy The central part of the comarca, ''Pr ...

and

Ribera d'Ebre Ribera d'Ebre () is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. It extends to both sides of the Ebre river between the reservoir of Riba-roja and Miravet. It belongs to the Terres de l'Ebre Terres de l'Ebre (, in English 'Ebro, Ebre Lands') is t ...

areas that had been conquered to the

saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

s and needed repopulation. Further south, the Barons of Entença shared the lordship over

Tortosa Tortosa (, ) is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in Catalonia, Spain. Tortosa is located at above sea level, by the Ebro river, protected on its northern side by the mountains of the Cardó Massif, of which Buinaca, one of the hi ...

Baix Ebre Baix Ebre (, "Lower Ebro") is a comarca (county) on the coast in southern Catalonia. It is located in the region of Terres de l'Ebre Terres de l'Ebre (, in English 'Ebro, Ebre Lands') is the south-westernmost of the eight regions (Vegueria, ''v ...

. By 1313 William II of Entença was deeply in debt and decided to donate the Barony of Entença to king

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 ...

. King James II waited until William's death to take possession of the

Barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

. Thus, in 1324 King James II annexed the Barony of Entença to the County of Prades, which he established for his son Ramon Berenguer. In this manner the dominions of the Barons of Entença became part of the County of Prades. In 1414 Joana de Prades inherited the Barony of Entença. Following her marriage to Joan Folch de Cardona, the lineage of Entença merged with the viscounts of Cardona. The ruins of the ''Casa de la Reina Teresa d'Entença'' can still be seen in Entença village, close to

Benavarri Benabarre (), in Ribagorçan and Aragonese: Benavarri () is a town and municipality in the Aragonese comarca of Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain. Benabarre is the historical and cultural capital of the comarca. It is part of the geo- ...

. Because of the historical significance of this bloodline, streets or squares named 'Entença' or 'Entenza' are common in towns and villages throughout

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 ...

, the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

and the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

. Also some present-day

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

—such as

Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of Catalonia, ''comarca'' of the Baix Camp in Catalonia, Spain. It has a population of . It is situated in the south-west of the ''comarca'', b ...

Marçà Marçà () is a municipality in the comarca of Priorat, Tarragona Province, Catalonia, Spain. History In medieval times, after the area had been reconquered from the Saracens, the town became part of the Barony of Entença. The now ruined Sant M ...

, Cornudella de Montsant and

Ulldemolins Ulldemolins () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Priorat in Catalonia, Spain. It has a population of . This town is located among rocky mountains, the Serra de la Llena, the Serra de Montsant and the Prades Mountains. History In medie ...

, among others— have kept the heraldic colors of the ancient House of Entença in their coats of arms.

Members of the House of Entença

Among the foremost members of the Entença family, the following deserve mention (names in Catalan): * Jessiana d'Entença (12th century), Lady of

Alcolea de Cinca Alcolea de Cinca is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 1,245 inhabitants. See also *List of municipalities in Huesca This is a list of the ...

and wife of Hug III d'Empúries * Alamanda I d'Entença (1205-1244), Lady of the Barony of Castellvell (later Barony of Entença) * Alamanda II d'Entença (1244-1246), also known as Alamanda la Jove, Baroness of Castellvell (later Barony of Entença) * Jussiana d'Entença (13th century), wife of Bernat Guillem de Montpeller *

Bernat Guillem de Montpeller Bernat Guillem de Montpeller also known as Bernat Guillem I d'Entença (Spanish:Bernardo Guillermo I de Entenza. b. ? - d. El Puig, 1238) was a noble, who married into the Catalan House of Entença. He was the lord of Fraga. He is best known for ...

(?-1235), also known as Bernat Guillem I d'Entença, Lord of

Fraga Fraga (; ) is the major town of the ''comarca'' of Bajo Cinca () in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is located by the river Cinca. According to the 2014 census, the municipality has a population of 14,926 inhabitants. King Alfonso I ...

, died at the

Battle of the Puig The Battle of the Puig of 1237, also known as the Battle of the Puig de Santa Maria, the Battle of the Puig de Enesa, or the Battle of the Puig de Cepolla was a battle of the Iberian Reconquista and of the Aragonese Conquest of Valencia. The b ...

in 1237. *

Bernat Guillem d'Entença Bernat Guillem d'Entença, also known as Bernat Guillem II d'Entença, was a noble of the Catalan House of Entença, son of Bernat Guillem de Montpeller. Biography Bernat Guillem d’Entença was born in 1226. Bernat was a member of the Hous ...

(13th century), also known as Bernat Guillem II d'Entença, son of Bernat Guillem of Montpeller and his wife Jussiana d'Entença, and brother of Bernat Guillem d'Entença. * Guillem de Montpeller Entença (13th century), Catalan nobleman, son of Bernat Guillem de Montpeller and his wife Jussiana d'Entença, brother of Bernat Guillem d'Entença * Berenguer, fifth Baron of Entença or Berenguer d'Entença i Santmartí-Castellvell (?-1294), was one of the sons of Berenguer d'Entença i Santmartí-Castellvell. * William II of Entença or Guillem d'Entença i Montcada (1294-1321), Baron of Entença *

Berenguer d'Entença Berengar is a masculine name derived from Germanic roots meaning "bear" and "spear". The name appears frequently among certain noble families during the Middle Ages, especially the Unruochings and those related. Bérenger is the French form, while ...

, Catalan nobleman and Commander-in-Chief of the

Catalan Company The Catalan Company or the Great Catalan Company (; , , , or ) was a company of mercenaries led by Roger de Flor in the early 14th century and hired by Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos to combat the increasing power of the Anatolian b ...

(13th century) *

Teresa d'Entença Teresa d'Entença (c. 1300 – 20 October 1327) was the eldest daughter of Gombau d'Entença and his wife Constança d'Antillón. She was Countess of Urgell in her own right; however, control over her estate passed to her husband, Alfonso IV of Ar ...

, Countess of

Urgell Urgell (), also known as ''Baix Urgell'' (''baix'' meaning "lower", by contrast with Alt Urgell "Upper Urgell"), is a ''comarca'' (county) in Ponent, Catalonia (Spain), forming only a borderland portion of the region historically known as Urgel ...

and Viscountess of

Àger Àger (; ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Noguera in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the north-west of the ''comarca'', and the territory of the municipality stretches between the Noguera Ribagorçana and Noguera Pallaresa rive ...

, wife of King Alfons IV of Aragon * Saurina d'Entença, wife of admiral

Roger de Llúria Roger of Lauria (''c''. 1245 – 17 January 1305), was a Calabrian knight who served the Crown of Aragon as admiral of the Aragonese navy during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and talented naval tacticia ...

* Giussiana Ximenes d'Entença Luesia, wife of Valencian nobleman Blasco II d'Alagón

References

External links

El castell de Móra d'EbreAnales de Aragón
{{DEFAULTSORT:House of Entenca Crown of Aragon Catalan nobility History of Catalonia Entenca