Margaret of Béarn – also known as Margaret or Marguerite of Montcada (c. 1245–1250 – c. 1319) was a
noblewoman
A noblewoman is a female member of the nobility. Noblewomen form a disparate group, which has evolved over time. Ennoblement of women has traditionally been a rare occurrence; the majority of noblewomen were linked to the nobility by either their ...
, who ruled (with her husband or for her son's) lands near the
Pyrenees mountains and in the southwestern part of present-day France. When her father died in 1290, she inherited the lands, assets and title, Viscountess of Béarn. In 1310 following the death of her sister, she inherited the assets and title of Countess of Bigorre.
Brief heritage
Margaret was descended from a noble line. She was the second-born daughter of
Gaston VII, Viscount of Béarn (1225 – 1290), and the Countess of
Bigorre
Bigorre (; 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 the larger region k ...
,
Martha, Viscountess of Marsan, who, in turn, was a daughter of Boson of
Marsan, Count of
Bigorre
Bigorre (; 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 the larger region k ...
, and his wife
Petronilla, Countess of Bigorre. Her father, Gaston VII of Béarn, was the son of
William II, Viscount of Béarn, and his wife, Garsenda, daughter of
Alfonso II of Provence and
Garsenda of Forcalquier.
Marriage
Margaret's wedding contract was arranged when she was only about seven years old. It was signed in
Layrac, France in October 1252, and said she was intended to marry the count
Roger-Bernard III of Foix, but the marriage didn't take place until fifteen years later, in 1267.
The union was politically advantageous as it created a strong alliance between the
House of Béarn and the
House of Foix
Foix ( , ; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège (department), Ariège as it is the seat of the Prefectures in France, prefecture of that Departments of ...
.
From this marriage, Margaret bore five children.
*
Gaston I, (1287 – 1315), who later inherited several titles including, Count of Foix,
Co-Prince of Andorra, and (under a different name, ''Gaston VIII'') Viscount of Béarn
* Constance, married in 1296 to John I de Lévis, Lord of
Mirepoix
A mirepoix ( , ) is a mixture of diced vegetables cooked with fat (usually butter) for a long time on low heat without coloring or browning. The ingredients are not sautéed or otherwise hard-cooked, because the intention is to sweeten rather t ...
* Mathe, married in 1294 to
Gerard VI of Armagnac
* Marguerite married in 1291 to
Bernard IV Jordan of L'Isle-Jourdain. She died 1304
*
Brunissende, married in 1298 to Elias VII of Périgord
Viscountess and Countess
In 1290 when her father died, Margaret inherited substantial assets and was named the ruler and Viscountess of Béarn (a responsibility she shared with her husband), and she held that post until 1310 when she succeeded her sister Constance (who had, in turn, succeeded their mother) as Countess of Bigorre. She held that title until her death.
Béarn was not a straightforward succession. In his will, Margaret's father
Gaston VII, first declared that Margaret was to be his heir, which was generally accepted, though not by her sister Mathe and her husband
Gerard VI of Armagnac. Later, before he died, her father declared a different daughter Guillemette should be the new heir, but when Margaret's father died in 1290, her husband Roger-Bernard immediately, in her name, took possession of the lands. Then, in a show of dominance, Roger-Bernard changed the family's
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
to be a combination of designs from both Foix and Béarn. Roger-Bernard would continue to be an aggressive supporter of his wife's property claims for as long as he lived.
In 1293, after three years of peace, Margaret's brother-in-law (Mathe's husband) Gerard VI finally contested the property of Béarn and began a long war with Roger-Bernard over the rights of the sisters who were their wives. With the death of Roger-Bernard in 1303, Margaret became Foix's regent for his successor, her 13-year-old son,
Gaston I, Count of Foix, until he reached the age of majority.
Béarn after Margaret
During Margaret's time in Béarn, it was a sovereign principality using its own coinage and language, which was a local vernacular
Bearnès dialect of the
Old Occitan
Old Occitan (, ), also called Old Provençal, was the earliest form of the Occitano-Romance languages, as attested in writings dating from the 8th to the 14th centuries. Old Occitan generally includes Early and Old Occitan. Middle Occitan is some ...
language.
[ A. D. Lublinskaya, ''French Absolutism: The Crucial Phase, 1620–1629'' (Cambridge University Press, 1968), pp. 170–73.] The principality at times was expanded to include
Andorra
Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...
and parts of
Basque Country, now located in northern Spain and southern France.
Because Béarn was an independent state, it was the subject of attempted takeovers over the centuries until it was annexed by France in 1620 when
King Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
marched into the area with a large army, seized the nobles' estates and, sitting on his new Béarnese throne, declared that the lands were now part of France, thereby ending the principality's sovereignty.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret of Bearn
French vicomtesses
Viscounts of Béarn
13th-century French nobility
13th-century countesses regnant
13th-century countesses consort
13th-century French women
14th-century women rulers