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Rulers of Catalunya, 801–1700

© Nicholas Boalch 2000–2007. Some Rights Reserved.

This is a list of the de facto and de jure rulers of Catlunya from the founding of the Countship of Barcelona by the Carolingian Franks in 410 to Catalunya's absorption into the Spanish crown in the War of the Spanish Succession.

Names, titles and place names are given in Catalan: see the Appendix for translations.

Counts of Barcelona
Frankish

• Berà (?–844)

  801–820. First Count of Barcelona. Lost his position in a judicial duel with the champion of his half-brother Gaucelm, Count of Rosseló, over his loyalty to King Lluís el Pietós.

• Rampó (?–825)

  820–825.

• Bernat de Septimània (?–844)

  826–832. Younger half-brother of Berà. Dismissed after supporting Pipí d'Aquitània's insurrection against King Lluís (831–832).

• Berenguer de Tolosa (?–835)

  832–835.

• Bernat de Septimània (?–844)

  835–844. Second reign; remained loyal to Louis during Lotari's insurrection (833–834) and renominated to the Countship after Berenguer's death. Executed after rebelling against King Carles el Calb.

• Sunifred I (?–848)

  844–848.

• Guillem de Septimània (826–850)

  848–850. Laid claim to the Countship as the heir of Bernat. Murdered by royal partisans.

• Aleran (?–852) & Isembard (?–?)

  850–852.

• Odalric (?–?)

  852–858.

• Humfrid (?–?)

  858–864.

• Bernat de Gòtia (?–880)

  865–878. Dismissed after rebelling against Charles and his successor Lluís el Quec (877–878).

• Guifré I el Pelós (c.840–897)

  878–897. A figure of vast importance in the nostalgia of Catalan nationalism as the progenitor of the hereditary Counts of Barcelona. Founder of the Monastery at Santa Maria de Ripoll.

Counts of Barcelona
Hereditary

• Guifré II (c.874–911)

  897–911. Also called Borrell I. Son of Guifré I.

• Sunyer I (c.870–950)

  911–947. Younger brother of Guifré II.

• Borrell II (927–992)

  947–992. Son of Sunyer I. Broke vassalage with France by refusing to swear fealty to Hug I (988).

• Ramon Borrell (972–1017)

  992–1017. Son of Borrell II.

• Berenguer Ramon I el Corbat (c.1006–1035)

  1017–1035. Son of Ramon Borrell. His mother Ermessenda was Regent 1017–1023.

• Ramon Berenguer I el Vell (c.1023–1076)

  1035–1076. Son of Berenguer Ramon I. Codified the earliest Usatges de Barcelona.

• Ramon Berenguer II el Cap d'Estopes (c.1053–1082) & Berenguer Ramon II el Fratricida (c.1053–c.1098)

  1076–1082. Twin sons of Ramon Berenguer I.

• Berenguer Ramon II el Fratricida (c.1053–c.1098)

  1082–1097. Sole ruler after the death of his brother in a suspicious hunting 'accident'. Forced into exile after being accused of his murder, and died during the First Crusade.

• Ramon Berenguer III el Gran (1082–1131)

  1097–1131. Son of Ramon Berenguer II. Succeeded to the Countship after the exile of his uncle.

• 
  Ramon Berenguer IV & Peronella
• Ramon Berenguer IV el Sant (c.1113–1162)

  1131–1162. Son of Ramon Berenguer III. Married Queen Peronella d'Aragó (1150), uniting the two territories and merging the Countship into the House of Aragó.

Kings of Aragó
& Counts of Barcelona
House of Aragó

• 
  Alfons el Cast
• Alfons el Cast (1152–1196)

  1162–1196. I of Barcelona, II of Aragó. Son of Ramon Berenguer IV.

• Pere el Catòlic (1174–1213)

  1196–1213. I of Barcelona, II of Aragó. Son of Alfons el Cast. Killed at the Battle of Muret.

• 
  Jaume I
• Jaume I el Conqueridor (1208–1276)

  1213–1276. Son of Pere el Catòlic. Conquered Mallorca, Menorca, Eivissa, Formentera and València.

Kings of Aragó
& València & Counts of Barcelona
House of Aragó

• Pere el Gran (1239–1285)

  1276–1285. II of Barcelona, III of Aragó, I of València & Sicília. Son of Jaume I. His brother became King Jaume II of Mallorca. Conquered Sicília.

• Alfons el Franc (1265–1291)

  1285–1291. II of Barcelona, III of Aragó, I of València, I of Mallorca. Son of Pere el Gran. Retook Mallorca from his uncle Jaume II.

• 
  Jaume el Just
• Jaume el Just (1267–1327)

  1291–1327. II of Barcelona, Aragó & Valencia, I of Sicília & Sardenya, III of Mallorca. Younger brother of Alfons el Franc; became King of Sicília on his father's death (1285) and succeeded to the throne of Aragó on his brother's. Returned the island territories of Mallorca to Jaume II (1295) and gave up control of Sicília to the Papacy (1296). Acquired nominal kingship of Sardenya from Pope Boniface VIII (1298).

• Alfons el Benigne (1299–1336)

  1327–1336. III of Barcelona, IV of Aragó, II of València, I of Sardenya. Son of Jaume el Just.

• Pere el Cerimoniós (1319–1387)

  1336–1387. III of Barcelona, IV of Aragó, II of València, I of Mallorca & Sardenya. Son of Alfons el Benigne. Annexed Mallorca and killed King Jaume III at the Battle of Llucmajor. Instituted the Generalitat.

• Joan I el Caçador (1350–1396)

  1387–1396. Son of Pere el Cerimoniós. Founded the Jocs Florals.

• 
  Martí l'Humà
• Martí l'Humà (1356–1410)

  1396–1410. I of Barcelona, Aragó, València, Mallorca & Sardenya, II of Sicília. Brother of Joan I. Acceeded to the throne of Sicília in 1409. Died heirless, provoking a two-year interregnum resolved by the succession of the Castilian House of Trastámara.

Kings of Aragó,
València, Mallorca, Sicília, Sardenya & Counts of Barcelona
House of Trastàmara

• 
  Ferran I
• Ferran I d'Antequera (1380–1416)

  1412-1416. Maternal nephew of Martí l'Humà.

• 
  Alfons el Magnànim
• Alfons el Magnànim (1396–1458)

  1416-1458. IV of Barcelona, V of Aragó, III of València, II of Mallorca & Sardenya, I of Sicília. Son of Ferran I. Captured Nàpols (1442).

• Joan el Gran (1398–1479)

  1458-1479. II of Barcelona, Aragó, València & Mallorca, I of Navarra & Sicília. Brother of Alfons el Magnànim. Acceeded to the throne of Navarra by marriage (1425) and to that of Aragó on his brother's death. Contended with a succession of pretenders to the Countship of Barcelona during the Catalan Civil War:

  • Enric l'Impotent (1425–1474)

    1462-1463. I of Barcelona, IV of Castella i Lleó. Grandson of Ferran I. Renounced his claim (1463).

  • Pere IV el Conestable de Portugal (1429–1466)

    1463-1466. IV of Barcelona, V of Aragó. Died of wounds sustained at the Battle of Calaf (1465).

  • Renat el Bo (1409–1480)

    1466-1472. Grandson of Joan I; he had been King of Nàpols until its capture by Alfons (1442).

• 
  Ferran el Catòlic
• Ferran el Catòlic (1452–1516)

  1479-1516. II of Barcelona, Aragó, València, Mallorca, V of Castella, III of Sicília, I of Navarra. Son of Joan el Gran. Married Isabel de Castella (1469) and become King Consort of Castella when she acceeded to the throne in 1474, uniting the two kingdoms into the first approximation to 'Spain'.

Kings of Castella & Aragó,
València, Mallorca, Sicília, Sardenya & Counts of Barcelona
House of Habsburg

• 
  Carles I
• Carles l'Emperador (1500–1558)

  1516–1556. I of Castella & León, Aragó, Barcelona, València, Mallorca & Sardenya, IV of Sicília, V of the Holy Roman Empire. Grandson of Ferran el Catòlic.

• 
  Felip II
• Felip el Prudent (1527–1598)

  1556–1598. I of Aragó, Barcelona, València, Mallorca, Sicília, Sardenya & Portugal, II of Castella & León. Son of Carles l'Emperador.

• 
  Felip III
• Felip el Pietós (1578–1621)

  1598–1621. II of Aragó, Barcelona, Mallorca, Portugal, Sicília, Sardenya & València, III of Castella & León. Son of Felip el Prudent.

• 
  Felip IV
• Felip el Gran (1605–1655)

  1621–1665. III of Aragó, Barcelona, Mallorca, Portugal, Sicília, Sardenya & València, IV of Castella & León. Son of Felip el Pietós. Contended with pretenders to the Countship of Barcelona during the Guerra dels Segadors:

  • Lluís el Just (1601–1645)

    1641–1643. I of Barcelona, XIII of France.

  • Lluís el Rei Sol (1638–1715)

    1643–1652. II of Barcelona, XIV of France. Gave up his claim in exchange for the territories of Rosselló, Conflent and Cerdanya.

• 
  Carles II
• Carles II el Fetillat (1661–1700)

  1665–1700. II of Castella & León, Aragó, Barcelona, Mallorca & Sardenya, V of Sicília. Son of Felip el Gran. The last Habsburg King of Spain.

Carles el Fetillat died in 1700, naming Felip d'Anjou (later Felip V d'Espanya) as his heir and triggering the War of the Spanish Succession. Felip's centralising Decrets de Nova Planta suppressed the hereditary priveleges of the formerly independent Kingdoms and formally created Spain, at which point the titles listed here became simply hereditary ones of the Spanish monarchy.

Appendix:
Catalan place names

• Castella: Castile.
• Cerdanya: Cerdagne.
• Eivissa: Ibiza.
• Mallorca: Majorca.
• Menorca: Minorca.
• Nàpols: Naples.
• Rosseló: Rousillon, a county corresponding roughly to the modern-day French département of Pyrénées-Orientales.
• Septimània: Septimania, one of the Marches of the Frankish Empire, corresponding roughly to the modern-day French region of Languedoc-Roussillon.
• Sardenya: Sardinia.
• Sicília: Sicily.
• Tolosa: Toulouse.

See also

• A Brief History of Catalunya, 410–, a timeline focusing on the history of Catalunya.
• Kings of Spain, 700–, a diagram of the Kings of Spain and its antecedent kingdoms from 700 to the present day.

    Nicholas Boalch (nick.boalch@gmail.com)
Last updated: 27th September 2007 (v. 1.3)