Thecount of Barcelona (Catalan:comte de Barcelona,Spanish:conde de Barcelona,French:comte de Barcelone,Latin:comes Barcinonensis) was the ruler of theCounty of Barcelona and also, by extension and according with theUsages andCatalan constitutions, of thePrincipality of Catalonia asprince (sovereign) for much ofCatalan history, from the 9th century until the 18th century. After 1162, withAlfonso II of Aragon and I of Barcelona, the title of count of Barcelona was united with that ofking of Aragon, and after the 16th century, with that ofking of Spain.
The EmperorCharlemagne conquered the area north of the riverEbro andcaptured the city of Barcelona in 801. He then organized these lands, historiographically known as theMarca Hispanica, into various counties, one of which was theCounty of Barcelona, with the city ofBarcelona as its capital. The Count of Barcelona, usually holding other counties simultaneously, eventually obtained primacy over the region. As the County became hereditary in one family, the bond of the Counts to their Frankish overlords loosened, especially after theCapetian dynasty supplanted theCarolingians.
In 1150,Count Raymond Berengar IV married QueenPetronilla of Aragon. Their sonAlfonso succeeded as Count and also asKing of Aragon, establishing theCrown of Aragon. In theTreaty of Corbeil (1258), KingLouis IX of France relinquished France's historical claim to the County. In 1516, QueenJoanna of Castile also succeeded in Catalonia and Aragon, forming theMonarchy of Spain. The title of Count of Barcelona remained one of the manyhereditary titles of the Spanish monarchy.
In the 20th century, the title regained some prominence whenJuan de Borbón, the exiled heir to the Spanish throne, adopted the title of Count of Barcelona. In doing so, he claimed a historical royal title without claiming to be the current king of Spain, especially after his sonJuan Carlos became the prospective successor of the then-ruler of Spain,Francisco Franco. In 1977, after Juan Carlos had become king upon Franco's death in 1975, he officially awarded the comital title to his father, who had renounced his rights to the throne. Juan held that title until his death in 1993, when it reverted to Juan Carlos. Juan de Borbón's widow used the title Countess of Barcelona until her death in 2000.
During this period, the County of Barcelona was one of many Counties at theMarch located in the Eastern Pyrenees and known asGothia or Marca Hispanica. The Counts of this March were appointed by the Carolingian authorities.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bera | 801–820 | son ofWilliam of Gellone, also Count of Razès and Conflent (790–820), Girona, Besalú, Ausona (812/817–820), deposed. | |
| Rampon (Rampó) | 820–826 | also Count of Girona and Besalú | |
| Bernard I (Bernat I) | 826–832 | son ofWilliam of Gellone, also margrave ofSeptimania (834–835) and Imperial Chamberlain (829–830), deposed. | |
| Berenguer | 832–835 | alsoCount of Toulouse. | |
| Bernard I (Bernat I) | 836–844 | restored, executed on orders ofCharles the Bald. | |
| Sunifred | 844–848 | son or son-in-law ofBelló of Carcassonne, also Count of Ausona, Besalú, Girona, Narbonne, Agde, Béziers, Lodève, Melgueil, Cerdanya, Urgell, Conflent and Nîmes. | |
| William (Guillem) | 848–850 | son of Bernard I, also Count of Toulouse (844–850), rebelled and was killed. | |
| Aleran | 850–852 | also Count of Empúries and Roussillon and Margrave ofSeptimania. | |
| Odalric | 852–858 | son ofHunfrid, Margrave of Istria, also Count of Girona, Roussillon, Empúries and Margrave of Septimania. | |
| Humfrid | 858–864 | son ofHunfrid II, Duke of Rhaetia, also Count of Girona, Empúries, Roussillon, and Narbonne and Margrave of Gothia. | |
| Bernard II (Bernat II) | 865–878 | son ofBernard of Poitiers also Count of Girona and Margrave of Gothia and Septimania, rebelled. |
The crisis of the Carolingian Empire, incapable of attending to the requests for help against the Moorish attacks coming from the Catalan counts, resulted in a disconnection between them and the Carolingian central power far North. The County of Barcelona became a hereditary title.
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilfred I the Hairy 878 –897 | .jpg) | c.840 Girona Disputed filiation | Guinidilda 877 10 children | 897 Tremp aged 46–47 |
| Wilfred II Borrell I 897 –26 April 911 |  | c.874 Girona First son ofWilfred I and Guinidilda | Garsenda 898 1 child | 26 April 911 Barcelona aged 36–37 |
| Sunyer 26 April 911 –947 |  | c.890 Girona Sixth son ofWilfred I and Guinidilda | Aimilda 914 1 child Richilde 925 5 children | 15 October 950 Lagrasse aged 59–60 |
| Miro I 947 –966 |  | c.926 Barcelona Second son ofSunyer and Richilde | Unmarried | 966 aged 39–40 |
| Borrell II 947 –992 (joint rule 947-966) |  | c.927 Barcelona Third son ofSunyer and Richilde | Luitgarde 968 5 children | 992 aged 64–65 |
| Ramon Borrell 988 –8 September 1017 (joint rule 988–992) |  | 26 May 972 Girona Son ofBorrell II and Luitgarde | Ermesinde of Carcassonne 993 2 children | 8 September 1017 Barcelona aged 45 |
| Ermesinde of Carcassonne (regent 1017–1021, 1035–1039) |  | 972 Carcassonne Daughter ofRoger I of Carcassonne and Adelaide of Melgueil | Ramon I Borrell III 993 2 children | 1 March 1058 Sant Quirze de Besora aged 85–86 |
| Berenguer Ramon I the Crooked 8 September 1017 –31 March 1035 (under regency ofErmesinde of Carcassonne 1017–1021) |  | 1004 Son ofRamon Borrell andErmesinde of Carcassonne | Sancha of Castile 1021 2 children Guisla of Lluçá 1027 3 children | 31 March 1035 Barcelona aged 30–31 |
| Ramon Berenguer I the Old 31 March 1035 –26 June 1076 (under regency ofErmesinde of Carcassonne 1035–1039) |  | 1023 Girona Son ofBerenguer Ramon I and Sancha of Castile | Élisabeth de Nîmes 1039 3 children Blanche de Narbonne 16 March 1051 (annulled 1052) no children Almodis de La Marche 1056 Barcelona (together since 1052) 4 children | 26 June 1076 Barcelona aged 52–53 |
| Ramon Berenguer II the Towhead 26 June 1076 –6 December 1082 |  | c.1053 Girona First/Second son ofRamon Berenguer I andAlmodis de La Marche | Mafalda of Apulia-Calabria 1078 Barcelona 3 children | 6 December 1082 Sant Feliu de Buixalleu aged 28–29 |
| Berenguer Ramon II the Fratricide 26 June 1076 –1097 (joint rule 1076–1082) | c.1053 First/Second son ofRamon Berenguer I andAlmodis de La Marche | Unmarried | 1097 Jerusalem aged 43–44 | |
| Ramon Berenguer III the Great 6 December 1082 –19 July 1131 (joint rule 1082–1097) |  | 11 November 1082 Rodez Son ofRamon Berenguer II and Mafalda of Apulia-Calabria | María Díaz de Vívar 1103 2 children Almodis de Mortain 1106 no children Douce I, Countess of Provence 3 February 1112 Arles 7 children | 19 July 1131 Barcelona aged 48 |
| Ramon Berenguer IV the Saint 19 July 1131 –6 August 1162 |  | c.1113 Barcelona orRodez Son ofRamon Berenguer III andDouce I, Countess of Provence | Petronilla of Aragon August 1150 Lleida 5 children | 6 August 1162 Borgo San Dalmazzo aged 48–49 |
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petronilla 6 August 1162 – 18 July 1164 |  | 29 June 1136 Huesca daughter ofRamiro II of Aragon andAgnes of Aquitaine | Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona August 1150 Lleida 5 children | 15 October 1173 Barcelona aged 37 |
The succession ofRamon Berenguer IV andPetronilla led to the creation of theCrown of Aragon.
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alphonse I the Troubadour 18 July 1164 – 25 April 1196 |  | 1-25 March 1157 Huesca son ofRamon Berenguer IV of Barcelona andPetronilla of Aragon | marriage agreement with Mafalda of Portugal 1159-1162, not fulfilled Sancha of Castile 18 January 1174 Zaragoza 7 children | 25 April 1196 Perpignan aged 44 |
| Peter I the Catholic 25 April 1196 – 13 September 1213 |  | July 1178 Huesca son ofAlfons I andSancha of Castile | Marie of Montpellier 15 June 1204 2 children | 12 September 1213 Battle of Muret aged 35 |
| James I the Conqueror 13 September 1213 – 27 July 1276 |  | 2 February 1208 Montpellier son ofPeter I the Catholic andMarie of Montpellier | marriage agreement with Aurembiaix, Countess of Urgell 1209, not fulfilled Eleanor of Castile 6 February 1221 Ágreda 1 child Violant of Hungary 8 September 1235 Barcelona 10 children Teresa Gil de Vidaure (lover, then wife) 1255 (uncanonical marriage, repudiated 1260) 2 children | 27 July 1276 Valencia aged 68 |
| Peter II the Great 27 July 1276 – 2 November 1285 |  | July or August 1240 Valencia son ofJames I andViolant of Hungary | Constance of Sicily 13 June 1262 Montpellier 6 children | 2 November 1285 Vilafranca del Penedès aged 45 |
| Alphonse II the Liberal 2 November 1285 – 18 June 1291 |  | 4 November 1265 Valencia son ofPeter II andConstance of Sicily | Eleanor of England 15 August 1290 (by proxy and not consummated; death of the groom during bride's way to Aragon) | 18 June 1291 Barcelona aged 27 |
| James II the Fair 18 June 1291 – 2 November 1327 |  | 10 August 1267 Valencia son ofPeter II andConstance of Sicily | Isabella of Castile 1 December 1291 Soria No children Blanche of Anjou 29 October or 1 November 1295 Vilabertran 10 children Marie de Lusignan 15 June 1315(by proxy) Nicosia 27 November 1315(in person) Girona No children Elisenda de Montcada 25 December 1322 Tarragona No children | 5 November 1327 Barcelona aged 60 |
| Alphonse III the Kind 2 November 1327 – 24 January 1336 |  | 2 November 1299 Naples son ofJames II of Aragon andBlanche of Anjou | Teresa d'Entença 1314 Lerida 7 children Eleanor of Castile 5 February 1329 Tarazona 2 children | 27 January 1336 Barcelona aged 37 |
| Peter III the Ceremonious 24 January 1336 – 5 January 1387 |  | 5 October 1319 Balaguer son ofAlphonse III andTeresa d'Entença | Maria of Navarre 25 July 1337 Zaragoza 2 children Leonor of Portugal 14 or 15 November 1347 Barcelona No children Eleanor of Sicily 27 August 1349 Valencia 4 children Sibila of Fortia 11 October 1377 Barcelona 3 children | 5 January 1387 Barcelona aged 68 |
| John the Hunter 5 January 1387 – 19 May 1396 |  | 27 December 1350 Perpignan son ofPeter III andEleanor of Sicily | marriage agreement with Jeanne-Blanche of France 1370-1371, not fulfilled Martha of Armagnac 24 June 1373 Barcelona 5 children Violant of Bar 2 February 1380 Perpignan 7 children | 19 May 1396 Foixà aged 46 |
| Martin the Humanist 19 May 1396 – 31 May 1410 |  | 1356 Girona son ofPeter III andEleanor of Sicily | Maria de Luna 13 June 1372 Barcelona 4 children Margaret of Prades 17 September 1409 Barcelona No children | 31 May 1410 Barcelona aged 54 |
Martin died without legitimate descendants (interregnum 31 May 1410 – 24 June 1412). By theCompromise of Caspe of 1412 the County of Barcelona and the rest of the dominions of theCrown of Aragon passed to a branch of theHouse of Trastamara.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand I the Honest | .jpg) | 3 September 1412 – 2 April 1416 | He was the nephew of Martin I and the first Count of Barcelona of the House of Trastámara. |
| Alphonse IV the Magnanimous |  | 2 April 1416 – 27 June 1458 | He was the son of Ferdinand I. |
| John II the Faithless or the Just |  | 27 June 1458 – 1462 | He was the brother of Alphonse IV. The Catalans confronted him during theCatalan Civil War and in 1462 transferred the title of count to another Trastamara House pretender|- |
During theCatalan Civil War the Catalan authorities transferred the title of Count of Barcelona to a succession of 3 foreign sovereigns.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry I the Impotent |  | 1462 - 1463 | He was the Ferdinand I grandson and thus also from the Trastámara House. |
| Peter IV of Portugal | .jpg) | 1463 – 1466 | He was the greatgrandson ofPeter III. |
| René I |  | 1466 – 1472 | He was the grandson ofJohn the Hunter. He was also theCount of Provence.- |
After theCatalan Civil War, theHouse of Trastamara was restituted as tenants of the Count of Barcelona title and thus sovereigns of the Principality of Catalonia.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John II the Faithless or the Just | | 1472 – 20 January 1479 | He was the brother of Alphonse IV. The Catalans confronted him during theCatalan Civil War and afterward reinstated him as Count of Barcelona. |
| Ferdinand II |  | 20 January 1479 – 23 January 1516 | He was the son ofJohn II. |
| Joanna |  | 23 January 1516 – 12 April 1555 | She was the daughter ofFerdinand II. Her rule was nominal as it was her son Charles who was co-ruler. |
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles I (emperor) |  | 14 March 1516 – 12 April 1555 (as regent) 12 April 1555 – 16 January 1556 (as sole ruler) | He was the son ofQueen Joanna andPhilip I of Castile. Till the death of his mother, in 1555, he was regent but the de facto ruler. From 1555 to 1556, he was the sole ruler. As he was not the Count (till her mother died) and had good relations with Catalan authorities, they awarded him the title of Prince of Catalonia.[1] |
| Philip I |  | 16 January 1556 – 13 September 1598 | He was the son ofCharles I. |
| Philip II |  | 13 September 1598 – 31 March 1621 | He was the son ofPhilip I. |
| Philip III |  | 31 March 1621 – 1641 | He was the son ofPhilip II. He wanted to reduce the Catalan sovereignties, and the Catalan authorities confronted him during theReapers' War. The title of Count of Barcelona was transferred by theCatalan Courts to the House of Bourbon in France. |
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louis I (Louis XIII of France) 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643 | .jpg) | 1641–1643 | During theReapers' War, theStates-General (Braços Generals) of thePrincipality of Catalonia on 21 January 1641 declared the French king Louis XIII Count of Barcelona as Louis I.[2][3] |
| Louis II (Louis XIV of France) 5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715 |  | 1643–1652 and 1697 | He inherits the title of Count of Barcelona from his father during theReapers' War. In 1652 he renounces the title in favor ofPhilip III in exchange for theRoussillon. |
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip III | | 1659 – 17 September 1665 | He was the son ofPhilip II. He was reinstated as Count of Barcelona. |
| Charles II | .jpg) | 17 September 1665 – 1 November 1700 | He was the son ofPhilip III. |
In 1697, French troops under theDuke of Vendôme captured Barcelona, andLouis XIV of France was reinstated as Count of Barcelona for some months. On 9 January 1698, Catalonia (including Barcelona) was returned to Charles II by thePeace of Ryswick.
Charles II named as his successorPhilip of Anjou, a younger grandson of Louis XIV. The other European powers thought that meant too much power for France. They tried to impose another candidate as King of Spain:Archduke Charles of Austria, in theWar of the Spanish Succession. The Catalans were caught in the middle of this major conflict. They initially supported Philip, but then shifted their allegiance to Charles, who was committed to maintaining thecomposite monarchy system and thus respected theCatalan Constitutions. However, Philip won the war.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip IV |  | 1700 – 1705 | He was the great grandson ofPhilip III. |
| Charles III |  | 1705 – 1714 | He was the son ofPhilip III. |
In 1714, Catalonia, which had supported the Habsburg pretender to the Spanish throne, Archduke Charles of Austria, lost their war within theSpanish war of Succession against the Bourbon pretenderPhilip of Anjou.
Through theNueva Planta decrees, Philip of Anjou as the new king of SpainPhilip V abolished theCatalan constitutions and dissolved theCrown of Aragon and merged its territories with the territories of the Crown of Castile to form theKingdom of Spain. ThePrincipality of Catalonia became another province and thus the title of Count of Barcelona was emptied of real political significance and power. Since then, the numbering of the Counts of Barcelona follows that of theCrown of Castille. That is the reason why Philip of Anjou was called by the Catalan Authorities 'Felip IV' in 1702 but called himself 'Felipe V' when he sized the title of Count of Barcelona in 1714, after winning the war against the Catalans.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip V |  | 1714 – 15 January 1724 | He was the great grandson ofPhilip III, previously referred as Philip IV. |
| Louis I |  | 15 January 1724 – 31 August 1724 | He was the son ofPhilip V of Spain. |
| Philip V (second reign) | | 6 September 1724 – 9 July 1746 | Previously referred as Philip IV. |
| Ferdinand VI | .jpg) | 9 July 1746 – 10 August 1759 | Son ofPhilip V. |
| Charles III |  | 10 August 1759 – 14 December 1788 | Son ofPhilip V. |
| Charles IV |  | 14 December 1788 – 19 March 1808 | Son ofCharles III. |
| Ferdinand VII |  | 19 March 1808 – 6 May 1808 | Son ofCharles IV. |
In 1808Charles IV and his sonFerdinand VII resign from their Crown of Spain titles and transfer them to EmperorNapoleon, who kept for himself the title of Count of Barcelona. By 1812, once he had full military control over thePrincipality of Catalonia, he separated it from the Crown of Spain and annexed it to theFrench Empire.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napoleon I, Emperor |  | 1808–1813 | Napoleon annexed Catalonia to the French Empire as4 new departments. |
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand VII (restored) | | 4 May 1814 – 29 September 1833 | Son ofCharles IV. |
| Isabella II |  | 29 September 1833 – 30 September 1868 | Daughter ofFerdinand VII. |
Isabella of Spain was deposed by aliberal revolution and went into exile.
After a briefRepublican period, the Spanish government offered the kingship and its accessory titles (including that of 'Count of Barcelona') to AmadeoDuke of Aosta and son of the king of ItalyVictor Emmanuel II.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amadeo I |  | 16 November 1870 – 11 February 1873 | After a brief kingship Amadeo abdicated. |
Apronunciamiento deposed the Republican government that followed the abdication ofAmadeo I and restored theBourbons as kings of Spain.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso XII | .JPG) | 29 December 1874 – 25 November 1885 | Son ofIsabella II. |
| Alfonso XIII |  | 17 May 1886 – 14 April 1931 | Son ofAlfonso XII. |
In the12 April 1931 municipal elections, the Republicans short of winning a majority of councilors overall, won a sweeping majority in major cities. These elections were perceived as a plebiscite on the monarchy, and the king left the country and theSecond Spanish Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931.
During the2nd Spanish Republic andFrancoist Dictatorship the Bourbons remained in exile and retained their dynastic titles, including 'Count of Barcelona'.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso XIII (in exile) | | 14 April 1931 – 28 February 1941 | The deposed and exiled king kept the Crown of Spain and its associated titles. |
| Juan, Count of Barcelona (claimant in exile as Juan III) |  | 15 January 1941 – 22 November 1975 | Son ofAlfonso XIII. To assert his claim to the throne, after his father's death, he used the title of Count of Barcelona. |
Although on 26 July 1947, Spain was declared a kingdom, no monarch was designated until 1969, when Franco establishedJuan Carlos of Bourbon as his official heir. With the death of Franco on 20 November 1975,Juan Carlos became the King of Spain.
| Name | Portrait | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juan, Count of Barcelona (Juan III) | | 1977 – 1993 | In 1977 his sonJuan Carlos I officially granted him the title of Count of Barcelona as a courtesy in exchange for renouncing his claim to the Spanish throne. |
| Juan Carlos I |  | 22 November 1975 – 1977 | Grandson ofAlfonso XIII. Recovered the title of Count of Barcelona after his father's death. He abdicated in favor of his sonFelipe. |
| Felipe VI | -2.jpg) | 19 June 2014 – Present | Current King of Spain and Count of Barcelona (amongst other titles). |
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