Margaret of Béarn | |
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 Early tribute to Margaret | |
| Born | c. 1245–1250 |
| Died | c. 1319 |
| Other names | Margaret of Montcada, Marguerite of Montcada |
| Occupation(s) | Viscountess, Countess |
| Spouse | Roger-Bernard III of Foix (1240 – 1303) |
| Children | Gaston I, Constance, Mathe, Marguerite,Brunissende |
| Parents |
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Margaret of Béarn – also known asMargaret orMargueriteof Montcada (c. 1245–1250 – c. 1319) was anoblewoman, who ruled (with her husband or for her son) lands near thePyrenees 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 ofCountess of Bigorre.
Margaret was descended from a noble line. She was the second-born daughter ofGaston VII, Viscount of Béarn (1225 – 1290), and the Countess ofBigorre,Martha, Viscountess of Marsan,[1] who, in turn, was a daughter of Boson ofMarsan, Count ofBigorre, and his wifePetronilla, Countess of Bigorre. Her father, Gaston VII of Béarn, was the son ofWilliam II, Viscount of Béarn,[1] and his wife, Garsenda, daughter ofAlfonso II of Provence andGarsenda of Forcalquier.
Margaret's wedding contract was arranged when she was only about seven years old. It was signed inLayrac, France in October 1252, and said she was intended to marry the countRoger-Bernard III of Foix,[1] 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 theHouse of Béarn and theHouse of Foix.[2] From this marriage, Margaret bore five children.
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 fatherGaston VII, first declared that Margaret was to be his heir, which was generally accepted, though not by her sister Mathe and her husbandGerard 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'scoat of arms 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.[2]
During Margaret's time in Béarn, it was a sovereign principality using its own coinage and language, which was a local vernacularBearnès dialect of theOld Occitan language.[5] The principality at times was expanded to includeAndorra and parts ofBasque 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 KingLouis XIII 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.[5]