Couserans
The couserans ( okzit - gasgon: Coserans ) is a historic county in the South of France, which includes the western half of present-day department of Ariège, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Girons. The name of this region is derived from a settled there in ancient people, who were called by the Romans Consoranni.
Geographically, the couserans of the Pyrenees in the south of the river Arize the east and the valley of the river salad is bounded to the west. Capital is Saint- Girons, which lies on the border of the lowlands (Bas- couserans ) in the highlands (skin couserans ) of the region.
- 2.1 The house Comminges
- 2.2 The house of Foix - Rabat
The county couserans
At the beginning of the High Middle Ages, the couserans was a county, the then corresponded to the entire department of Ariège in scope. It was owned by the Count of Comminges family, which began with the brothers Roger and I. I stood Arnaud, the couserans the latter belonged. By Arnaud marriage with the heiress of the county of Carcassonne the family the old man rose under his son Roger to one of the leading houses in the region of Languedoc on. After the death of Count Roger Bernard, the county was divided among his sons but. While the elder Roger I received the eastern part of the capital of Foix, the younger Peter Bernard got the rest of couserans in the West. The name couserans should henceforth remain connected with this territory.
Although Roger I of Foix died without heirs and the land around Foix to his nephew Roger II, the son of Peter Bernard, fell, but this was to continue the title of Count of Foix. The couserans remained for the next few years a part of the domain of this county.
The counts of couserans out of the house Comminges
- Arnaud I. ( † about 957 ), Count of couserans and part of Comminges
- Roger the Old († 1012), Count of couserans and Carcassonne and a part of Comminges, lord of Foix
- Bernard Roger († 1034), Count of couserans, lord of Foix
- Peter Bernard ( † 1071 ), Count of couserans
The viscounty couserans
At the beginning of the 12th century did the Count of Comminges to expand their power in the couserans. Around 1180 handed Count Bernard IV of Comminges the given thereon owned a Roger with vice Count rights that should reaffirm a vassalage Rogers and his descendants to the house of Comminges. After Roger Dutil was a younger brother of Bernard; Schwennicke other hand, sees him as a member of the family of the viscounts of Carcassonne, which in turn were made at that time by the family Trencavel without specifying the exact relationship.
The house Comminges
- Roger I († 1211 )
- Roger II († 1257 ), son of his predecessor, by marriage Count of Pallars Sobirà
- Roger III. ( † about 1267 ), son of his predecessor
- Arnaud I., called d' Espagne († 1310 ), son of his predecessor
- Roger IV, son of his predecessor
- Raymond Roger I († 1392 ), son of his predecessor
- Johann Roger I, the son of his predecessor
- Raymond Roger II († 1425), son of his predecessor
- Johann Roger II († 1446 ), brother of his predecessor
- Eleanor, daughter of Raymond Roger II
The house of Foix - Rabat
The house of Foix - Rabat is a bastard line of the House of Comminges
- John I ( II ) ( † 1480), husband of Eleanor, son of the Lord John I of Foix - Rabat
- Roger V. († 1508), son of his predecessor
- Corbeyrand II († 1510), brother of his predecessor
- Germain. († 1515), brother of his predecessor
- John II († 1530 ), son of his predecessor
- Johann Paul ( † 1560), son of his predecessor
- Françoise ( † 1600), daughter of her predecessor, married to François de Mauléon, Baron de la Cour
In the following years was the title of Viscount of couserans owned by the families of Modave and Polignac. The last heir Alexandrine de Polignac emigrated to the French Revolution in 1792 from France. Her husband, Louis -Joseph -Jean -Baptiste de La Boissiere, Comte de Chambors, was one of three members of the couserans for the Estates-General of 1789 and later a general in the revolutionary army and the army of Napoleon.