Petronilla, Countess of Bigorre

Pétronille (c. 1184 † 1251 ), was since 1194 Countess of Bigorre and Viscountess of Marsan and Nébouzan. She was the only child of Count Bernard IV of Comminges from his first marriage with the Countess Beatrix III. (Stephanie ) of Bigorre.

Biography

As her mother's only child Pétronille was considered the heiress in Bigorre and Marsan and thus stood as a child in the center of the interest policy of several parties. Introduced for her first her father, after its separation from her mother, the regency in Bigorre, this was forced by King Alfonso II of Aragon to the task of guardianship over his daughter. This took the king himself and became engaged Pétronille 1192 with the Viscount Gaston VI. of Béarn who was a close follower of the Aragonese king, the wedding was held earlier 1196th

Gaston of Béarn was a staunch opponent of 1209 erupted Albigensian Crusade at the military fight he participated actively. After he was married in 1214, died Pétronille immediately at the behest of King James I of Aragon and his cousin Nuno Sanchez. But the leader of the crusade Simon IV de Montfort, who was at that time at the height of his power, reached in return the Cancellation of that marriage and married Pétronille 1216 with his own son Guido. The power politics of the Montfort should fail but the opposition of the local nobility, fell in 1218 Simon de Montfort against Toulouse and Gui was killed in 1220 when taking Castelnaudary.

There nevertheless remained Pétronille and their property in the camp of northern French crusader after her brother Amaury de Montfort married in 1221 with the coming from the Poitou Crusaders Aimery de Rançon. This would close after the failure of the papal crusade in 1224 the subsequent royal Crusade, King Louis VIII of France led successfully in the Languedoc. However Aimery fell in 1226 during the siege of, in revolt against the king, city of Avignon.

1228 married Pétronille originating from the Angoumois Lords of Cognac, Boso de Matha. Pétronille spent the next few years on the possessions of her husband in Aquitaine because she had made ​​itself unpopular by their marriages with the Crusaders at their own population. Around 1230 Pétronille returned with her husband to Bigorre back where they established the public policy, had fallen apart due to their many years of absence. 1232, they attacked even her half-brother Bernard V. to make inheritance on Comminges law. Even if these claims were not enforced could bring larger parts of the Nébouzan that was once her inheritance from her father, in itself Pétronille. 1242 to Pétronille reconciled with the nobility of the Languedoc, which was hostile voted against them because of their northern French husband, from after she and her husband joined the revolt of Count Raymond VII of Toulouse against the French crown. The uprising failed, however, after a few months and Boso lost Cognac to the king.

After her husband's death in 1247 Pétronille transferred the regency in Bigorre her brother Simon de Montfort and retired to the Abbey of Escaladieu where she died in 1271.

Progeny

Countess of Bigorre Pétronille left from her second marriage to Gui de Montfort two daughters:

• Alix de Montfort ( 1217-1220 *, † 1255 ), succeeded as Countess of Bigorre, ∞ I Jourdain Eschivat III. de Chabanais, ∞ II 1247 Raoul de Courtenay († 1271 in Naples), Count of Chieti
• Perenelle de Montfort, ∞ Raoul de la Roche- Tesson

With her ​​fifth husband Boso de Matha she had a daughter:

• Math de Matha ( * after 1228, † 1273), Viscountess of Marsan, married to Viscount Gaston VII of Béarn

Succession struggle Bigorre

The county of Bigorre went to Pétronilles death, first to her daughter Alix and after their death to their grandchildren Eschivat († 1283) and Laura († 1316 ), however, was their inheritance of Pétronilles brother Simon de Montfort, who was also the guardian of her grandchildren, denied who raised a claim to the Bigorre itself. Supposedly Pétronille him myself have sold the county to prevent these get into the hand of her son-in Gaston VII of Béarn. Since Montfort was bound by its policy in England, but he had no time to enforce its rights. After Montfort fell at Evesham in 1265, sold his son of the same, the claims of his father on Bigorre to King Theobald II of Navarre.

Against the King of Navarre now allied Gaston of Béarn and his nephew Count Eschivat, could hold his own in Bigorre. After Eschivats death but Gaston fought of Béarn in the footsteps of his sister Laura and got his turn in the name of his daughter Constance claims on Bigorre. After years of fighting Laura went before Parliament in Paris, to get their rights acknowledged. But Parliament decided to their disadvantage and instead declared the rightful heir to the crown, as the base was an old rule of division of Count Bernard II used with the bishop of Puy -en- Velay, which had once taken the crown of the diocese. King Philip IV therefore pulled a the Bigorre and gave it in 1302 to his wife Joan, who was a granddaughter Theobald of Navarre. Their son Charles IV connected the county with the royal domain.

Nevertheless, the Bigorre remained a contested country. The houses of the Counts of Foix and Armagnac, both descendants Pétronilles about her youngest daughter math, now fighting turn around the county without being able to take possession of them, as they remained under royal administration. It was not until 1425 belieh King Charles VII of France Count Johann I of Foix with the Bigorre, Armagnac after the house had renounced his claims.