Roger IV de Foix

After the death of his mother, Roger received her possessions in Catalonia - the Viscountry of Castelbon and Cerdan , as well as the Andorran valley, which were feudally dependent on the bishopric of Urhel . However, the real power in these possessions remained in the hands of Father Roger, Count Roger Bernard II, almost until his death.

In 1231, a double marriage contract was signed with representatives of the Catalan Viscount family of Cardona . Under this contract, Roger married Brunisenda, daughter of the Viscount Ramon Folk VIII , and his sister Esclarmonda married the brother of Brunisenda, Viscount Ramon Folk IX . The main purpose of this marriage was to strengthen the position of the clan in Catalonia.

After the death of his father in May 1241, Roger inherited the county of Foix. On June 27, 1241, Roger brought homage to the Count of Toulouse Raimund VII , and a little later in Orleans and the King of France Louis IX . The oath of allegiance to the king of France did not prevent Roger in 1242 from engaging in a rebellion against the king and his brother Alphonse de Poitiers , organized by Hugo X de Lusignan , Count of March and Angouleme , in which many barons from southern France also participated. The rebellion was also supported by the king of England, Henry III and Raimund VII of Toulouse. But after Henry III and Hugo were defeated by the French army, Roger went over to the side of the king. Dissatisfied with this, Raimund of Toulouse on October 5, 1242 captured Saverdyun. Although Raimund made peace with King Louis on November 30, his war against Count Foix continued. In order to receive military assistance, Roger arrived in Montargis in January 1243 , bringing homage to the king directly. Thanks to this, Roger became the direct vassal of the king, who on December 11, 1243, ensured the return of Saverdyun. Raimund Toulouse tried to regain suzerainty over the possessions of Roger, the conflict between them ceased only after the death of Raimund in 1249 .

In Catalonia Roger continued the policy of his father, trying to withdraw his possessions from the subordination of the bishops of Urhel. This led to a series of conflicts with the bishops from July 1243 to 1257 . As a result, Roger managed to achieve independence from the bishops of the Viscountry of Castelbon and Cerdan, but the question of the Andorran valley remained unresolved. Only in 1278 the son and heir of Roger could agree with the bishops of Urhel on joint ownership of the valley.

Roger paid much attention to the internal affairs of the county. In February 1245, he took measures that actually banned serfdom in Foix. He also tried to improve relations with the church. In 1246, Roger made a pair with the Abbey of Ma d'Azil, in 1253 with the Abbey of Bulbonne, and in 1255 with the Abbey of Combelong. In addition, in 1251 he built a church in the Bulbonne, where the bodies of his ancestors were transferred. Unlike his father and grandfather, who sympathized with the Albigensians , Roger was a Catholic. He contributed to the spread of the Inquisition in Foix. However, in order to protect his subjects from the rude actions of the church court, in 1261 he himself took measures against the Cathars.

Roger died on February 24, 1265 and was buried in the Bulbonne. He was succeeded by the only son of Roger Bernard III .

Wife: from February 17, 1231 Brunisenda de Cardona (d. 1289), daughter of Ramon Folk VIII , Viscount de Cardona , and Ines, seniors de Torroz. Children:

• Roger Bernard III (c. 1240 - March 3, 1302), Count de Foix from 1265, Viscount de Castelbon and de Cerdany from 1260, Senor of Andorra 1260-1278, Co-Prince of Andorra from 1278, Viscount de Bearn and de Gabardan from 1290
• Sybil (d. Before 1289); husband: from until March 24, 1271 Emery IV (d. 1298), Viscount Narbonne
• Esclaramund (d. After November 22, 1299); husband: from October 15, 1275, Jaime II (1243 - May 29, 1311), King of Mallorca from 1276
• Agnes (d. After 1256); husband: Esquiva I de Chaban (d. 1283), Senior de Chaban and de Confolan (Eshiva IV), Earl of Bigorra from 1255, Earl of Armagnac and Fezansac 1255-1266
• Philip (d. C. 1310); husband: from June 7, 1262 Arno II the Spaniard (d. 1203/1216), Viscount Kuserana

• Roman d'Amat. Foix (Roger IV) // Dictionnaire de biographie française, tome 14 (notices de FLESSARD à GACHON). - Paris: Letouzey et Ané, 1979.- P. 189.

• COMTES de FOIX . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy . Date of treatment December 8, 2009. Archived on April 5, 2012.
• Roger IV de Foix (Fr.) (link unavailable) . Histoire biographique des comtes de Foix . Date of treatment December 8, 2009. Archived April 12, 2012.
• Foix, Count's family // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.