Guillaume I de Moncada (Viscount Bearn)

Guillaume came from a noble Catalan clan - the second dynasty of Moncada . His father, Guillaume Ramon II, was the hereditary Seneschal of Catalonia . His mother, Beatrice, came from the first dynasty of Moncada and was the heiress of the lord of Moncada .

The exact year of birth of Guillaume is unknown. Since his mother divorced her father in 1136, he was to be born no later than 1134 ^[1] .

For the first time his name was mentioned in the act of the Count of Barcelona and the actual ruler of the Kingdom of Aragon, Ramon Berenguer IV , dated August 5, 1148 ^[1] .

Earlier in 1164, ^[2] Guillaume married Maria of Bearns, sister of the Viscount Bearn of Gaston V ^[3] .

In 1170, the Viscount Bearn Gaston V died. He did not leave children, so all his possessions were inherited by his sister Maria, the wife of Guillem, who lived with her husband at the court of King Aragon Alfonso II . Under the law in Bearn, a woman could not directly control the Viscount. However, the king of Aragon recognized Mary as Viscountess. On April 30, 1170, Mary brought him homage, not only for Bearn, but also for Gabardan and Brullois, who were considered vassal possessions from the dukes of Aquitaine . In response, Alfonso promised to protect her rights and confirmed the ownership of all lands, including in the Kingdom of Aragon. If before that the Viscounts of Bearn were sovereign rulers, now they have become vassals of Aragon. In 1171, Maria’s husband, Guillaume de Moncada, recognized by Alfonso as Viscount of Bearn ^{[2] [4] [5]} , also brought homage.

But the Bearnians refused to recognize Guillaume Viscount and rebelled. According to a later legend, they chose as their lord a nobleman from Bigorr named Theobald, but he soon refused to abide by the laws of Bearn and was executed in the same year. He was replaced by an observatory nobleman named Centauzh, who, however, was also executed in 1173 ^[5] . However, there is no documented evidence for the existence of these two Viscounts, and perhaps they are the invention of later chroniclers.

Guillaume tried to assemble an army to conquer Bearn, but he did not succeed. He died in 1172 ^[2] . His wife retired to the monastery of Saint-Croix de Volvestre in 1173, and the eldest of their two young sons, Gaston VI , was recognized as a viscount. The second son, Guillaume Raymond I , after the death in 1173 of the Seneschal, Guillaume Ramon II, inherited the lord of Moncad ^{[4] [5]} .

Wife: earlier June 10, 1164 ^[2] Maria (d. 1186), Viscountess of Bearn, Gabardan and Brulois in 1170–1173. Children:

• Gaston VI (1165 ^[2] - 1214), Viscount of Bearn, Gabardan and Brulois from 1173, Count of Bigorre and Viscount of Marsan from 1196 ^[6]
• Guillaume Raymond I (1166 ^[2] - 1224), Señor Moncada and Castellviel (Guillaume Ramon) from 1173, Viscount Bearn, Gabardan and Brulois from 1214
• Saurina de Moncada

• Monlezun, Jean Justin. Histoire de la Gascogne = Histoire de la Gascogne depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours. - JA Portes, 1846-1850. (Fr.) ( Russian translation )
• J. de Jaurgain . La Vasconie, étude historique et critique, deux parties . - Pau, 1898, 1902.

• Vicomtes de Bearn . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment July 9, 2013.
• Vizcondes de Gabarret y Brulhois (Spanish) . Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia. Date of treatment July 9, 2013.