The County of Bigorre was a small feudatory of the Duchy of Gascony in the 9th through 15th centuries. Its capital was Tarbes.
The county was constituted out of the dowry of Faquilène, an Aquitainian princess, for her husband Donatus Lupus I, the son of Lupus III of Gascony. The original Bigorre was considerable in size, but successive generations, following on Gascon traditions, gave out portions as appanages to younger sons. The county lost Lavedan, Aster, Aure, and Montaner in the first two generations.
The original dynasty died out in Bigorre in the 11th century, the county passing to the House of Foix and then that of Béarn. In the 12th century, it went to the house of Marsan and then of Comminges and in the thirteenth to that of Montfort. It was briefly in the hands of the Armagnacs and passed between English and French suzerainty during the Hundred Years' War before finally being recovered by the French. In the 15th century, it fell to the House of Foix again and thence to the crown in an exchange of properties.
List of counts of Bigorre
RulerDatesGascon lineNotes Donatus Lupus I 840–?Bigorre line Lupus I ?–910Bigorre line Son of the predecessor. Donatus Lupus II 910–930Bigorre line Son of the predecessor. Raymond I Donatus 930–?Bigorre line Son of the predecessor. Arnold ?–980Bigorre line Son of the predecessor. García Lupus 980–1030Bigorre line Son of the predecessor. Gersenda 1030–1038Bigorre line Daughter of the predecessor, married Bernard Roger of Foix. Bernard I Roger 1030–1034Foix line Bernard II 1038–1077Foix lineSon of the predecessors. Raymond II 1077–1080Foix lineSon of the predecessor. Beatrice I 1080–1095Foix line Sister of the predecessor, married Centule of Béarn. Centule I the Young 1080–1090Béarn line Bernard III 1095–1113Béarn lineSon of the predecessors. Centule II 1113–1130Béarn lineSon of the predecessor. Beatrice II 1130–1156Béarn line Daughter of the predecessor, married Peter of Marsan. Peter I Marsan line Centule III 1156–1178Marsan lineSon of the predecessors. Stephanie-Beatrice III 1178–1194Marsan line Daughter of the predecessor, married Bernard of Comminges. They were separated in 1192 Bernard IV of Comminges 1180–1192Comminges line Petronilla 1194–1251Comminges line Daughter of the predecessors, in her long countship she married various nobles: 1196–1214 Gaston VI, Viscount of Béarn 1215–1216 Nuño Sánchez of Aragon 1216–1220 Guy de Montfort 1221–1224 Aimeric of Racon 1224–1247 Boso of Matha (Mastas)
House of Montfort 1251–1256 Alice with her second husband 1251–1256 Raoul of Courtenay
House of Chabanais 1256–1283 Esquivat 1283–1302 Laura
After this point the succession became disputed and whether the county owes allegiance to England or France was also fought over. In 1360, the Treaty of Brétigny made it decisively French. In 1407, it belonged to Bernard VII of Armagnac, who sold it that year to John I, Count of Foix. From then on it is a subsidiary title of the counts of Foix.
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