The viscount of Narbonne was the secular ruler of

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Narbonne had been the capital of the

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

province of

Septimania Septimania (french: Septimanie ; oc, Septimània ) is a historical region in modern-day Southern France. It referred to the western part of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed to the control of the Visigoths in 462, when Septim ...

, until the 8th century, after which it became the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...

Viscounty of Narbonne. Narbonne was nominally subject to the Carolingian

counts of Toulouse The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surround ...

but was usually governed autonomously. The city was a major port on the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

. In the 12th century, Ermengarde of Narbonne (reigned 1134 to 1192) presided over one of the cultural centers where the spirit of

courtly love Courtly love ( oc, fin'amor ; french: amour courtois ) was a medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry. Medieval literature is filled with examples of knights setting out on adventures and performing var ...

was developed. In the 15th century Narbonne passed to the

County of Foix The County of Foix (french: Comté de Foix, ; oc, Comtat de Fois) was an independent medieval fief in southern France, and later a province of France, whose territory corresponded roughly the eastern part of the modern ''département'' of Ariè ...

and in 1507 to the royal domain of France.

Other governors of Narbonne

Muslim governors

* Umar ibn Umar (747-?) *

Abd ar-Rahman ibn Uqba Abd ar-Rahman ibn Uqba () was the Wali, or governor, of Septimania, an Upper March (administrative division of the Emirate of Córdoba) that substituted Umar ibn Umar in 755. During his governing, Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; ...

(?-759)

Visigothic counts

*Gilbert (c. 750) *Milo (c. 752-753) *Unknown (753-759)

Carolingian counts

*Milo (restored, 759?-790? attested in 782) *Adhemar (c. 790-817) * Berà (817-820, also

count of Barcelona The Count of Barcelona ( ca, Comte de Barcelona, es, Conde de Barcelona, french: Comte de Barcelone, ) was the ruler of the County of Barcelona and also, by extension and according with the usages and Catalan constitutions, of the Principality ...

) * Leibulf of Provence (c. 820-828) *

Bernard of Septimania Bernard (or Bernat) of Septimania (795–844), son of William of Gellone, was the Frankish Duke of Septimania and Count of Barcelona from 826 to 832 and again from 835 to his execution. He was also count of Carcassonne from 837. He was appointed ...

(828-829, also count of Barcelona) * Gaucelm (829-830, also count of Roussillon) *Bernard of Septimania (restored, 830-832) * Berenguer the Wise (832-835, also count of Barcelona) *Bernard of Septimania (restored, 835-844) * Sunifred (844-848, also count of Barcelona) *

William of Septimania William of Septimania (29 November 826 – 850) was the son of Bernard and Dhuoda. He was the count of Toulouse from 844 and count of Barcelona from 848. The sources for his life are primarily the ''Annales Bertiniani'' and the '' Chronica ...

(848-849, also count of Barcelona) * Aleran (849-852, also count of Barcelona) *

Odalric Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...

(852-857, also count of Barcelona) *

Humfrid Humfrid was the count of Barcelona, Girona, Empúries, Roussillon, and Narbonne from 858 to 864. He also bore the title margrave of Gothia (''Gothiæ marchio''), as he held several frontier counties.The source for his famous title is the ''Annales ...

(857-865, also count of Barcelona) *

Bernard of Gothia Bernard II (in Catalan, ''Bernat de Gothia'') was the count of Barcelona, Girona and margrave of Gothia and Septimania from 865 to 878. Origins Bernard was the son of Count Bernard I of Poitiers (814-844) and Bilichilde, daughter of Count Ro ...

(865-878, also count of Barcelona) *

Bernard Plantapilosa Bernard Plantapilosa or Bernard II of Auvergne (22 March 841-886), or Plantevelue, son of Bernard of Septimania and Dhuoda, was the Count of Auvergne (as Bernard II) from 872 to his death. The Emperor Charles the Fat granted him the title of Margr ...

(878) After 830 the counts were gradually reduced to viscounts.

Carolingian ''vigerii''

*Magnari (c. 790-c. 800) *Esturmio (800-811) *Quixilà (811-817)

Viscounts of Narbonne

Independent viscounts

*Lindoi (876-878) *Maiol I (878-911) *Gauger or Gualquer (c. 911) *Francis II (c. 911-924) *Odo I (924-933) **Volverad (with Odo, c. 924-926) *Matfred I (933-966 or 969) *Raymond I (c. 969-1019/1023) *Béranger (1019/1023-c. 1066) *Raymond II (1066-1067) *Bernard (1066-c. 1077) * Aimery I (1077-1105) * Aimery II (1105-1134) * Ermengarde (1134-1192) **

Alphonse I of Toulouse Alfonso Jordan, also spelled Alfons Jordan or Alphonse Jourdain (1103–1148), was the Count of Tripoli (1105–09), Count of Rouergue (1109–48) and Count of Toulouse, Margrave of Provence and Duke of Narbonne (1112–48). Life Alfonso was t ...

claimed the regency of Narbonne from 1134 to 1143 during Ermengarde's minority **

Aimerico Manrique de Lara Aimerico Manrique de Lara or Aimeric ( 1152 – 14 October 1177) was the co-ruler of the Viscounty of Narbonne from 1167 and self-styled Duke of Narbonne from 1172. He was the nephew and heir of the Viscountess Ermengarda. He appears briefly to ha ...

was the heir presumptive to his aunt, Ermengarde, from 1167 to his death in 1177

House of Lara

* Peter of Lara (1192-1202) * Aimery III (1202-1239) *Amalric I (1239-1270) * Aimery IV (1270-1298) *Amalric II (1298-1328) *Aimery V (1328-1336) *Amalric III (1336-1341) * Aimery VI (1341-1388) *William I (1388-1397) * William II (1397-1424)

House of Tinières

*Peter of Tinières (1424-1447, ruled as William III)

House of Foix

* Gaston IV of Foix-Grailly (1447-1468, also

count of Foix The Count of Foix ruled the independent County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their court ...

) * John of Foix (1468-1500, also count of Étampes) * Gaston of Foix (1500-1507, also duke of Nemours and count of Étampes) In 1507, Narbonne passed to

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and b ...

Sources

* Jacqueline Caille, "Ermengarde, vicomtesse de Narbonne (1127/29-1196/97). Une grande figure féminine du midi aristocratique", in ''La femme dans l'histoire et la société méridionales (IXe-XIXe siècles), Actes du 66e congrès de la Fédération Historique du Languedoc Méditerranéen et du Roussillon'' (Narbonne, October 15-16, 1994), Montpellier, 1995, pages 9-50. * Thierry Stasser, "La maison vicomtale de Narbonne aux Xe et XIe siècles", Annales du Midi, v. 204, 1993, p. 489-507.