The count of Barcelona (, , , ) was the ruler of the County of Barcelona and also, by extension and according with the Usages and Catalan constitutions, of the Principality of Catalonia as prince (sovereign) for much of Catalan history, from the 9th century until the 18th century. After 1162, with Alfonso II of Aragon and I of Barcelona, the title of count of Barcelona was united with that of king of Aragon, and after the 16th century, with that of king of Spain.
The Emperor Charlemagne conquered the area north of the river Ebro and captured the city of Barcelona in 801. He then organized these lands, historiographically known as the Marca Hispanica, into various counties, one of which was the County of Barcelona, with the city of Barcelona as its capital. The Count of Barcelona, usually holding other counties simultaneously, eventually obtained primacy over the region. As the County became hereditary in one family, the bond of the Counts to their Frankish overlords loosened, especially after the Capetian dynasty supplanted the Carolingians.
In 1150, Count Raymond Berengar IV married Queen Petronilla of Aragon. Their son Alfonso succeeded as Count and also as King of Aragon, establishing the Crown of Aragon. In the Treaty of Corbeil (1258), King Louis IX of France relinquished France's historical claim to the County. In 1516, Queen Joanna of Castile also succeeded in Catalonia and Aragon, forming the Monarchy of Spain. The title of Count of Barcelona remained one of the many hereditary titles of the Spanish monarchy.
In the 20th century, the title regained some prominence when Juan de Borbón, the exiled heir to the Spanish throne, adopted the title of Count of Barcelona. In doing so, he claimed a historical royal title without claiming to be the current king of Spain, especially after his son Juan Carlos became the prospective successor of the then-ruler of Spain, Francisco Franco. In 1977, after Juan Carlos had become king upon Franco's death in 1975, he officially awarded the comital title to his father, who had renounced his rights to the throne. Juan held that title until his death in 1993, when it reverted to Juan Carlos. Juan de Borbón's widow used the title Countess of Barcelona until her death in 2000.
During this period, the County of Barcelona was one of many Counties at the March located in the Eastern Pyrenees and known as Gothia or Marca Hispanica. The Counts of this March were appointed by the Carolingian authorities.
The crisis of the Carolingian Empire, incapable of attending to the requests for help against the Moorish attacks coming from the Catalan counts, resulted in a disconnection between them and the Carolingian central power far North. The County of Barcelona became a hereditary title.
|- |Wilfred I the Hairy<br>878 âÂÂ897||||c.840<br>Girona<br>Disputed filiation||Guinidilda<br/>877<br>10 children||897<br>Tremp<br>aged 46âÂÂ47 |- |Wilfred II Borrell I<br>897 âÂÂ26 April 911||||c.874<br>Girona<br> First son of Wilfred I<br/>and Guinidilda||Garsenda<br/>898<br>1 child||26 April 911<br>Barcelona<br>aged 36âÂÂ37 |- |Sunyer<br>26 April 911 âÂÂ947||||c.890<br>Girona<br> Sixth son of Wilfred I <br/>and Guinidilda||Aimilda<br/>914<br>1 child<br/><br/>Richilde<br/>925<br/>5 children||15 October 950<br>Lagrasse<br>aged 59âÂÂ60 |- |Miro I<br/>947 âÂÂ966||||c.926<br>Barcelona<br>Second son of Sunyer <br/>and Richilde||Unmarried||966<br>aged 39âÂÂ40 |- |Borrell II<br/>947 âÂÂ992<br/>(joint rule 947-966)||||c.927<br>Barcelona<br>Third son of Sunyer <br/>and Richilde||Luitgarde<br/>968<br/>5 children||992<br>aged 64âÂÂ65 |- |Ramon Borrell<br/>988 âÂÂ8 September 1017<br/>(joint rule 988–992)||||26 May 972<br>Girona<br>Son of Borrell II <br/>and Luitgarde||Ermesinde of Carcassonne<br/>993<br/>2 children||8 September 1017<br/>Barcelona<br>aged 45 |-bgcolor="#EECCAA" |Ermesinde of Carcassonne<br/>(regent 1017–1021, 1035–1039)||||972<br>Carcassonne<br>Daughter of Roger I of Carcassonne <br/>and Adelaide of Melgueil||Ramon I Borrell III<br/>993<br/>2 children||1 March 1058<br/>Sant Quirze de Besora<br>aged 85âÂÂ86 |- |Berenguer Ramon I the Crooked<br/>8 September 1017 âÂÂ31 March 1035<br/>(under regency of Ermesinde of Carcassonne 1017–1021)||||1004<br>Son of Ramon Borrell <br/>and Ermesinde of Carcassonne||Sancha of Castile<br/>1021<br/>2 children<br/><br/>Guisla of Lluçá<br/>1027<br/>3 children||31 March 1035<br/>Barcelona<br>aged 30âÂÂ31 |- |Ramon Berenguer I the Old<br/>31 March 1035 âÂÂ26 June 1076<br/>(under regency of Ermesinde of Carcassonne 1035–1039)||||1023<br>Girona<br>Son of Berenguer Ramon I<br/>and Sancha of Castile||ÃÂlisabeth de Nîmes<br/>1039<br/>3 children<br/><br/>Blanche de Narbonne<br/>16 March 1051<br/><small>(annulled 1052)</small><br/>no children<br/><br/>Almodis de La Marche<br/>1056<br/>Barcelona<br/><small>(together since 1052)</small><br/>4 children||26 June 1076<br/>Barcelona<br>aged 52âÂÂ53 |-bgcolor="#EECCAA" |- |Ramon Berenguer II the Towhead<br/>26 June 1076 âÂÂ6 December 1082||||c.1053<br>Girona<br>First/Second son of Ramon Berenguer I<br/>and Almodis de La Marche||Mafalda of Apulia-Calabria<br/>1078<br/>Barcelona<br/>3 children||6 December 1082<br/>Sant Feliu de Buixalleu<br>aged 28âÂÂ29 |- |Berenguer Ramon II the Fratricide<br/>26 June 1076 âÂÂ1097<br/>(joint rule 1076–1082)||||c.1053<br>First/Second son of Ramon Berenguer I<br/>and Almodis de La Marche||Unmarried||1097<br/>Jerusalem<br>aged 43âÂÂ44 |- |Ramon Berenguer III the Great<br/>6 December 1082 âÂÂ19 July 1131<br/>(joint rule 1082–1097)||||11 November 1082<br>Rodez<br>Son of Ramon Berenguer II<br/>and Mafalda of Apulia-Calabria||MarÃÂa DÃÂaz de VÃÂvar<br/>1103<br/>2 children<br/><br/>Almodis de Mortain<br/>1106<br/>no children<br/><br/>Douce I, Countess of Provence<br/>3 February 1112<br/>Arles<br/>7 children||19 July 1131<br/>Barcelona<br>aged 48 |- |Ramon Berenguer IV the Saint<br/>19 July 1131 âÂÂ6 August 1162||||c.1113<br>Barcelona or Rodez<br>Son of Ramon Berenguer III<br/>and Douce I, Countess of Provence||Petronilla of Aragon<br/>August 1150<br/>Lleida<br/>5 children||6 August 1162<br/>Borgo San Dalmazzo<br>aged 48âÂÂ49 |-
|Petronilla<br>6 August 1162 â 18 July 1164||||29 June 1136<br>Huesca<br>daughter of Ramiro II of Aragon and Agnes of Aquitaine||Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona<br/>August 1150<br/>Lleida<br/>5 children||15 October 1173<br>Barcelona<br>aged 37 |-
The succession of Ramon Berenguer IV and Petronilla led to the creation of the Crown of Aragon.
|Alphonse I the Troubadour<br/>18 July 1164 â 25 April 1196||||1-25 March 1157<br>Huesca<br>son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon||<small>marriage agreement with<br/>Mafalda of Portugal 1159-1162, not fulfilled</small><br/><br/>Sancha of Castile<br>18 January 1174<br/>Zaragoza<br>7 children||25 April 1196<br>Perpignan<br>aged 44 |- |Peter I the Catholic<br>25 April 1196 â 13 September 1213||||July 1178<br>Huesca<br>son of Alfons I and Sancha of Castile||Marie of Montpellier<br>15 June 1204<br>2 children||12 September 1213<br>Battle of Muret<br>aged 35 |- |James I the Conqueror<br>13 September 1213 â 27 July 1276||||2 February 1208<br>Montpellier<br>son of Peter I the Catholic and Marie of Montpellier||<small>marriage agreement with<br/>Aurembiaix, Countess of Urgell 1209, not fulfilled</small><br/><br/>Eleanor of Castile<br>6 February 1221<br>ÃÂgreda<br>1 child<br><br>Violant of Hungary<br>8 September 1235<br>Barcelona<br>10 children<br><br>Teresa Gil de Vidaure <br><small>(lover, then wife)</small><br>1255<br><small>(uncanonical marriage, repudiated 1260)</small><br>2 children||27 July 1276<br>Valencia<br>aged 68 |- |Peter II the Great<br>27 July 1276 â 2 November 1285||||July or August 1240<br>Valencia<br>son of James I and Violant of Hungary||Constance of Sicily<br>13 June 1262<br>Montpellier<br>6 children||2 November 1285<br>Vilafranca del Penedès<br>aged 45 |- |Alphonse II the Liberal<br>2 November 1285 â 18 June 1291||||4 November 1265<br>Valencia<br>son of Peter II and Constance of Sicily|| Eleanor of England<br>15 August 1290 <br><small>(by proxy and not consummated; death of the groom during bride's way to Aragon)</small>||18 June 1291<br>Barcelona<br>aged 25 |- |James II the Fair<br>18 June 1291 â 2 November 1327||||10 August 1267<br>Valencia<br>son of Peter II and Constance of Sicily||Isabella of Castile<br>1 December 1291<br>Soria<br>No children<br><br>Blanche of Anjou<br>29 October or 1 November 1295<br>Vilabertran<br>10 children<br><br>Marie de Lusignan<br>15 June 1315 <small>(by proxy)</small><br>Nicosia<br>27 November 1315 <small>(in person)</small><br>Girona<br>No children<br><br>Elisenda de Montcada<br>25 December 1322<br>Tarragona<br>No children||5 November 1327<br>Barcelona<br>aged 60 |- |Alphonse III the Kind<br>2 November 1327 â 24 January 1336||||2 November 1299<br>Naples<br>son of James II of Aragon and Blanche of Anjou||Teresa d'Entença<br>1314<br>Lerida<br>7 children<br><br>Eleanor of Castile<br>5 February 1329<br>Tarazona<br>2 children||27 January 1336<br>Barcelona<br>aged 37 |- |Peter III the Ceremonious<br>24 January 1336 â 5 January 1387||||5 October 1319<br>Balaguer<br>son of Alphonse III and Teresa d'Entença||Maria of Navarre<br>25 July 1337<br>Zaragoza<br>2 children<br><br>Leonor of Portugal<br>14 or 15 November 1347<br>Barcelona<br>No children<br><br>Eleanor of Sicily<br>27 August 1349<br>Valencia<br>4 children<br/><br/>Sibila of Fortia<br>11 October 1377<br>Barcelona<br>3 children||5 January 1387<br>Barcelona<br>aged 68 |- |John the Hunter<br>5 January 1387 â 19 May 1396||||27 December 1350<br>Perpignan<br>son of Peter III and Eleanor of Sicily||<small>marriage agreement with <br/>Jeanne-Blanche of France 1370-1371, not fulfilled</small><br/><br/>Martha of Armagnac<br>24 June 1373<br>Barcelona<br>5 children<br><br>Violant of Bar<br>2 February 1380<br>Perpignan<br>7 children||19 May 1396<br>FoixÃÂ<br>aged 46 |- |Martin the Humanist<br>19 May 1396 â 31 May 1410||||1356<br>Girona<br>son of Peter III and Eleanor of Sicily||Maria de Luna<br>13 June 1372<br>Barcelona<br>4 children<br><br>Margaret of Prades<br>17 September 1409<br>Barcelona<br>No children||31 May 1410<br>Barcelona<br>aged 54 |-
Martin died without legitimate descendants (interregnum 31 May 1410 â 24 June 1412). By the Compromise of Caspe of 1412 the County of Barcelona and the rest of the dominions of the Crown of Aragon passed to a branch of the House of Trastamara.
During the Catalan Civil War the Catalan authorities transferred the title of Count of Barcelona to a succession of 3 foreign sovereigns.
After the Catalan Civil War, the House of Trastamara was restituted as tenants of the Count of Barcelona title and thus sovereigns of the Principality of Catalonia.
In 1697, French troops under the Duke of Vendôme captured Barcelona, and Louis XIV of France was reinstated as Count of Barcelona for some months. On 9 January 1698, Catalonia (including Barcelona) was returned to Charles II by the Peace of Ryswick.
Charles II named as his successor Philip of Anjou, a younger grandson of Louis XIV. The other European powers thought that meant too much power for France. They tried to impose another candidate as King of Spain: Archduke Charles of Austria, in the War of the Spanish Succession. The Catalans were caught in the middle of this major conflict. They initially supported Philip, but then shifted their allegiance to Charles, who was committed to maintaining the composite monarchy system and thus respected the Catalan Constitutions. However, Philip won the war.
In 1714, Catalonia, which had supported the Habsburg pretender to the Spanish throne, Archduke Charles of Austria, lost their war within the Spanish war of Succession against the Bourbon pretender Philip of Anjou.
Through the Nueva Planta decrees, Philip of Anjou as the new king of Spain Philip V abolished the Catalan constitutions and dissolved the Crown of Aragon and merged its territories with the territories of the Crown of Castile to form the Kingdom of Spain. The Principality of Catalonia became another province and thus the title of Count of Barcelona was emptied of real political significance and power. Since then, the numbering of the Counts of Barcelona follows that of the Crown of Castille. That is the reason why Philip of Anjou was called by the Catalan Authorities 'Felip IV' in 1702 but called himself 'Felipe V' when he sized the title of Count of Barcelona in 1714, after winning the war against the Catalans.
In 1808 Charles IV and his son Ferdinand VII resign from their Crown of Spain titles and transfer them to Emperor Napoleon, who kept for himself the title of Count of Barcelona. By 1812, once he had full military control over the Principality of Catalonia, he separated it from the Crown of Spain and annexed it to the French Empire.
Isabella of Spain was deposed by a liberal revolution and went into exile.
After a brief Republican period, the Spanish government offered the kingship and its accessory titles (including that of 'Count of Barcelona') to Amadeo Duke of Aosta and son of the king of Italy Victor Emmanuel II.
A pronunciamiento deposed the Republican government that followed the abdication of Amadeo I and restored the Bourbons as kings of Spain.
In the 12 April 1931 municipal elections, the Republicans short of winning a majority of councilors overall, won a sweeping majority in major cities. These elections were perceived as a plebiscite on the monarchy, and the king left the country and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931.
During the 2nd Spanish Republic and Francoist Dictatorship the Bourbons remained in exile and retained their dynastic titles, including 'Count of Barcelona'.
Although on 26 July 1947, Spain was declared a kingdom, no monarch was designated until 1969, when Franco established Juan Carlos of Bourbon as his official heir. With the death of Franco on 20 November 1975, Juan Carlos became the King of Spain.