County of Forcalquier

Origins

The county arose from the division of the inheritance of the counts of Provence in the mid-11th century, when one branch kept rights in the north-east around Forcalquier, Sisteron and the Durance valley. In the 12th century it passed to the counts of Urgell, who ruled it as a separate principality.

Rule and society

Forcalquier was a land of hill towns and pasture along the Durance, controlling routes between Provence and the Alps. Count William IV, the most prominent ruler, held out against the Catalan counts of Provence and the emperors for decades.

Decline and legacy

In 1193 William IV's granddaughter Garsenda married Alfonso II of Provence, and on William's death in 1209 Forcalquier was reunited with the County of Provence. Their son Raymond Berengar IV ruled both.