'Roger Bernard I the Fat' (c.
1130 – November
1188) was the fourth
Count of Foix from
1148. He made peace with the church.
At
Pamiers in
1149 and again in
1163, he had to make restitution of confiscated lands to the church of
Saint-Antonin of
Fredelas. He made a
paréage with the church dividing the government of the lands between them. The count was to have charge of defence and justice. Another pareage was established with the abbey of
Saint-Volusien in
1168, where rents were split between the ecclesiastic and comital authorities.
On
11 July 1151, Roger Bernard married Cecilia, daughter of
Raymond Trencavel, and became a vassal of the
County of Barcelona. However, he avoided involving himself in the count's war of
1159 and concentrated on expanding his own zone of influence, as by a treaty with the lords of
Dun in
1162. In
1185, he was finally constrained to fight alongside the count of Barcelona,
Alfonso the Chaste, in southern France. Only
Bernard IV of Comminges successfully remained neutral. It seems that the count intended to confide the government of
Provence to him.
Roger Bernard was buried in the abbey of
Boulbonne and succeeded by his son
Raymond Roger. He was also the father of
Esclarmonde de Foix.
Sources
★
Histoire des comtes de Foix.