Family history Vizconde de Rocabertí

The Vizegrafs of Rocabertí – Guardians of the Pyrenean Trails

High above La Jonquera, the castle of Rocabertí guarded the passes of the Albera. From this place emerged one of the oldest Catalan viceroyalties. A Dalmau appears around 971 as viceroy of Peralada; in the 11th century the designation Rocabertí is securely documented. The family stood between the counts of Empúries, Rosselló and Barcelona and built its position in this border region.

The vizegrafate encompassed possessions in the Alt Empordà and beyond the Pyrenees. In the 13th century, Hug Jofre and Jofre III proved themselves in alternating alliances, but they held to the crown of Aragon. Dalmau VI gained a large part of Peralada through his marriage to Ermessenda de Navata. The market town became the center of the house and offered more space than the main castle.

In the 14th century, Felip Dalmau I emerged as a soldier and diplomat. He fought in the War of the Two Peters, negotiated in Castile and defended Empordà, Rosselló and Girona against mercenaries. Culture was also part of the Rocabertí world: Troubadours and scholars found attention at their court. In the 15th century, Dalmau VIII accompanied King Alfonso the Great on Mediterranean voyages and received Verges, Bellcaire and the castle of Requesens.

In 1599, Philip III elevated Francesc Jofre de Rocabertí to the title of Count of Peralada. This linked the old viceroyal rank with a new noble title. After Elisenda de Rocabertí, the succession in the late 17th century passed to the Rocafull family, Counts of Albatera, and in 1728 to the Boixadors family, Counts of Savallà. Both houses continued to bear the name Rocabertí.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the families Dameto, Sureda, Fortuny and Montaner followed a line of kinship. Castle ruins, the Peralada castle and rich genealogical collections preserve the memory of a dynasty whose history links almost a thousand years of Catalan border, court and cultural history together.

Sources: Gran Enciclopedia Catalana, Real Academia de la Historia, PARES, Catalunya Romànica

Family coat of arms Vizconde de Rocabertí

The oldest surviving form of the Rocabertí weapons is used: seven blue chess pieces in gold. This arrangement is documented for the high medieval Catalan dynasty.

Seven blue chess pieces in gold, arranged in a staggered fashion in positions two, three and two. Above the shield is a viceroyal crown.

The Vizegrafs of Rocabertí are among the oldest noble families of Catalonia. Their dominion extended over the area of Peralada and along the Albera Pyrenean routes; Wappenevidence can be found in Romanesque and Gothic architectural monuments.

Sources: Armoria, „Los Vizcondes de Rocabertí“, medieval Wappentestimonies in Santa Maria de l’Estany and at the Cathedral of Tarragona, Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana, PARES