A concise history of the lords of Perillos

 

Origins

The Perillos’ family control over the village seems to be attested for the year 1114, when a Raymond de Perillos is present at the dedication of the church of Salses. He is listed as a vassal of the count of Barcelona. When Catalonia was annexed to Aragon in 1172, the Perillos’ allegiance equally shifted to the Aragonese royal court.
The family’s history remains sporadic at best, though it is clear that towards the end of the 13th century, the family is present in the area: they seem to have both Perillos and Fraisse in their possession, as written down in the legend of Babaos.

Their meteoric rise in the 14th century

The Perillos family remained the lords of Perillos throughout the 14th century, beginning with one Ramon de Perillos, whose two sons, Francois and Ramon, would be the veritable foundation of the dynasty. Whereas their father would be described as the “lord of the miserable village of Perillos”, by the time his son Ramon died in 1383, the family had risen to the highest offices of the courts of Aragon and France.

The tumultuous 15th century

Ramon de Perillos (“the fourth”) died in 1442. He spent his early years with Alfonso V, king of Aragon and Naples. After being named governor of the Roussillon and Cerdena, Ramon left for Italy. He would remain there until the end of his life.
He died without children. Hence, some researchers have speculated what happened to the village of Perillos itself – who received it – and what happened to the title of Perillos. Did 1442 signal the end of the lords of Perillos? If not, what happened until the sale of the estates to the Durban-Gléon in 1482?

Apart from the fate of the village, it is known that the noble line continued with Francois de Fenouillet, who was a nephew of Ramon. The biography of Ramon de Perillos confirms the existence of letters from Alfonso V, dated February 23, 1428, which confirm the rights of Pierre de Fenouillet to the estates of Ramon de Perillos, whom, should he die without heirs, would thus bring these estates to Francois de Fenouillet.

It is with this Francois de Fenouillet that the mystery of “1442” is solved. When Francois de Fenouillet inherited the estates and the titles of Roda and Perillos, he knew that they had come as a godsend. He had enormous debts and apparently felt that the only way to settle these was to sell off some of his estates. It is on May 6, 1441 that Francois de Fenouillet gave the castle and the tower of the village of Perillos to his cousin, Jaspert de Tregura. Though Ramon de Perillos was not yet date of the time, it seems that Francois was already selling parts of the estate – no doubt to settle debts.

De Tregura family remained the lords of Perillos for forty years. Jaspert de Tregura, who lived in Ille-sur-Tet, then sold Perillos to the Gléon Durban on November 6, 1482. Thus, Guillaume de Gleu (Gleon) became lord of Perillos. The sale was in the amount of 70 pounds.

Confirmation from Saunière’s doctor

In the early part of the 20th century, a local doctor, Paul Courrent, who was also Saunière’s doctor late in life, wrote a history of the local lords of Durban. He confirms the above sequence of events. On page 57 of his handwritten document, Courrent writes about the 16th degree of the family: Guillaume III, Senior Knight of Gleon, Treuilles, Durban and Jonquieres and Lieutenant of the Senechal of Carcassonne. He was also an ambassador for Marie d’Anjou, queen of France, to negotiate with the Queen of Aragon. He definitely was a man worthy of such a title. But though he bought the title of Perillos, it seems he did not use it.
It is only in the 21st degree (found on page 81 of Courrent’s document), that Olivier VII, Lord of Durban-Gleon, uses the title of “Viscount of Perillos”. We also learn that he was the lord of La Belle Auriole and was the justice of Opoul. Courrent notes that these domains were in the Roussillon.

Annexation & the French Revolution

Under Louis XIV (1638-1715), the Roussillon was annexed to France. Thus, in 1659, the titles of the Gleon-Durban family over Perillos were merely confirmed. It was the royal notary Courtade who was tasked with making the inventory of the region, including Perillos for this annexation.
But it would be with the French Revolution (between 1789 and 1799) that that situation of Perillos would radically change. The French Revolution did away with noble titles. It was a dramatic reorganisation of the country, which affected every lord – including those of the “miserable village” of Perillos.

The family line continues

It was Francois de Fenouillet who would continue the line of the lords of Perillos, though it was a title without the land. This in itself was not a major change, as many of the late 14th century lords of Perillos had spent most of their time away from the village, either in Valencia, or the various royal and papal courts of Europe.
The title of Viscount of Perillos continued to be used, even when the Roussillon had become French. The family continued to build strong relationships within the Spanish aristocracy. “Francois Perillos III” married Juana Rabasa, one of the oldest families of Valencia. As the Rabasa line was ending, the name was added to names of their children, amongst these their eldest son, Giner Rabasa de Perillos.
It is in this family that Ramon de Perillos y Roccafull would be born as a younger brother. Whereas his elder brother would continue the family line, he would become the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, in the late 17th century.

The noble line of the Perillos family continued until Giner Rabasa de Perellos y Palafox died in 1843. He was born in Valencia in 1786 and died in Rome, on March 24, 1843. He died without heirs. In his testament, dated February 21, 1843 and written in Rome, he named “Vicente Dasi Lluesma, Deputy and Senator of the King”, as his heir; he would receive the title of “Marquis of Dos Aguas”.

The lords rise again

As mentioned, ever since the creation of the French Republic, there are no aristocratic titles available in France. But the same situation does not apply to Spain, where the title of “Viscount of Perellos” was resurrected in 1999. It is disposition 17551 of the Justice Ministry, dated July 20, 1999, which gives the title of Viscount of Perellos in favour of Íñigo de Arróspide y Valera. The power of the Ministry dates back to a royal decree of May 27, 1912, in which the Ministry can grant these privileges. Whereas the lords had abandoned Perillos half a millennium earlier, the villagers themselves had abandoned the village half a century ago… but the name and fame of Perillos lives on.