| Barony of Santa Pau | |
| Creation Date: | before 1070 |
| Present Holder: | Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada y Sentmenat |
| Heir Apparent: | Tristán Jerónimo Ramírez Ruiz de la Prada |
| Former Seat: | Castle of Santa Pau |
Baron of Santa Pau is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility created in Catalonia on an unknown date, though believed to have been made before 1070, as at that time, in Girona, there are records of a knight named Almérico I de Santa Pau as the lord of this barony,[1] being the first person recorded as such. After that, the title is lost, until it is once again mentioned in 1360, without mention of who the baron was.[2]
The title was re-created by Alfonso XIII in 1916 in favour of Carlos de Sentmenat y Sentmenat, 9th Marquess of Castelldosrius, 2nd Marquess of Oris (re-created in 1915).
The title is currently held by Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada y Sentmenat,[3] who also holds the title of Marchioness of Castelldosrius, which has a Grandeeship attached.[4]
Juana de Santa Pau (whose husband was Berenguer V of Oms), daughter of Hugo I Ademar, due to certain debts owed to her, sued her brother Galcerán Ademar, and later his son and successor, Hugo III Ademar. Sentence was given in 1445, confirmed in 1446 and 1449, in favour of Juana, and in 1456, the curia of Besalú put the barony up for sale. It was bought by Juana's son, Berenguer VI of Oms y Santa Pau.
Antonio de Oms y Santa Pau, in his last will of 1551, established that should the male line of the oldest son of his second marriage, Berenguer de Oms-Santa Pau y de Calders, die, than the barony and the estate shall pass to the descendants of the oldest daughter of his first marriage, Ana de Oms-Santa Pau y Salvá (or Salbá). She married Enrique de Sentmenat y Sentmenat, and their son, Galceran de Sentmenat y Oms, marries Ana de Lanuza. Their son, Enrique de Sentmenat y de Lanuza, marries his sister-cousin, María de Lanuza y Raset. Their son, Manuel de Sentmenat y de Lanuza marries Joana de Oms y de Cabrera, and inherits the barony after Berenguer's male line dies.[5]
In 1694, Manuel II (17th Baron) began a lawsuit against Cayetana de Oms-Santa Pau y de Sarriera, Baroness of Santa Pau, Vavasour of Montescot, etc., who had married the Marquess of Mojá of the Tower, Agustín de Copóns y de Copóns. The Royal Audience of Catalonia ruled in favour of his son, Félix I (then 18th Baron), on 1 June 1730, after his father's death. The sentence confirmed by the same body on 15 April 1739. The Sentmenants had claimed the title since 1694. This marked the start of the House of Sentmenat hold on the barony.
After the death of the 11th Marquess, Carlos de Sentmenat y Urruela, in 2005, the marquessate passed unto his brother, Santiago de Sentmenat y Urruela, who was also the 4th Marquess of Oris. However, Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada, niece of the 11th Marquess, sued his uncle, the 12th Marquess, for the marquessate of Castelldosrius and the barony of Santa Pau, both of which had claim by him, on the grounds that she was the rightful heir to the said titles, as her mother was older than Santiago, and thus, in accordance with a law passed in 2005, she was next in line to both titles.[6] After almost 4 years of legal battles, Ruiz de la Prada, through judicial sentence, was granted both titles.[3] [4]
Early records of succession to the barony are scarse, and thus numbering early barons is not possible. Authors differ on the line of succession to the title, as well as the subsidiary titles held by each baron. Only titles held suo jure are listed.
Other titles: Baron of Montesquíu, Vavasour of Montescot, Lord of Oms, Tellet, Clairá, Sant Lorenç of the Saga, Saorra, the Clusa and Finestres, Carlan of Cotlliure.
Other titles: Vavasour of Montescot, Baron of Montesquíu and of Sant Martí de Montbrán, Lord of Oms, of Rubí and of Finestres, Carlan of Cotlliure and Sant Elm.
Other titles: Baron of Montesquíu, Vavasour of Montescot, Lord of Oms, Tellet, Clairá, Sant Lorenç of the Saga, Saorra, the Clusa, Finestres, Sant Martí de Montbrán, Sant Aniol and the Llobera.
Other titles: Marquess of Moyá of the Tower
Other titles (17th Baron): Marquess of Castelldosrius (Grandee of Spain), Baron of Dosrius, Lord of Canyamars, Castellan of Angles Castle, Vavasour of Montescor, and Lord of Oms.
Other titles (18th–21st Barons): Marquess of Castelldosrius (Grandee of Spain), Lord of Canyamars, Castellan of Angles Castle, Vavasour of Montescor, and Lord of Oms.
Other titles (22nd and 23rd Barons): Marquess of Castelldosrius (Grandee of Spain), Vavasour of Montescot, Lord of Oms and of Canyamars, Castellan of Angles, Baron of Oris, Lord of Vallgornera, Lord of Pollestres, Castellan of the Castle of Voltregá, and Lord of the Castle of Rocafort and of the Priory of San Ginés of Rocafort.
Other titles (24rd Baron): Marquess of Castelldosrius (Grandee of Spain), Baron of Oris, Vavasour of Montescot, Castellan of the Castle of Angles, 21st Lord of the Castle of Vallgornera, Castellan of the Castle of Voltregá.
Other titles (25th–28th Barons): Marquess of Castelldosrius (Grandee of Spain), Marquess of Oris, Vavasour of Montescot, Castellan of the Castle of Angles, and Lord of the Castle of Vallgornera.
Other titles (26th Baron): Head of the Houses of Dosrius, Oris, Vallgornera, Rocafort, Bellestar, Oms, Santa Pau, Montescot, Puiggener, and Rasset.
Other titles (29th Baroness onwards): Marquess of Castelldosrius (Grandee of Spain), Vavasour of Montescot, Castellan of the Castle of Angles, and Lord of the Castle of Vallgornera.
The heir apparent is Tristán Jerónimo Ramírez Ruiz de la Prada (born 1987), eldest son of the 29th Baroness.[9]