The present boundaries of Empordà correspond approximately with the former county of Empúries.

Charlemagne created the county division in 812 ad.

In 894 the dynasty of the counts of Empúries began with Sunyer II, trading relations were established with Pechina (Almería) and the county became an important military and naval power.

During those first years the capital was Sant Martí d'Empúries which is next to the Greek and Roman ruins.

Gausfred I (931-990) was the first count to break political ties with the Frank king and he also coined his own currency; the same independence that previously was held by the count of Barcelona.

In 1079 the capital changed to Castelló d'Empúries because pirates could too easily attack Sant Martí.

The hunger for expansion of the Empuritan counts (confrontations with the lords of Peralada and with the bishops of Girona) brought them, during the twelfth century, to many wars with the county of Barcelona.

Despite these episodes the following counts took part in all the important ventures of the Kingdom such as the conquest of Mallorca (where many people of the county took part) and Valencia, but they carried on their hostilities with the bishops of Girona and their aims to confront the royal family. During the thirteenth century the confrontations with Jaume I the Conqueror, Pere the Great and Jaume II continued.

In 1325 Hug VI exchanged with Prince Pere (son of Jaume II), the county of Empúries for possessions in the Kingdom of Valencia, and put an end to the sovereignty of the county.

Pere I (1325-1341) -who started the second dynasty of Empúries improved the capital town Castelló by building a new Palace for the counts, creating two new markets and promoting the gothic style. But the conflicts with the royal family continued and finally in 1385 the county joined the Crown once and for all. Thus ended the independence of the county of Empúries, the most belligerent and independent of Old Catalonia.

In 1409 king Martí I pawned the county to the Generalitat (government of Catalonia).

In 1445 king Alfons the Magnanimous founded a new dynasty through his nephew Enric. The new count stayed in Sant Pere Pescador and during the Catalan Civil War he fought against Joan II. This war had one of its main events set in the Empordà.

In 1522 Alfons of Aragó and Portugal didn't take the county of Empúries into account considering to the huge landwealth he had accumulated from the third dynasty of the county of Empúries.

In 1650 the county was transferred to the Medinaceli family. They moved the diplomatic archives of the county to Toledo where they stayed until June 2001. The archives have only been returned as microfilms to Castelló d'Empúries, after twenty years of negotiations.

COMTES D'EMPÚRIES-ROSSELLÓ A PARTIR DEL SEGLE X:

Castell de Quermançó