Pons

The House of Pons was a knightly family of Saintonge and Guyenne, nicknamed the kings of Guyenne, whose proven descent begins with Renaud, lord of Pons, attested in 1224. Its rise into the Auvergne came by marriage: in 1290 Geoffroy de Pons wed Isabelle of Rodez, viscountess of Carlat, and their son Renaud IV ruled the viscounty.

During the Hundred Years' War Renaud briefly placed his lands under English protection in 1340, then returned to the French banner by 1345 and died in 1356. His son Renaud V was killed that year at Maupertuis. Renaud VI first sided with the English, but English freebooters held Carlat from 1369 to 1388.

After Jean of Armagnac reconquered Carlat, Renaud sold it to Duke Jean I of Berry in 1392, ending the family's Auvergne rule. The senior Saintonge branch kept the Pons name alive.