 Upon inheriting the county of Urgell, he exchanged his birth name, Rodrigo, for Álvaro and married Constance of Montcada, a relative of the ruling family of Béarn, at the order of James I of Aragon in 1253.However, he detested this marriage and had it annulled, marrying Cecilia of Foix, daughter of Roger-Bernard II of Foix, in 1256.This was to be the source of great enmity and conflict between the houses of Béarn and Foix.