Introduction
Montgrí Castle was built by order of King Jaume II at the end of the thirteenth century to combat the power of the Counts of Empúries, and it remained unfinished as these counts became ever weaker. Its construction was started by Bernat de Llabià, the governor of Torroella, in 1294 as a checkpoint owing to a conflict with Ponç V, Count of Empúries, but work was interrupted in 1301 without its construction being completed owing to the consolidation of the power of the County of Barcelona over the County of Empúries. After this it was abandoned for centuries.
The castles of Bellcaire and Montgrí still defiantly face each other, witnesses to the bitter struggle of the monarchy against the feudal powers. The struggle ended with the county being incorporated into the crown, but only after the region had been ruined.