The Catalan counties (, ) were those surviving counties of the Hispanic March and the southernmost part of the March of Gothia that were later united to form the Principality of Catalonia.
In 778, Charlemagne led the first military Frankish expedition into Hispania to create a military buffer zone between the Frankish Empire and the Emirate of Córdoba, occasionally known as the "Hispanic March". The territory that he subdued would in later centuries become the kernel of Catalonia (not yet known like that since the first written mention of Catalonia is in 1113). In 781, Charlemagne made his 3-year-old son Louis the Pious (778 – 840) king of Aquitaine, who was sent there with regents and a court in order to secure the southern border of his kingdom against the Arabs and Moors and to expand southwards into Muslim territory.
These counties were originally primitive feudal entities ruled by a small military elite. Counts were appointed directly by and owed allegiance to the Carolingian (Frankish) emperor. The appointment of heirs could not be taken for granted. However, with the rise of the importance of the Bellonids and strong figures among them such as, Sunifred (fl. 844–848) and Wilfred the Hairy (c.870-897), and the weakening of Carolingian royal power, the appointment of heirs eventually become a formality. This trend resulted in the counts becoming independent of the Carolingian crown under Borrell II in 987, and began calling themselves dei gratia comes (counts by the grace of god) and dux catalanensis (Catalan dukes) or even Hispaniae subjogator (subjucator of Hispania) and propugnator et murus christiani populi (wall and defender of the Christian folk).
The many counties (aside from the counties of County of Pallars, County of Urgell and County of Empuries) were to be soon absorbed into the County of Barcelona. The Count of Barcelona Ramon Berenguer IV, married the heiress of the Kingdom of Aragon, Petronilla of Aragon, in 1150, uniting as equals the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona. Thus, their son, Alfonso II of Aragon and I of Barcelona, became the king of the Crown of Aragon.
Creation
The Frankish conquest of the area from Muslim control began in 759, shortly after the capture of Narbonne, with the establishment of the County of Rosselló, the first of what would later become the Catalan counties to be established.Lewis, Archibald Ross. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965. In 785, Rostany (or Rostaing) was made Count of Girona, the first one south of the Pyrenees. Besalú and Empúries were originally part of Girona. When Urgell and Cerdanya were conquered by Carolingian forces around 798, they were also made counties of the Hispanic March and Borrell was made count. He took a very active part in the subsequent conquest of Osona in 799 and the successful siege of Barcelona in 801. He was made count of Osona in 799, perhaps as a reward for his services. In 801, in the greatest military triumph of his long career, Louis the Pious, son of Charlamagne, took Barcelona from its Muslim rulers, making it the greatest city of the Hispanic March's littoral. The County of Barcelona was established and Bera was made its count. In 812, Count dilo of Girona (which included Besalú and Empúries) died and the county also passed to Bera.
In 804 and 805, Borrell participated in the expeditions to Tortosa, but not in the subsequent campaigns of 808 and 809. On Borrell's death in 820, Osona was given to Rampon and Urgell and Cerdanya went to Aznar Galíndez. Also in 820, Bera went into political disfavour and lost the countships of Barcelona and Girona, which also went to Rampon.
Around 813, Empúries became a separate county under Ermenguer, and in 817, it was united to the County of Roussillon. From 835 to 844, Sunyer I was count of Empúries and Peralada while Alaric I was count of Roussillon and Vallespir.
Besalú was made a separate county in 878 for Radulf on the condition that it pass to the heirs of Wilfred the Hairy on his death. It went to Miro I the Younger in 912.
Barcelona soon overshadowed the other counties in importance, especially during the reign of Wilfred the Hairy in the late 9th century. At that time, the power of the Carolingian Empire was waning and the neglected Hispanic March counties were practically independent of its royal authority. In the early 11th century, Berenguer Ramon I, Count of Barcelona, was able to submit to Sancho III of Navarre as his suzerain, even though he was still legally a vassal of Robert II of France. With the accession of Robert's father, Hugh Capet, the first non-Carolingian king, in 987, most of the counts refused to pay homage to the new dynasty. Over the next century, most of the counties were absorbed or became vassals of the County of Barcelona. In 1137, the Count of Barcelona Ramon Berenguer IV married the heiress of the Kingdom of Aragon Petronella, daughter of the Aragonese king Ramiro II, thus establishing a personal union of the County of Barcelona and its vassals with the Kingdom of Aragon to create the Crown of Aragon. After 1173, the Catalan counties, including the vassals of Barcelona, fell under the legal definition of Catalonia, a polity which was officially defined as a principality in 1343. Several of the later Aragonese kings re-created some of the counties as appanages for younger sons.
Catalan Counties and Viscounties
Catalan CountiesCatalan ViscountiesCounty of Barcelona County of Berga County of Besalú County of Cerdanya County of Conflent County of Empúries County of Girona County of Manresa County of Osona or Ausona County of Pallars County of Pallars Jussà (Lower Pallars) County of Pallars Sobirà (Upper Pallars) County of Ribagorça County of Rosselló(often referred to as Roussillon, its French name) County of Urgell Viscounty of Àger Viscounty of Besalú or Bas Viscounty of Cabrera Viscounty of Cardona Viscounty of Castellbó Viscounty of Cerdanya Viscounty of Illa (Ille sur Tet in French) Viscounty of Jóc (Joch in French) Viscounty of Fenollet or Fenolleda (Fenouillèdes in French) Viscounty of Pallars, Siarb or Vilamur Viscounty of Peralada Viscounty of Rocaberti Viscounty of Tatzó (Argelès in French) Viscounty of Urtx Viscounty of Vallespir or Castellnou
Appointed rulers
RulerBornReignCountyDeathFamilyNotesRostany?785–801/11Girona??Borrell I?798–820CerdanyaUrgellOsona820?After his death his counties were annexed by the County of Aragon (820-834/38).Odilon?801/11–817Girona??Beggo755Son of Gerard I of Paris and Rotrude806 – 28 October 816PallarsRibagorça28 October 816aged 60-61GirardidsBera770790–820RazèsConflent844aged 73-74?? Nominated to three different counties in the Hispanic March. Conflent merged in Razès.801–820Barcelona817–820GironaBesalúErmenguer?813–817Empúries??Gaucelm796Second son of William of Gellone and Cunegonde817–832RoussillonEmpúries834aged 37-38828–832RazèsRampon770820–825GironaBesalúBarcelonaRazès825aged 54-55?? Osona merged in Barcelona from 820.Bernard of Septimania795First son of William of Gellone and Cunegonde825–832835–844GironaBesalúBarcelonaRazès844aged 48-49 Married Dhuoda of Gascony, daughter of the Duke of Gascony.835–844PallarsRibagorçaBerengar the Wise790Son of Unruoch II of Friuli and Ingeltrude28 October 816 – 835PallarsRibagorça835aged 44-45Unrochids832–835GironaBesalúBarcelonaRoussillonEmpúriesRazèsSunifred I?First son of Bello of Carcassonne834–848Cerdanya848BellonidsMarried Ermesinde (in 840), and had offspring, which succeeded him; See Hereditary period below.838–848Urgell844–848GironaBesalúBarcelonaSunyer I?Second son of Bello of Carcassonne835–848Roussillon?Bellonids Brother of Sunifred I.835–842843–848EmpúriesAlaric?842–843Empúries??Argila?Son of Bera844–846Razès846? Son of Count Bera I.Bera II?846–849Razès849? Also Count of Carcassonne.Miro Eutili?849–850Razès850? Also Count of Carcassonne.Fredelo?Son of Fulcoald of Rouergue and Senegund844–852PallarsRibagorça852? Also Count of Carcassonne.850–852RazèsWilfred?848–852Girona??William of Septimania826Son of Bernard of Septimania and Dhuoda of Gascony848–850BarcelonaRoussillonEmpúries850aged 24-25 Also Duke of Gascony.Aleran of Troyes?850–852BarcelonaRoussillonEmpúries?House of Blois(possibly)Joint rulers.Isembard of Vergy??House of VergyOdalric?Son of Hunfrid, Margrave of Istria852–858Girona864?Humfrid?858–864RoussillonBarcelona864Hunfridings858-862EmpúriesGironaOtger?862–870EmpúriesGirona??Bernard of Gothia?Son of Bernard II, Count of Poitiers and Belihildis864–878RoussillonBarcelonaAfter 879 Also Count of Poitiers.
Hereditary Rulers
Catalan Counties under Bellonid dynasty
Partitions of the Catalan counties under Bellonid/Barcelona domain
+ County ofRoussillon(878-1172)(Bellonid line)County ofEmpúries(905-1402)(Barcelona linefrom 1325) County ofBarcelona(878-1410)(Barcelona line)County ofBesalú(988-1118)County ofCerdanya(1st creation)(897-1118) County ofUrgell(992-1413)Between 1231 and 1327, Urgell was in possession of the House of Cabrera.County ofForcalquier(1129-1209) Barcelona joined by the Kingdom of Aragon(1137)County ofProvence(1127-1267)Not originally part of the group of the Catalan counties, Provence was inherited by the House of Barcelona through marriage. County ofCerdanya(2nd creation)(1162-1344)From 1276 united with Kingdom of MajorcaInherited by theKingdom of Naples Annexed to theAragonese Houseof TrastámaraAnnexed to the Aragonese House of Trastámara
Table of rulers