County of Urgell
Andorra, 785 CE–1413. Draft, not yet reviewed
The County of Urgell is one of the historical Catalan counties, bordering on the counties of Pallars and Cerdanya. The county of Urgell was carved by the Franks out of a former section of the Mark of Toulouse when the Alt Urgell area became part of the Carolingian Empire between 785 and 790. From 839 onwards it would include 129 villages, the valleys of the Valira river, namely Andorra and Sant Joan Fumat, the Segre riverine area as well as the valleys located between El Pont de Bar and Oliana. The county of Urgell was extinguished and absorbed by the Crown of Aragon in 1413 as a part of the Principality of Catalonia, after the revolt of the last count, James II of Urgell, against the king Ferdinand I of Aragon.
Seat of power: La Seu d'Urgell
Rulers
Borrell, Count of Ausona
Count of Urgel, 798 CE–820 CE
He was the first count of Cerdanya, Urgell, and Osona from between 797 and 799 to his death in 820. He took a very active part in the subsequent conquest of Osona in 799 and the successful siege of Barcelona in 801.
Portrait of Borrell, Count of Ausona: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Guifré el Pilós
Count of Urgel, 870 CE–897 CE
He was responsible for the repopulation of the long-depopulated no-man's land around Vic, the re-establishment of the bishopric of Vic and the foundation of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, where he is buried. Wilfred was the Count of Barcelona (878–897) who created the tradition of hereditary passage of titles.
Portrait of Guifré el Pilós: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, file
Sunifred II, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 897 CE–948 CE
He was the son of Wilfred the Hairy of Urgell and succeeded his father on the latter's death in 897.
Borrell II, Count of Barcelona
Count of Urgel, 948 CE–992 CE
In 948, Borrell inherited Urgell from his uncle Sunifred II. Sunyer died in 950, and Miro died in 966, leaving Borrell sole ruler of more than half of Old Catalonia.
Portrait of Borrell II, Count of Barcelona: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, file
Ermengol II, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 1011–1038
He was the count of Urgell from 1011 to his death. With his uncle's help, Ermengol began a successful war of reconquest to the south, taking Montmagastre, Alòs, Malagastre, Rubió and Artesa.
Portrait of Ermengol II, Count of Urgell: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, file
Ermengol III, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 1038–1066
Allied with his contemporary and second cousin Ramon Berenguer I, Count of Barcelona, together they shared in the process of erosion of the comital authority to the noblesse. They also cooperated in the Reconquista and Ermengol received a third of the reconquered territory, occupying, in 1050, Camarasa and Cubells after taking them from Yusuf of Lleida.
Portrait of Ermengol III, Count of Urgell: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Ermengol IV
Count of Urgel, 1066–1092
Ermengol inherited Urgell when he was only ten years old and ruled under the tutelage of the countess dowager, Sancha, third wife of his father, until he was twelve. It was not until 1075 that Ermengol had genuine control of his county and his nobles. During his reign, Urgell profited economically, collecting tribute from Lleida and Fraga.
Ermengol VI, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 1102–1154
During his minority, he was under the regency of his grandfather, Pedro Ansúrez, but the real power lay in the hands of Guerau II of Cabrera and Raymond Berenguer III of Barcelona. With their help, the young count conquered Balaguer in 1105 and made it his capital.
Portrait of Ermengol VI, Count of Urgell: Comtats catalans 1035.svg: Nekto (talk · contribs) derivative work: Rowanwindwhistler (talk) work: Rowanwindwhistler ..., CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Ermengol VII, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 1154–1184
A major part of his reign was spent in the vassalage of Ferdinand II of León, to whom he was majordomo and tenant of many castles in Extremadura.
Ermengol VIII, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 1184–1209
During his reign, the decline of his house was initiated at the hands of the viscounts of Àger. In 1206, a period of disorder commenced owing to the ambitions of Guerau IV of Cabrera, who disputed the right of Aurembiaix to succeed.
Aurembiaix
Count of Urgel, 1209–1231
She was the Countess of Urgell from 1208, the last of her dynasty. After Peter's death in 1213, Guerau IV of Cabrera, a first cousin of Aurembiaix's who claimed the inheritance, invaded the county and took control.
James I of Aragon
Count of Urgel, 1234–1276
King James I saw the expansion of the Crown of Aragon in three directions: Languedoc to the north, the Balearic Islands to the southeast, and Valencia to the south. His long reign of 62 years is the longest of any Iberian monarch.
Portrait of James I of Aragon: Incipit_Vidal_Mayor.jpg: Vidal de Canellas y cancillería real del rey de Aragón. derivative work: Escarlati (talk), Public domain, file
Álvaro, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 1243–1268
He was the Count of Urgell and Viscount of Àger from 1243. He married Constance of Montcada at the order of James I of Aragon in 1253, but he detested this marriage and had it annulled.
Portrait of Álvaro, Count of Urgell: Peter Roan, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
Ermengol X, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 1268–1314
Ermengol inherited Urgel at the age of fourteen upon the death of his father. At the instigation of the house of Foix, Ermengol participated in the coalition of rebels against Peter III of Aragon in 1276.
Portrait of Ermengol X, Count of Urgell: Peter Roan, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
Peter II, Count of Urgell
Count of Urgel, 1348–1408
He was Count of Urgell from 1347 until his death. In 1396, after Martin of Aragon had become king of Aragon, he faced Matthew, Count of Foix, who had invaded Aragon, and pushed him back.
Portrait of Peter II, Count of Urgell: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, file
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Culture
- Andorra was ceded to the bishop of Urgell by the count Ermengol VI of Urgell in the twelfth century.
- The construction of the cathedral was begun in 1116 to designs by the master mason Ramon Llambard and is therefore one of the oldest cathedrals in Catalonia.
- The cathedral is considered unique within Catalan Romanesque architecture for the Italianate-style features on the ornaments of its west front.
Picture
The Cathedral of Saint Mary in La Seu d'Urgell is the seat of the Bishops of Urgell, who together with the president of the French Republic are one of the Co-Princes of Andorra.
Image: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
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Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.