County of Pallars
Encyclopedia
The County of Pallars or Pallás was a de facto independent petty state, nominally within the Carolingian Empire
and then West Francia during the ninth and tenth centuries, perhaps one of the Catalan counties
, originally part of the Marca Hispanica
in the ninth century. It was coterminous with the upper Noguera Pallaresa
valley from the crest of the Pyrenees
to the village of Tremp
, comprising the Valle de Àneu, Valle de Cardós, Valle Ferrera, the right bank of the Noguera Ribagorzana, and the valley of the Flamicell. It roughly corresponded with the historic region of Catalonia called Pallars. Its chief city was Sort
.
settlement, is linked to that of its western neighbour, Ribagorza. Both territories, nominally lands of the Moors
, came under the sway of the count of Toulouse perhaps as early as 781, perhaps as late as the start of the 9th century. They formed in turn a new province attached to Toulouse and therefore became Carolingian vassals.
A widely-circulated monkish account of 1078 from Alaó
contains the earliest foundation myth of any of the counties of the Hispanic March. Written at a time when the independence of Pallars and Ribagorza was threatened by the hegemony recently created by the personal union
of the Kingdom of Navarre
and Kingdom of Aragon
(1076). It records that Count Bernard and Bishop Ato, both of Ribagorza and descended by tradition from Charlemagne
, spearheaded the conquest and repopulation of Sobrarbe
and Pallars respectively and that the bishop held ecclesiastical rule over all three counties.
In reality, being so far from the centres of Carolingian
power, it was easy for the rulers of Toulouse to act as sovereigns in Pallars and Ribagorza, granting privileges to monasteries in a style very similar to that of their own Frankish
lords. Two monasteries were founded in the valleys of the two principal rivers of Pallars: Gerri by the Noguera Pallaresa and Senterada
by the Flamicell on land granted by the emperor Louis the Pious
himself. The revival of monasticism was largely associated with non-Frankish and especially Visigothic clergymen. Charlemagne
himself, however, attached Pallars and Ribagorza ecclesiastically to the diocese of Urgell
. In 817, Pallars and Ribagorza were made a part of the Kingdom of Aquitaine bestowed on the young Pepin
, second son of the emperor Louis the Pious. Throughout the ninth century, the aprisio had increasingly become a principal form of land division and ownership in Pallars, which was not yet feudalised
. Louis the Pious forbade the holding in beneficium of church property and by the end of the ninth century, most aprisiones in Pallars had been converted into allods: feudalism was never to take hold.
, already Count of Urgell and Cerdagne, usurped the pagi (countries) of Pallars and Ribagorza. He was immediately dispossessed of Urgell and Cerdagne by Louis the Pious (834), but he managed to hold out in mountainous Pallars and Ribagorza until 838, when Sunifred I, Count of Barcelona
, and partisans of Bernard of Septimania expelled him. (On the other hand, he may have reigned until 844, when the Count of Toulouse, Fredelon
, expelled him.)
Opposition to Toulousain suzerainty remained, however, while the Toulousain counts governed Pallars through viscount
s. In Pallars, vicar
s were not employed, rather a minor official beneath the viscount called the centenarius was used. In 872, a crisis enveloped Toulouse when the incumbent count, Bernard II
, was assassinated by the fideles (faithful men) of Bernard Plantapilosa
, who was recognised as the late count's successor by the king, Charles the Bald
. The men of Pallars and Ribagorza took the opportunity to regain their independence from Toulouse. One of them, a local cacique
named Raymond, who had probably originally held them as a subject of Toulouse, found himself count of the territories formerly of Toulouse south of the Pyrenees: the first Count of Pallars and Ribagorza. The loss of Pallars and Ribagorza to Frankish suzerainty was the first step in the gradual weakening of the ties between Catalonia and the Francia.
The reign of Raymond I began with overtures of peace and alliance with the Mulsim governors of nearby Huesca
and Zaragoza
(then under the Banu Qasi
), but to no avail; by the end, a policy of Reconquista
had been adopted. The reign also saw a proliferation (encastellation
) of turres (defensive towers) in Pallars and Ribagorza; castles such as Leovalles, Castellous, and Lemignano also multiplied. Raymond also consolidated his de facto independence from any superior authority by creating a new diocese of Pallars, enabling himself to control the local church. Raymond, a Basque himself, established an alliance with the Jiménez dynasty
in Navarre
, helping them to take the throne. He lost much of Ribagorza to Huesca in 907 and thereafter ruled mainly just Pallars, which had always been his political base. He died in 920. Pallars was inherited by his two youngest (of four) sons, Isarn
and Lupo.
in documents. By 975, their underlings, the (knights) who governed the countryside from the castles, levied dues, formerly Carolingian royal dues, on the inhabitants for the upkeep of defence, and to line their personal coffers. At the same time, a steady advance was made in the borderlands; many charters make reference to land acquired de ruptura along in line settlement along the frontier.
When Sunyer, who had outlived his brothers and nephews, and died in 1011, the once independent Pallars, through subdivision of authority, had become subject to influences from Urgel, Barcelona, and Aragon
. Sunyer's two sons divided their inheritance, with Raymond III ruling in Pallars Jussà
and William II in Pallars Sobirà
.
Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term which has been used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty in the Early Middle Ages. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany, and its beginning date is based on the crowning of Charlemagne, or Charles the...
and then West Francia during the ninth and tenth centuries, perhaps one of the Catalan counties
Catalan counties
The Catalan counties were the administrative divisions of the eastern Carolingian Marca Hispanica created after its Frankish conquest. The various counties roughly defined what came to be known as the Principality of Catalonia....
, originally part of the Marca Hispanica
Marca Hispanica
The Marca Hispanica , also known as Spanish March or March of Barcelona was a buffer zone beyond the province of Septimania, created by Charlemagne in 795 as a defensive barrier between the Umayyad Moors of Al-Andalus and the Frankish Kingdom....
in the ninth century. It was coterminous with the upper Noguera Pallaresa
Noguera Pallaresa
The Noguera Pallaresa is a river in Catalonia, Spain. Its source is at Era Font d'era Noguereta in the municipality of Naut Aran at an elevation of about 2000 m and barely a hundred meters from those of the Garonne...
valley from the crest of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
to the village of Tremp
Tremp
Tremp is a municipality in Catalonia, Spain, the capital of the comarca of the Pallars Jussà. It is the largest municipality in Catalonia in terms of area , accounting for nearly a quarter of the total area of the comarca....
, comprising the Valle de Àneu, Valle de Cardós, Valle Ferrera, the right bank of the Noguera Ribagorzana, and the valley of the Flamicell. It roughly corresponded with the historic region of Catalonia called Pallars. Its chief city was Sort
Sort, Lleida
Sort is the capital of the comarca of Pallars Sobirà, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, in the country of Spain. It is located at 692 metres above the sea, by the river Noguera Pallaresa, a tributary to the Segre. Population 2,113 ....
.
Carolingian foundations
The early history of Pallars, which was the easternmost extent of BasqueBasque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
settlement, is linked to that of its western neighbour, Ribagorza. Both territories, nominally lands of the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
, came under the sway of the count of Toulouse perhaps as early as 781, perhaps as late as the start of the 9th century. They formed in turn a new province attached to Toulouse and therefore became Carolingian vassals.
A widely-circulated monkish account of 1078 from Alaó
Alao
Alao is a village on the narrow east coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located close to the island's easternmost point, just to the north of Aunu'u Island....
contains the earliest foundation myth of any of the counties of the Hispanic March. Written at a time when the independence of Pallars and Ribagorza was threatened by the hegemony recently created by the personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
of the Kingdom of Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
and Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
(1076). It records that Count Bernard and Bishop Ato, both of Ribagorza and descended by tradition from Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, spearheaded the conquest and repopulation of Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe
Sobrarbe is one of the Comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain...
and Pallars respectively and that the bishop held ecclesiastical rule over all three counties.
In reality, being so far from the centres of Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
power, it was easy for the rulers of Toulouse to act as sovereigns in Pallars and Ribagorza, granting privileges to monasteries in a style very similar to that of their own Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
lords. Two monasteries were founded in the valleys of the two principal rivers of Pallars: Gerri by the Noguera Pallaresa and Senterada
Senterada
Senterada is a village in the province of Lleida and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain....
by the Flamicell on land granted by the emperor Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
himself. The revival of monasticism was largely associated with non-Frankish and especially Visigothic clergymen. Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
himself, however, attached Pallars and Ribagorza ecclesiastically to the diocese of Urgell
Diocese of Urgell
The Diocese of Urgell is a Roman Catholic diocese in Catalonia, Spain, with origins in the fifth century AD or possibly earlier. It is based in the region of the historical Catalan county of Urgell, though it has different borders...
. In 817, Pallars and Ribagorza were made a part of the Kingdom of Aquitaine bestowed on the young Pepin
Pepin I of Aquitaine
Pepin I was King of Aquitaine.-Biography:He was the second son of Emperor Louis the Pious and his first wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye....
, second son of the emperor Louis the Pious. Throughout the ninth century, the aprisio had increasingly become a principal form of land division and ownership in Pallars, which was not yet feudalised
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
. Louis the Pious forbade the holding in beneficium of church property and by the end of the ninth century, most aprisiones in Pallars had been converted into allods: feudalism was never to take hold.
Rejection of Frankish suzerainty
The local population — Basque, Visigothic, and Hispano-Roman — rejected the rule of the house of Toulouse and, in 833, one Aznar GalíndezAznar I Galíndez
Aznar Galíndez I was the Count of Aragon and Conflent from 809 and Cerdanya and Urgell from 820. Aznar has been confused with Aznar Sánchez, Duke of Gascony, and some authorities have even considered the two like-named contemporaries to be one and the same person.Aznar succeeded Aureolus as count...
, already Count of Urgell and Cerdagne, usurped the pagi (countries) of Pallars and Ribagorza. He was immediately dispossessed of Urgell and Cerdagne by Louis the Pious (834), but he managed to hold out in mountainous Pallars and Ribagorza until 838, when Sunifred I, Count of Barcelona
Sunifred I, Count of Barcelona
Sunifred was the count of many Catalan and Septimanian counties; including Ausona, Besalú, Girona, Narbonne, Agde, Béziers, Lodève, Melgueil, Cerdanya, Urgell, Conflent, and Nîmes; and Count of Barcelona from 844 to 848....
, and partisans of Bernard of Septimania expelled him. (On the other hand, he may have reigned until 844, when the Count of Toulouse, Fredelon
Fredelon of Toulouse
Fredelon, Freddon, or Fredol was the first Count of Toulouse of the dynasty of Rouergue.Son of Fulcoald of Rouergue and Senegund, daughter of Alda, sister of William of Gellone, Fredeon was related to the families of the counts of Rouergue and Toulouse.In 840, Fulcoald died, but Fredelon was not...
, expelled him.)
Opposition to Toulousain suzerainty remained, however, while the Toulousain counts governed Pallars through viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
s. In Pallars, vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
s were not employed, rather a minor official beneath the viscount called the centenarius was used. In 872, a crisis enveloped Toulouse when the incumbent count, Bernard II
Bernard II of Toulouse
Bernard II , called the Calf, was the Count of Toulouse, Rouergue, Limoges, Nîmes, Carcassonne, Razès, and Albi. He was the son of Raymond I and Bertha. The dates of his reign are disputed: either 865–877 or 864–872....
, was assassinated by the fideles (faithful men) of Bernard Plantapilosa
Bernard Plantapilosa
Bernard Plantapilosa , or Plantevelue, son of Bernard of Septimania and Dhuoda, was the Count of Auvergne from 872 to his death. The Emperor Charles the Fat granted him the title of Margrave of Aquitaine in 885....
, who was recognised as the late count's successor by the king, Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
. The men of Pallars and Ribagorza took the opportunity to regain their independence from Toulouse. One of them, a local cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
named Raymond, who had probably originally held them as a subject of Toulouse, found himself count of the territories formerly of Toulouse south of the Pyrenees: the first Count of Pallars and Ribagorza. The loss of Pallars and Ribagorza to Frankish suzerainty was the first step in the gradual weakening of the ties between Catalonia and the Francia.
The reign of Raymond I began with overtures of peace and alliance with the Mulsim governors of nearby Huesca
Huesca
Huesca is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
and Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
(then under the Banu Qasi
Banu Qasi
The Banu Qasi, Banu Kasi, Beni Casi or Banu Musa were a Basque Muladi dynasty that ruled the upper Ebro valley in the 9th century, before being displaced in the first quarter of the 10th century.-Dynastic beginnings:...
), but to no avail; by the end, a policy of Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
had been adopted. The reign also saw a proliferation (encastellation
Encastellation
Encastellation is the process whereby the feudal kingdoms of Europe became dotted with castles, from which local lords could dominate the countryside of their fiefs and their neighbours', and from which kings could command even the far-off corners of their realms...
) of turres (defensive towers) in Pallars and Ribagorza; castles such as Leovalles, Castellous, and Lemignano also multiplied. Raymond also consolidated his de facto independence from any superior authority by creating a new diocese of Pallars, enabling himself to control the local church. Raymond, a Basque himself, established an alliance with the Jiménez dynasty
Jiménez dynasty
The Jiménez or Ximenes were an Iberian ruling family from the 10th century to the 13th century. They were the first Europeanisers of Spain and brought her back within the wider European political scene while also giving her the political character and division that persisted until the end of the...
in Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
, helping them to take the throne. He lost much of Ribagorza to Huesca in 907 and thereafter ruled mainly just Pallars, which had always been his political base. He died in 920. Pallars was inherited by his two youngest (of four) sons, Isarn
Isarn of Pallars
Isarn was the Count of Pallars from 920 until his death, and effectively a sovereign prince. He was the eldest of four sons of Raymond I, Count of Pallars and Ribagorza. With his younger brother Llop he co-ruled Pallars after his father's death in 920. Their brothers Bernard and Miró co-governed...
and Lupo.
Tenth-century obscurity
The history of Pallars in the tenth century is obscure. It was ruled by brothers of the native dynasty, which had married into the Bellonid dynasty ruling in Barcelona. Pallars and Ribagorza had experienced a constant decline as brother and cousins divided it up, and the phrase in rem valentem appearing in charters indicates a transition from a money to a barter economy. By late in the tenth century, the counts of Pallars, still refusing to recognise any authority higher than themselves, began using the title marchioMargrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
in documents. By 975, their underlings, the (knights) who governed the countryside from the castles, levied dues, formerly Carolingian royal dues, on the inhabitants for the upkeep of defence, and to line their personal coffers. At the same time, a steady advance was made in the borderlands; many charters make reference to land acquired de ruptura along in line settlement along the frontier.
When Sunyer, who had outlived his brothers and nephews, and died in 1011, the once independent Pallars, through subdivision of authority, had become subject to influences from Urgel, Barcelona, and Aragon
County of Aragon
The County of Aragon or Jaca was a small Frankish marcher county in the central Pyrenean valley of the Aragon river, comprising Ansó, Echo, and Canfranc and centred on the small town of Jaca...
. Sunyer's two sons divided their inheritance, with Raymond III ruling in Pallars Jussà
County of Pallars Jussà
The County of Pallars Jussà or Jusá, meaning Lower Pallars, was a county in the Hispanic March during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, long after the march had ceased to be effectively administered by the Kings of France. It was a division of the County of Pallars, which had been de facto, and...
and William II in Pallars Sobirà
County of Pallars Sobirà
The County of Pallars Sobirà or Sobirá, meaning Upper Pallars, was a county in the Hispanic March during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, long after the march had ceased to be effectively administered by the Kings of France. It was a division of the County of Pallars, which had been de facto,...
.
List of counts of Pallars
- Raymond I, 872–920
- Lupo, 920–947
- IsarnIsarn of PallarsIsarn was the Count of Pallars from 920 until his death, and effectively a sovereign prince. He was the eldest of four sons of Raymond I, Count of Pallars and Ribagorza. With his younger brother Llop he co-ruled Pallars after his father's death in 920. Their brothers Bernard and Miró co-governed...
, 920–948 - Raymond II, 948–992
- Borrel, 948–995
- Ermengol, 992–1010
- Sunyer, 995–1011
Sources
- Bisson, Thomas N. "Unheroed Pasts: History and Commemoration in South Frankland before the Albigensian Crusades." SpeculumSpeculum (journal)Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies is a quarterly academic journal published by the Medieval Academy of America. It was established in 1926. The journal's primary focus is on the time period from 500-1500 in Western Europe, but also on related subjects such as Byzantine, Hebrew, Arabic, and...
, Vol. 65, No. 2. (Apr., 1990), pp 281–308.