Bertrán de Risnel
Encyclopedia
Beltrán or Bertrán de Risnel (Bertrand, ; floruit
1113–34) was an Aragonese
or Occitan
statesman and general. He was a nephew or cousin of Alfonso the Battler
and represented his interests in León
and Castile
during the reigns of Urraca and Alfonso VII. His main activities took place in these kingdoms, where he held titles and governed territories on behalf of the Crown. He was a sporadic courtier, probably acting as a go-between for the two monarchs, but he got progressively closer to Leonese court politics. He is sometimes represented as an elder brother or half-brother of Alfonso Jordan, as Raymond IV of Toulouse
is known to have had other children by Elvira of Castile.
Beltrán arrived in Castile in 1113, perhaps together with two other Occitan magnates—Aimery II of Narbonne
and Ermengol VI of Urgell
—in the following of Pedro González de Lara
, then the lover of Queen Urraca and enemy of Alfonso. He had recently returned from an exile in the County of Barcelona after being besieged by Alfonso in Monzón
. More probably he came in the entourage of Alfonso, who appointed governor of Carrión de los Condes
in that year. The county of Carrión under Beltrán did not corresponded in extension to the same county held by Pedro Ansúrez
during the reign of Alfonso VI
. This county lay along the River Carrión from Saldaña
to twenty-five kilometres south and along the Way of Saint James for thirty kilometres until Melgar de Fernamental
in the east. It is unclear from contemporary records whether these lands formed a part of Castile or the Campo Gótico, which was a region of León. From 1113 they were effectively under the control of Alfonso the Battler. Beltrán's county did not include Saldaña, which was ruled by Pedro Ansúrez until the end of 1117 and by Pedro López de Monforte
afterwards (at least from November 1119 until March 1125).
Between 1113 and 1115 Beltrán was with the court of Urraca, regularly employing the title "count", perhaps as a courtesy to a foreigner. He was probably negoatiating with the queen on behalf of Alfonso as late as 13 March 1115, when he subscribed a charter of hers. By late April Alfonso had come to Sahagún
to meet personally with the queen, both his wife and his rival. The king placed him in command of the city and forced the abbot to make peace with him. He was also appointed governor of Logroño
. In 1116 Beltrán was holding Monzón.
In February 1117 the synod of Burgos appointed Beltrán assertor (advocate) of the exiled inhabitants of Sahagún in a lawsuit against the monks of the local monastery heard before the Archbishop of Toledo, Bernard. The synod also made bishops Hugh of Oporto and Paschal of Burgos responsible for the satisfaction of the monks claims against the burghers and for the return of the latter to their homes. This is representative of peace between Alfonso and Urraca, as the former was accepting Paschal as bishop of Burgos and the latter recognised Beltrán as legitimate count of Carrión. In 1119 Beltrán was again present at the queen's court, possibly throughout the attempted coup of Gutierre Fernández in July. On 8 October Beltrán and Pedro Fróilaz de Traba
witnessed a charter of the young heir and co-regent, Alfonso VII, for the monastery of Sahagún. Beltrán confirmed two more charters of Alfonso VII during Urraca's reign: on 1 November 1124 and 19 January 1125.
Beltrán's marriage, probably in 1128/9, to Elvira Pérez, illegitimate daughter of Queen Urraca and Pedro González de Lara, was arranged by the Emperor Alfonso VII. Elvira, born towards 1113, was perhaps already a widow. At the time of their marriage, which had taken place sometime before 1130, Alfonso granted Elvira the vill
s of Nogal and Olmillos, located on the Way of Saint James in northern Castile. In January 1168 Elvira donated the vills to the monastery of Sahagún in León. No children are recorded of Beltrán and Elvira, but a certain María Beltrán who married Íñigo Jiménez de Lara as his second wife may have been a daughter of Beltrán by a previous relationship.
In 1127, after the Peace of Támara
, Alfonso VII made Beltrán the governor of Burgos. In 1130 the House of Lara
, with whom Beltrán was attached through marriage, rose in revolt against the Emperor in favour of installing Elvira's brother, Fernando Pérez de Lara, on the throne. With his father-in-law Beltrán captured the city of Palencia
(or perhaps Palenzuela
). In June the Emperor besieged Palencia/Palenzuela, capturing Pedro and forcing Beltrán to negotiate. The Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris (I, §18), which accuses of Pedro and Beltrán of "causing much disorder in the kingdom", records that they were put in chains in prison in the city of León until they had surrendered all their castles and cities. Although initially disgraced, after his release he continued to subscribe royal charters down to 1133, although he was never resident at Alfonso VII's court. As late as 1131 he was still holding Castrojeriz.
Beltrán joined the Battler's final military expedition, the Siege of Fraga, where both he and the king died in battle (1134). Beltrán's posthumous reputation can be gauged from line 3004 of the Poema de mio Cid, written towards the year 1200. There he is placed in the second tier of nobility, immediately beneath Alfonso VI, Henry of Portugal
, and Raymond of Galicia, and beside Fruela Díaz
. This is the beginning of the ahistorical "Cortes de Carrión" passage. Beltrán had nothing to do with any of these other figures, but he was connected with the event through his rule of Carrión and through his familial relations with the Lara, probably patrons of the Mio Cid poet:
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1113–34) was an Aragonese
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...
or Occitan
Occitania
Occitania , also sometimes lo País d'Òc, "the Oc Country"), is the region in southern Europe where Occitan was historically the main language spoken, and where it is sometimes still used, for the most part as a second language...
statesman and general. He was a nephew or cousin of Alfonso the Battler
Alfonso the Battler
Alfonso I , called the Battler or the Warrior , was the king of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Peter I...
and represented his interests in León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
and Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
during the reigns of Urraca and Alfonso VII. His main activities took place in these kingdoms, where he held titles and governed territories on behalf of the Crown. He was a sporadic courtier, probably acting as a go-between for the two monarchs, but he got progressively closer to Leonese court politics. He is sometimes represented as an elder brother or half-brother of Alfonso Jordan, as Raymond IV of Toulouse
Raymond IV of Toulouse
Raymond IV of Toulouse , sometimes called Raymond of St Gilles, was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne, and Margrave of Provence and one of the leaders of the First Crusade. He was a son of Pons of Toulouse and Almodis de La Marche...
is known to have had other children by Elvira of Castile.
Beltrán arrived in Castile in 1113, perhaps together with two other Occitan magnates—Aimery II of Narbonne
Aimery II of Narbonne
Aimery II was the Viscount of Narbonne from around 1106 until his death.He was the eldest son of Aimery I of Narbonne and Mahalt , daughter of Robert Guiscard and Sichelgaita and widow of Raymond Berengar II of Barcelona. This made him a half-brother of Raymond Berengar III...
and Ermengol VI of Urgell
Ermengol VI of Urgell
Ermengol VI , called el de Castilla, was the Count of Urgell from 1102 to his death. He was the son and successor of Ermengol V and María Ansúrez.He was born in Valladolid, whence his nickname comes...
—in the following of Pedro González de Lara
Pedro González de Lara
Pedro González de Lara was a Castilian magnate. He served Alfonso VI as a young man, and later became the lover of Alfonso's heiress, Queen Urraca. He may have joined the First Crusade in the following of Raymond IV of Toulouse, earning the nickname el Romero...
, then the lover of Queen Urraca and enemy of Alfonso. He had recently returned from an exile in the County of Barcelona after being besieged by Alfonso in Monzón
Monzón de Campos
Monzón de Campos is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 696 inhabitants....
. More probably he came in the entourage of Alfonso, who appointed governor of Carrión de los Condes
Carrión de los Condes
Carrión de los Condes is a municipality in the province of Palencia, part of the Autonomous Community of Castile and León, Spain.It is 40 kilometers from Palencia, on the Way of Saint James.-History:...
in that year. The county of Carrión under Beltrán did not corresponded in extension to the same county held by Pedro Ansúrez
Pedro Ansúrez
Pedro Ansúrez was a Castilian count of Liébana, Saldaña and Carrión in the closing decades of the eleventh century and the opening decades of the twelfth. He is considered the founder and first lord of Valladolid....
during the reign of Alfonso VI
Alfonso VI of Castile
Alfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
. This county lay along the River Carrión from Saldaña
Saldaña
-Places:*Saldana Municipality*Saldaña, Palencia*Saldaña, Colombia*Saldaña de Burgos*Saldaña River...
to twenty-five kilometres south and along the Way of Saint James for thirty kilometres until Melgar de Fernamental
Melgar de Fernamental
Melgar de Fernamental is a municipality lying by the Pisuerga river, located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2008 census , the municipality has a population of 1,898 inhabitants.- Former Municipalities :...
in the east. It is unclear from contemporary records whether these lands formed a part of Castile or the Campo Gótico, which was a region of León. From 1113 they were effectively under the control of Alfonso the Battler. Beltrán's county did not include Saldaña, which was ruled by Pedro Ansúrez until the end of 1117 and by Pedro López de Monforte
Pedro López de Monforte
Pedro López de Monforte was an Iberian nobleman and castellan. Probably originally from the Rioja, he was most active in the Kingdom of León. He was appointed a count, the highest rank in the kingdom, by Alfonso VII sometime before 1 July 1131....
afterwards (at least from November 1119 until March 1125).
Between 1113 and 1115 Beltrán was with the court of Urraca, regularly employing the title "count", perhaps as a courtesy to a foreigner. He was probably negoatiating with the queen on behalf of Alfonso as late as 13 March 1115, when he subscribed a charter of hers. By late April Alfonso had come to Sahagún
Sahagún
Sahagún can refer to:*Sahagún, Spain, a town and monastery in Léon, Spain. Cradle of the Mudéjar architecture*Sahagún, Córdoba, the second town in population in Córdoba Department, Colombia, also called "The Cultural City of Cordoba"People...
to meet personally with the queen, both his wife and his rival. The king placed him in command of the city and forced the abbot to make peace with him. He was also appointed governor of Logroño
Logroño
Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants...
. In 1116 Beltrán was holding Monzón.
In February 1117 the synod of Burgos appointed Beltrán assertor (advocate) of the exiled inhabitants of Sahagún in a lawsuit against the monks of the local monastery heard before the Archbishop of Toledo, Bernard. The synod also made bishops Hugh of Oporto and Paschal of Burgos responsible for the satisfaction of the monks claims against the burghers and for the return of the latter to their homes. This is representative of peace between Alfonso and Urraca, as the former was accepting Paschal as bishop of Burgos and the latter recognised Beltrán as legitimate count of Carrión. In 1119 Beltrán was again present at the queen's court, possibly throughout the attempted coup of Gutierre Fernández in July. On 8 October Beltrán and Pedro Fróilaz de Traba
Pedro Fróilaz de Traba
Pedro Fróilaz de Traba was the most powerful secular magnate in the Kingdom of Galicia during the first quarter of the twelfth century. According to the Historia compostelana, he was "spirited ... warlike ... of great power .....
witnessed a charter of the young heir and co-regent, Alfonso VII, for the monastery of Sahagún. Beltrán confirmed two more charters of Alfonso VII during Urraca's reign: on 1 November 1124 and 19 January 1125.
Beltrán's marriage, probably in 1128/9, to Elvira Pérez, illegitimate daughter of Queen Urraca and Pedro González de Lara, was arranged by the Emperor Alfonso VII. Elvira, born towards 1113, was perhaps already a widow. At the time of their marriage, which had taken place sometime before 1130, Alfonso granted Elvira the vill
Vill
Vill is a term used in English history to describe a land unit which might otherwise be described as a parish, manor or tithing.The term is used in the period immediately after the Norman conquest and into the late medieval. Land units in Domesday are frequently referred to as vills, although the...
s of Nogal and Olmillos, located on the Way of Saint James in northern Castile. In January 1168 Elvira donated the vills to the monastery of Sahagún in León. No children are recorded of Beltrán and Elvira, but a certain María Beltrán who married Íñigo Jiménez de Lara as his second wife may have been a daughter of Beltrán by a previous relationship.
In 1127, after the Peace of Támara
Peace of Támara
The Peace of Támara also known as the Pact of Támara was a peace treaty signed in Támara de Campos in June 1127 which delimited the territorial domains of Alfonso I of Aragón and Alfonso VII of Castile ....
, Alfonso VII made Beltrán the governor of Burgos. In 1130 the House of Lara
House of Lara
The House of Lara or Casa de Lara are a noble family, known from the medieval Kingdom of Castile.Two of its branches, those from the Duke of Nájera and from the Marquis of Aguilar de Campoo were considered Grandees of Spain...
, with whom Beltrán was attached through marriage, rose in revolt against the Emperor in favour of installing Elvira's brother, Fernando Pérez de Lara, on the throne. With his father-in-law Beltrán captured the city of Palencia
Palencia
Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
(or perhaps Palenzuela
Palenzuela
Palenzuela is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 278 inhabitants....
). In June the Emperor besieged Palencia/Palenzuela, capturing Pedro and forcing Beltrán to negotiate. The Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris (I, §18), which accuses of Pedro and Beltrán of "causing much disorder in the kingdom", records that they were put in chains in prison in the city of León until they had surrendered all their castles and cities. Although initially disgraced, after his release he continued to subscribe royal charters down to 1133, although he was never resident at Alfonso VII's court. As late as 1131 he was still holding Castrojeriz.
Beltrán joined the Battler's final military expedition, the Siege of Fraga, where both he and the king died in battle (1134). Beltrán's posthumous reputation can be gauged from line 3004 of the Poema de mio Cid, written towards the year 1200. There he is placed in the second tier of nobility, immediately beneath Alfonso VI, Henry of Portugal
Henry, Count of Portugal
Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal was Count of Portugal from 1093 to his death. He was brother of Hugh I, Duke of Burgundy, and Odo I, Duke of Burgundy, all sons of Henry, the heir of Robert I, Duke of Burgundy. His name is Henri in modern French, Henricus in Latin, Enrique in modern Spanish...
, and Raymond of Galicia, and beside Fruela Díaz
Fruela Díaz
Fruela Díaz , known in contemporary sources as Froila Didaci or Didaz, was a nobleman in the Kingdom of León, the dominant figure in the centre of the realm during the late reign of Alfonso VI and the early reign of Urraca...
. This is the beginning of the ahistorical "Cortes de Carrión" passage. Beltrán had nothing to do with any of these other figures, but he was connected with the event through his rule of Carrión and through his familial relations with the Lara, probably patrons of the Mio Cid poet:
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Further reading
- José María Lacarra, "Los franceses en la reconquista y repoblación del valle del Ebro en tiempos de Alfonso el Batallador," Cuadernos de Historia, 2 (1968).