Osona
Encyclopedia
County of Osona was one of the Catalan counties
of the Marca Hispanica
in the Early
and High Middle Ages
. It was based around the capital city of Vic
(Vicus) and the corresponding diocese, whose territory was roughly the current comarca
of Osona
.
The ancient diocese of Osona was conquered by the Arabs in the early eighth century. Its reconquest by Christian powers
began in 798; in that year Louis of Aquitaine
ordered a Goth Borrel to enter the abandoned region and repair the castles of Vic, Cardona
, and Casserès. Vic was in Frankish hands by 799. After the successful siege of Barcelona
in 801, Borrel, already Count of Cerdanya and Urgel, received Osona as a countship from his liege lord, King Louis. On Borrel's death, Osona was granted to the Frankish
Count of Barcelona, Rampo
. After the rebellion of 826, during which Guillemó
and Aissó
succeeded in taking it with help from the Emirate of Córdoba, Osona remained depopulated and outside of Frankish control until 879. It was united to Barcelona throughout that period.
In 879, Wilfred the Hairy
began the repopulation
of the county with free minores, who cultivated the lands given them as aprisiones; they turned Osona into a central and important part of Catalonia. There was a viscounty of Osona from 900. The viscounts controlled the region on behalf of the counts, who were usually resident in Barcelona. The viscountship later changed its name to Viscounty of Cabrera. Wilfred, who established the viscounty, also built new castles along the frontier of Osona, at Torello
(881), Montgrony (887), and Tarabaldi (892). All these fortresses were controlled either directly by the count or by a castellan who also controlled the appendici or surrounding territory on certain specific terms. The castle, in fact, and its mandamenta (commandment) were the central organising feature of Osona after its repopulation. Wilfred also reorganised the church in Osona — after the bishopric, Wilfred's foundation of the convent of Saint-Joan de les Abadesses, originally under his daughter Emma, was the most important ecclesiastical institution in the county — and introduced serfdom
on a limited scale.
Throughout the tenth century, Osona remained tied to Barcelona (except for the brief rule of Ermengol from 939 to 943). In 990, the small pagus
of Berga
was detached from it and granted to the Cerdagne. In 1035, Ausona was detached from Barcelona for a second brief stint when Berengar Raymond I left it to his widow, Guisla de Lluça, on his death. She ruled it with her son William until she remarried and he renounced it. After that it was reatached to Barcelona, but was augmented by the addition of the County of Manresa
, which was subsumed within Ausona and ceased to be a distinct polity in the region.
Raymond Berengar III ceded the county as a dowry to Bernard III of Besalú, the husband of his daughter Jimena in 1107. When both Jimena and Bernard died without heirs, Ausona returned to Barcelona. This was to be the final straw for the nominally distinct county. The use of the term "County" or "Count of Ausona" disappeared subsequently. The title was revived for the Cabrera
family in 1373 and it passed to the Montcada in 1574 and the Medinaceli
in 1722, but none of these families ever controlled the feudal region.
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....
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 Early
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
and High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
. It was based around the capital city of Vic
Vic
Vic is the capital of the comarca of Osona, in the Barcelona Province, Catalonia, Spain. Vic's location, only 69 km far from Barcelona and 60 km from Girona, has made it one of the most important towns in central Catalonia.-History:...
(Vicus) and the corresponding diocese, whose territory was roughly the current comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of Osona
Osona (comarca)
Osona is a comarca situated in central Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Vic. Its population is 129,543. Osona covers roughly the same area as the historic Catalan county of Osona. The name Osona comes from Ausetans, a group of Iberian people that had their capital in Ausa ; the Romans called the...
.
The ancient diocese of Osona was conquered by the Arabs in the early eighth century. Its reconquest by Christian powers
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...
began in 798; in that year Louis of Aquitaine
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...
ordered a Goth Borrel to enter the abandoned region and repair the castles of Vic, Cardona
Cardona
Cardona is a town ìn Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona; about 90 km northwest of the city of Barcelona, on a hill almost surrounded by the river Cardoner, a branch of the Llobregat.Near the town is an extensive deposit of rock salt...
, and Casserès. Vic was in Frankish hands by 799. After the successful siege of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 801, Borrel, already Count of Cerdanya and Urgel, received Osona as a countship from his liege lord, King Louis. On Borrel's death, Osona was granted to the 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...
Count of Barcelona, Rampo
Rampo
Rampo may refer to:*Edogawa Rampo, Japanese writer*Rampo , a 1994 Japanese film inspired by the works of Edogawa Rampo* Rampó or Rampon, Count of Barcelona...
. After the rebellion of 826, during which Guillemó
Guillemó
Guillemundus was count of Razès and Conflent, in what is now southern France.He was son of Bera of Barcelona. He received these counties from delegation of his father and retained them when Bera died in 820...
and Aissó
Aissó
Ayxun ibn Sulayman ibn Yaqdhan al-Arabí better known as Ayxun or Aissó was an Islamic or a Goth nobleman who led a revolt in Barcelona, Ausona, and Girona in 826 to 827....
succeeded in taking it with help from the Emirate of Córdoba, Osona remained depopulated and outside of Frankish control until 879. It was united to Barcelona throughout that period.
In 879, Wilfred the Hairy
Wilfred the Hairy
Wilfred or Wifred, called the Hairy, was Count of Urgell , Cerdanya , Barcelona , Girona , Besalú , and Ausona ....
began the repopulation
Repoblación
The Repoblación was the ninth-century repopulating of a large region between the River Duero and the Cantabrian Cordillera which had been depopulated in the early years of the Reconquista....
of the county with free minores, who cultivated the lands given them as aprisiones; they turned Osona into a central and important part of Catalonia. There was a viscounty of Osona from 900. The viscounts controlled the region on behalf of the counts, who were usually resident in Barcelona. The viscountship later changed its name to Viscounty of Cabrera. Wilfred, who established the viscounty, also built new castles along the frontier of Osona, at Torello
Torelló
Torelló is a Spanish municipality in the comarca of Osona, in the Province of Barcelona, Catalonia. As of 2009 its population was of 13,808.-Geography:...
(881), Montgrony (887), and Tarabaldi (892). All these fortresses were controlled either directly by the count or by a castellan who also controlled the appendici or surrounding territory on certain specific terms. The castle, in fact, and its mandamenta (commandment) were the central organising feature of Osona after its repopulation. Wilfred also reorganised the church in Osona — after the bishopric, Wilfred's foundation of the convent of Saint-Joan de les Abadesses, originally under his daughter Emma, was the most important ecclesiastical institution in the county — and introduced serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
on a limited scale.
Throughout the tenth century, Osona remained tied to Barcelona (except for the brief rule of Ermengol from 939 to 943). In 990, the small pagus
Pagus
In the later Western Roman Empire, following the reorganization of Diocletian, a pagus became the smallest administrative district of a province....
of Berga
Berga
Berga is the capital of the comarca of Berguedà, in Catalonia, Spain.- History :Berga derives its name from the Bergistani, an Iberian tribe that lived in the area before the Roman conquest. The Bergistani were first subdued by Hannibal in 218 BC...
was detached from it and granted to the Cerdagne. In 1035, Ausona was detached from Barcelona for a second brief stint when Berengar Raymond I left it to his widow, Guisla de Lluça, on his death. She ruled it with her son William until she remarried and he renounced it. After that it was reatached to Barcelona, but was augmented by the addition of the County of Manresa
County of Manresa
The County of Manresa is a term which refers to the western extremity of the County of Osona, divided into the Moianès and Bages. Through the Reconquista, Manresa was extended as far as Anoia, Segarra, and Urgell....
, which was subsumed within Ausona and ceased to be a distinct polity in the region.
Raymond Berengar III ceded the county as a dowry to Bernard III of Besalú, the husband of his daughter Jimena in 1107. When both Jimena and Bernard died without heirs, Ausona returned to Barcelona. This was to be the final straw for the nominally distinct county. The use of the term "County" or "Count of Ausona" disappeared subsequently. The title was revived for the Cabrera
Cabrera
Cabrera means goatherd in Spanish and Catalan. It may refer to:Places:* Cabrera, Balearic Islands* Cabrera, a town in the northeast of the Dominican Republic* Cabrera, Cundinamarca, a town in Colombia* Cabrera, Santander, a town in Colombia...
family in 1373 and it passed to the Montcada in 1574 and the Medinaceli
Medinaceli
Medinaceli is a municipality and town in the province of Soria . Its name derives from the Arabic toponym madīnat sālim . The town is named after one Salim bin Waral, head of a Masmuda Berber family which settled there in the 8th century....
in 1722, but none of these families ever controlled the feudal region.
List of counts
- Borrell 798–820
- RampoRampoRampo may refer to:*Edogawa Rampo, Japanese writer*Rampo , a 1994 Japanese film inspired by the works of Edogawa Rampo* Rampó or Rampon, Count of Barcelona...
820–825 - BernardBernat of SeptimaniaBernard of Septimania , son of William of Gellone, was the Frankish Duke of Septimania and Count of Barcelona from 826 to 832 and again from 835 to his execution. He was also count of Carcassonne from 837. He was appointed to succeed his fellow Frank Rampon...
825–826 - AissoAissóAyxun ibn Sulayman ibn Yaqdhan al-Arabí better known as Ayxun or Aissó was an Islamic or a Goth nobleman who led a revolt in Barcelona, Ausona, and Girona in 826 to 827....
826–827 - GuillemoGuillemóGuillemundus was count of Razès and Conflent, in what is now southern France.He was son of Bera of Barcelona. He received these counties from delegation of his father and retained them when Bera died in 820...
826–827 - to the Counts of Barcelona 827–939
- Ermengol 939–943
- to the Counts of Barcelona 943–1035
- Gisela 1035–1054
- William 1035–1054
- to the Counts of Barcelona 1054–1107
- Ximena 1107–1149
- Bernard 1107–1111
- to the Counts of Barcelona permanently
Sources
- Lewis, Archibald Ross. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.
- Bolòs, JordiJordi BolòsJordi Bolòs is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Lleida. Rural Catalan history, urban history and the landscape history has focussed his research in the study of the medieval society...
and Víctor Hurtado. Atles del comtat d'Osona (798–993). Barcelona: Rafael Dalmau, 2001. ISBN 84-232-0632-7.