Raymond I of Pallars and Ribagorza
Encyclopedia
Raymond I (died 920) was the first independent Count of Pallars and Ribagorza from 872 until his death. Early speculation made him a scion of the Counts of Toulouse, but he is certainly the "Regimundo comite, filio Luponi comiti . . . in pago Paliarensi" of a 920 document.. His father may have been the Basque count Lupus I of Bigorre
and during his lifetime Pallars represented the easternmost extent of the Basque language
.
Raymond was a local nobleman who in the aftermath of the assassination of Bernard II of Toulouse
by partisans of Bernard Plantapilosa
(872) seized authority for himself in Pallars and Ribagorza. The exact circumstances surrounding his rise are obscure, but he had probably held lands south of the Pyrenees
from the County of Toulouse prior to gaining independence. Neither is it clear what part the leading men of the regions played in his elevation, but after the fact Pallars and Ribagorza were not even nominally attached to Francia.
Raymond immediately made overtures of peace and alliance with the Banu Qasi
governors of Huesca
and Zaragoza
, in 884 even purchasing Zaragoza, only to have it immediately reconquered by the Caliphate. In the end, a policy of Reconquista
had to be adopted. Consequentially, his reign saw the encastellation
of Pallars of Ribagorza and the proliferation of turres (defensive towers). Castles were built at Leovalles, Castellous, and Lemignano. 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 also established an alliance with the Jiménez dynasty
of Navarre
. He married his sister Dadildis to García Jiménez of Pamplona
, and in 905 he collaborated with Alfonso III of Asturias and Abd Allah ibn Lubb ibn Qasi in a coup that unseated Fortún Garcés of Pamplona in favor of Raymond's nephew, Sancho Garcés I
.
In 904 he was attacked by Lubb ibn Muhammad ibn Qasi, who took 700 prisoners, including Raymond's son and heir Isarn. He lost much of Ribagorza, including Roda
and Montpedrós, to Muhammad al-Tawil of Huesca
in 907 and thereafter ruled mainly just Pallars, which had always been his political base. He died in 920. His wife may be the Giniguentes, daughter of Aznar Dat, mentioned in the Codex of Roda
, but the text is ambiguous and this may instead be his daughter-in-law. Pallars was inherited by his two youngest sons, Isarn
and Lupo, while mostly-overrun Ribagorza went to his two eldest, Miro and Bernard Unifred.
County of Bigorre
The County of Bigorre was a small feudatory of the Duchy of Aquitaine in the ninth through fifteenth centuries. Its capital was Tarbes.The county was constituted out of the dowry of a Faquilène, an Aquitainian princess, for her husband Donatus Lupus I, the son of Lupus III of Gascony...
and during his lifetime Pallars represented the easternmost extent of the Basque language
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
.
Raymond was a local nobleman who in the aftermath of the assassination of Bernard II of Toulouse
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....
by partisans 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....
(872) seized authority for himself in Pallars and Ribagorza. The exact circumstances surrounding his rise are obscure, but he had probably held lands south of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
from the County of Toulouse prior to gaining independence. Neither is it clear what part the leading men of the regions played in his elevation, but after the fact Pallars and Ribagorza were not even nominally attached to Francia.
Raymond immediately made overtures of peace and alliance with 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:...
governors of 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...
, in 884 even purchasing Zaragoza, only to have it immediately reconquered by the Caliphate. In 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 to be adopted. Consequentially, his reign saw the 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 Pallars of Ribagorza and the proliferation of turres (defensive towers). Castles were built at Leovalles, Castellous, and Lemignano. 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 also 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...
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....
. He married his sister Dadildis to García Jiménez of Pamplona
García Jiménez of Pamplona
García Jiménez was king of a part of Pamplona in the late 9th century.The Jiménez dynasty that would later rule the kingdom of Navarre apparently originally held a territory within that realm distinct from that held by the descendants of Iñigo Arista...
, and in 905 he collaborated with Alfonso III of Asturias and Abd Allah ibn Lubb ibn Qasi in a coup that unseated Fortún Garcés of Pamplona in favor of Raymond's nephew, Sancho Garcés I
Sancho I of Pamplona
Sancho I Garcés was king of Pamplona from 905 to 925. He was a son of García Jiménez, who was king of "another part of the kingdom" of Pamplona and Dadildis de Pallars, his second wife...
.
In 904 he was attacked by Lubb ibn Muhammad ibn Qasi, who took 700 prisoners, including Raymond's son and heir Isarn. He lost much of Ribagorza, including Roda
Roda
Roda , meaning "wheel" or, more appropriately in this case, "circle" in Portuguese, is the circular formation within which participants perform in any of several Afro-Brazilian art forms, such as capoeira, maculelê and samba de roda. By extension, the whole event may be called a roda...
and Montpedrós, to Muhammad al-Tawil of Huesca
Muhammad al-Tawil of Huesca
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Tawil was a muwallad Wāli of Huesca in the late-ninth and early-tenth centuries. Acting autonomously from his nominal masters the Emirs of Córdoba, he carried out his own foreign policy and warfare with both Christian and Muslim regional rivals, including the Counts of...
in 907 and thereafter ruled mainly just Pallars, which had always been his political base. He died in 920. His wife may be the Giniguentes, daughter of Aznar Dat, mentioned in the Codex of Roda
Roda Codex
The Roda Codex is a medieval manuscript which represents a unique source for details of the 9th century Kingdom of Navarre and neighbouring principalities, now Madrid, Real Academia de la Historia, cód...
, but the text is ambiguous and this may instead be his daughter-in-law. Pallars was inherited by his two youngest 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, while mostly-overrun Ribagorza went to his two eldest, Miro and Bernard Unifred.