Wilfred II of Cerdanya
Encyclopedia
Wifred (c. 970 – 1050) was the Count of Cerdanya (988–1035; as Wifred II) and Count of Berga (1003–1035; as Wifred I). He was the eldest son of Oliba Cabreta
and Ermengard of Ampurias.
When his father abdicated in 988 to become a monk in Monte Cassino
, Wifred's brother Bernard
received Besalú
while Oliba received Berga
. Their mother acted as regent
until 994. When Oliba followed his father into the church in 1003, his county passed to Wifred. In that year Wifred and Bernard joined an alliance of Christian princes to fend off a Muslim invasion at the Battle of Torà
.
Like his father and brother before him, he had a great affection for the church. He participated actively in the consecration of many churches and monasteries, such as San Martín del Canigó, founded in 1007 and consecrated in 1009. Despite this, he did fight to free his county from the jurisdiction of the diocese of Urgell
and thus entered into conflict with Saint Ermengol
.
In 1023, Wifred entered into a peace concord with Berengar Raymond I of Barcelona
and William I of Besalú. In the early thirteenth-century Liber feudorum Ceritaniae
the first folio is illuminated
with a scene of Wifred receiving the homage
of sarn and Dalmau, lords of Castellfollit
. The picture, painted by a different artist from the rest of book, is of a higher calibre than the otherss and is in the Byzantinist
style that was becoming dominant in Catalonia around 1200.
In 1035, he finally followed his father and brother into monastic retirement, becoming a monk in his own foundation of San Martín del Canigó. He died some fifteen years later in 1050. By his marriage to Guisla of Pallars, he had many children:
Oliba Cabreta
Oliba Cabreta was the count of Cerdanya from 965 and count of Besalú from 984 until his abdication in 988. He was the fourth son of Miró II and Ava. He inherited Cerdanya from his eldest brother Sunifred II and Besalú from his elder brother Miró III...
and Ermengard of Ampurias.
When his father abdicated in 988 to become a monk in Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
, Wifred's brother Bernard
Bernard I of Besalú
Bernard I , called Taillefer , was the Count of Besalú in Catalonia from 988 until his death...
received Besalú
Besalú
Besalú is a town in the comarca of Garrotxa, in Catalonia, Spain.The town's importance was greater in the early Middle Ages, as capital of the county of Besalú, whose territory was roughly the same size as the current comarca of Garrotxa but sometime extended as far as Corbières, Aude, in France....
while Oliba received 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...
. Their mother acted as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
until 994. When Oliba followed his father into the church in 1003, his county passed to Wifred. In that year Wifred and Bernard joined an alliance of Christian princes to fend off a Muslim invasion at the Battle of Torà
Battle of Torà
The Battle of Torà was a defensive battle of the Reconquista, fought between an alliance of Catalonian counts and an army of the Caliphate of Córdoba in 1003 at Torà, Lleida. The main source for the battle is Andrew of Fleury, who probably received his information, which is detailed and generally...
.
Like his father and brother before him, he had a great affection for the church. He participated actively in the consecration of many churches and monasteries, such as San Martín del Canigó, founded in 1007 and consecrated in 1009. Despite this, he did fight to free his county from the jurisdiction of 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...
and thus entered into conflict with Saint Ermengol
Saint Ermengol
Saint Ermengol or Hermengaudius was the bishop of Urgell from 1010.He was the nephew and successor of the Bishop Sal·la and a member of the family of the counts of Conflent...
.
In 1023, Wifred entered into a peace concord with Berengar Raymond I of Barcelona
Berenguer Ramon I, Count of Barcelona
Berengar Raymond I the Crooked, also called the Hunchback was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1018 to his death.He was the son of Raymond Borrell, count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona and his wife Ermesinde of Carcassonne...
and William I of Besalú. In the early thirteenth-century Liber feudorum Ceritaniae
Liber feudorum Ceritaniae
The Liber feudorum Ceritaniae is, as its Latin title indicates, a book registering the fiefs within the counties of County of Cerdagne , which at the time included the old counties of Roussillon and Conflent, and the feudal obligations of the count and his vassals...
the first folio is illuminated
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
with a scene of Wifred receiving the homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
of sarn and Dalmau, lords of Castellfollit
Castellfollit de la Roca
Castellfollit de la Roca is a municipality in the comarca of Garrotxa, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The urban area is bordered by the confluence of the Fluvià and Toronell rivers, between which the town's basalt cliff rises...
. The picture, painted by a different artist from the rest of book, is of a higher calibre than the otherss and is in the Byzantinist
Byzantine art
Byzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 5th century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453....
style that was becoming dominant in Catalonia around 1200.
In 1035, he finally followed his father and brother into monastic retirement, becoming a monk in his own foundation of San Martín del Canigó. He died some fifteen years later in 1050. By his marriage to Guisla of Pallars, he had many children:
- Raymond (1035–1068), successor in Cerdanya
- Wifred (died 1079), archbishop of Narbonne
- Berengar (died 1053), bishop of Elna
- Arduin (died 1050)
- William Wifred (died 1075), bishop of Urgell
- BernardBernard I of BergaBernard I was the count of Berga from 1035 to 1050. He was the sixth of seven sons of Wilfred II of Cerdanya and his father's successor in Berga.He died without heirs and his county passed to brother number seven: Berengar....
(died 1050), successor in Berga - BerengarBerengar of BergaBerengar , the third son of Wilfred II of Cerdanya and Guisla, was the count of Berga in 1050 from the death of his brother Bernard I until he renounced the county later the same year to become bishop of Girona until his death. The county passed to his elders brother Raymond I of Cerdanya....
(died 1093), successor of Bernard in Berga and bishop of GironaGironaGirona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès... - Fe (also Fides or Foy), married Hugh of RouergueHugh of RouergueHugh was the Count of Rouergue and Gévaudan from 1008 to his death. He was the son and successor of Raymond II and he inherited suzerainty over neighbouring counties and over Narbonne....
External links
- Image depicting Saint ErmengolSaint ErmengolSaint Ermengol or Hermengaudius was the bishop of Urgell from 1010.He was the nephew and successor of the Bishop Sal·la and a member of the family of the counts of Conflent...
, Bishop of Urgell, swearing an oath of fealty to Wifred II.
