Legend of the Four Blood Bars facts for kids
The Legend of the Four Blood Bars is a famous story about how the Senyera Reial, or Royal Banner, got its look. This flag has four red stripes on a gold background. The legend first appeared in a book in 1551 by a writer named Pere Antoni Beuter.
The story says that the four stripes were created by Wilfred the Hairy. He was an important leader, an Earl of Barcelona. After a big battle against the Normans, Wilfred was hurt. The King of the Franks dipped his fingers in Wilfred's blood. Then, he wiped his bloody fingers across Wilfred's golden shield. The king said, "These will be your arms, Earl!"
This legend wasn't found in any history books before 1551. However, people already believed that the "Senyal Reial" (Royal Sign) belonged to the family of the Earls of Barcelona. This belief started way back in the 1300s. In the 1400s, some early versions of the story appeared. They talked about blood marks on a golden shield.
In the 1500s, Beuter claimed he found the story of Wilfred the Hairy and the blood bars. He said he found it in some old "manuscripts." But he didn't give many details about these writings. It's not totally clear if Beuter made up the story himself. But it seems likely that his "manuscript" source was either very new or just a way to avoid criticism.
The legend became very popular very quickly. Many historians copied it, making it seem like a true story. But in 1812, a historian named Joan de Sans i de Barutell showed it wasn't true. He pointed out that the story didn't fit with what we know about Wilfred the Hairy. Also, official symbols like coats of arms (heraldry) didn't even exist in Europe until the 1100s.
Even though the legend isn't historically true, it's still a beautiful story. Artists have painted it, and poets have written about it. This legend from the 1500s is different from an older story about Wilfred the Hairy. That older story was written by monks in the 1100s.
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The Story Behind the Royal Banner
The idea that the Senyera Reial was linked to Earl Wilfred the Hairy began in the 1300s. King Peter the Ceremonious said that the Senyera Reial came from the Earls of Barcelona. In 1385, he ordered that shields with stripes be placed on graves in Girona's Cathedral. These were for important figures like Ramon Berenguer II.
King Peter IV also wrote rules for his court. He stated that the "Aïnsa Cross" was the symbol of old Aragon kings. He believed the "Senyal Reial" belonged to the family of the Earls of Barcelona. In his own history book, there's a picture of Wilfred the Hairy's mythical father, Wilfred of Arrià. This picture shows him with a striped shield.
Later, in 1376, King Peter IV's son, John I of Aragon, asked for his family history to be written. This book also included a picture of Wilfred of Arrià. He was shown wearing a shield with the Senyal Reial. Kings were so sure about this link that they often said it publicly. Kings like Martin I of Aragon and Alfonso V also believed it.
Early Versions of the Legend
The final version of the Legend of the Four Blood Bars didn't appear until 1551. That's when Pere Antoni Beuter published his book. Beuter said he found the legend "written" in a "personal manuscript." It's not certain if Beuter made up the story. But it seems his "personal manuscript" was either new or a way to avoid criticism.
Historian Agustí Aloberro i Pericay thinks that if Beuter didn't invent it, he adapted an earlier version. This earlier version would have been circulating in Valencia. He also believes the "personal manuscript" wasn't much older than 1551.
The Otger Cataló Story
In 1499, a historian named Gualberto Fabricio de Vagad wrote a book called Chronicle of Aragon. He said that the first king in Aragon to use the Royal Banner was Alfonso II of Aragon. Alfonso was the son of Earl Ramon Berenguer IV. Vagad made it clear that these stripes were "the canes of Catalonia."
Another historian, Lucio Marineo Siculo, wrote a similar book in 1509. He added a new idea: the symbol came from a mythical knight named Otger Cataló. This book was translated into Spanish. Then, a Spanish historian named Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés created an early version of the legend.
He wrote that Otger Cataló's shield was golden. While fighting, Otger was wounded and his bloody fingers touched his shield. After the battle, Otger said that this would be the shield for his family.
Even though it's not in the Chronicle of Aragon or Catalonia, I'll share what I've seen in old books about coats of arms. The oldest one, with five bars, says that Otger Cataló wore a golden shield while fighting the Moors. He was wounded in his hand. Even though his hand was bloody, he reached for his shield. He stained it with his five bloody fingers, making five lines of blood on the golden shield. After winning the battle, he ordered that the shield stay that way. From then on, it would be his coat of arms and his family's. Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés: Catálogo Real de Castilla (1532).
A Catalan historian, Pere Miquel Carbonell, said that the legendary Knight Otger Cataló had no real history. This was in his book from 1513. Finally, in 1551, Pere Antoni Beuter adapted the Otger Cataló story. He changed the mythical knight to the real Earl Wilfred the Hairy. He changed the Saracens to Normans. Instead of an accidental blood mark, it became a formal gift from the Frankish Emperor. This is how the final version of the Legend of the Four Blood Bars came to be.
The Legend of the Four Blood Bars
In his book, Segunda parte de la crónica general de España, Pere Antoni Beuter tells the story of the Legend of the Four Blood Bars. Beuter explains that the Normans attacked France. Earl Wilfred the Hairy went to help the Frankish Emperor. After the Normans were defeated, Wilfred the Hairy asked Emperor Louis for a coat of arms.
The Emperor came closer to Wilfred. He dipped his right-hand fingers into a wound on the Earl's body. Then, he swept his bloody fingers from top to bottom over Wilfred's golden shield. The Emperor said: "This will be your coat of arms, Earl."
In this event, the Normans entered France. Emperor Louis needed people to fight them. The Earl went to help him with his knights from Barcelona. They fought bravely and defeated the Normans. In this battle, as I found written in some scripts, Earl Jofre Valerós asked Emperor Louis for a coat of arms. He wanted one for his golden shield, which had no symbol yet. The Emperor saw how brave he was in battle. Even with injuries, he did amazing things. So, the Emperor came close to him. He wet his right hand in the Earl's blood. He swiped his four bloody fingers from top to bottom on the golden shield. This made four lines of blood. He said: "This will be your coat of arms, Earl." And there he made the four lines, or stripes, of blood on a golden field. This is the coat of arms of Catalonia, used today by Aragon. Pere Antoni Beuter: Segunda parte de la crónica general de España (1550)
See also
In Spanish: Leyenda de las cuatro barras de sangre para niños
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