Mir Geribert facts for kids

Mir Geribert (died 1060) was a powerful nobleman from Catalonia. He was famous for rebelling against the Count of Barcelona for nearly 20 years, from 1040 to 1059. During this time, he even called himself the "Prince of Olèrdola". His rebellion was one of the longest and toughest examples of private wars that were common in Catalonia back then. These wars happened when powerful nobles, called castellans, didn't follow the count's rules.

Mir Geribert was connected to both the counts and the viscounts of Barcelona. His father was Viscount Geribert II, and his mother, Ermengard, was the daughter of Count Borrel II. This meant he came from a very important family!

Early Life and Power

Mir Geribert's main power came from the Penedès region, where he owned many castles. His most important castle was Olèrdola. Even though he had a lot of land and power in Penedès, he felt like he wasn't important enough. He was part of a younger branch of the viscount's family and didn't like being seen as less important. He also wanted to be treated as an equal to his relatives in the main viscount family.

Mir Geribert also insisted on marrying someone from the count's own family, the Bellonids. These big ambitions led to many fights and disagreements.

The Rebellion Begins

Mir Geribert's main conflicts were with the count, Raymond Berengar I. The count refused to let Mir marry someone from his family.

In 1039, Mir's brother, Folc Geribert, gave the castle of Ribes, which was close to Olèrdola, to their uncle, the bishop. Mir didn't like losing control of this important castle. So, in 1041, he got the castle back from the bishop. To do this, he had to promise his loyalty to the bishop.

Prince of Olèrdola

At some point during his fight with Raymond Berengar, Mir Geribert started calling himself princeps Olerdulae, which means "Prince of Olèrdola". By doing this, he was saying that he was an independent ruler and didn't have to follow the count. Count Raymond Berengar I, in turn, also said he had princely power in his own lands.

Mir Geribert openly went against the count's court and the old Visigothic laws after he lost a legal case against the Sant Cugat del Vallès monastery. This showed how much he wanted to be independent.

Conflicts and Submission

Around 1052 or 1053, a special court led by a high official called the seneschal Amat Eldric, found Mir Geribert guilty. In response, Mir attacked and destroyed the lands of the seneschal and of Raymond of Cerdanya, who had made peace with the count. Before 1052, Mir Geribert had also treated Renard Guillem, the younger brother of the count of Cerdanya, very badly while Renard was on a mission for the Count of Barcelona.

Finally, in 1059, Mir Geribert and his followers gave up and submitted to the count. He gave up his claims to lands and rights in the Penedès and Ausona regions. He and his wife, Guisla, promised that their oldest sons, Bernat and Arnau, would also give up their family's claims to the disputed castles and lands when they grew up. They also promised that their younger sons would sign a document giving Castell de Port to the count. All their sons had to swear loyalty, just like Mir and Guisla had.

Mir Geribert died in Tortosa in 1060.

See also

In Spanish: Mir Geribert para niños