Raymond I, Count of Pallars and Ribagorza facts for kids

Raymond I (also known as Ramon or Raimundo) lived and was active from about 884 to 920. He was the very first independent count of Pallars and Ribagorza. He ruled these areas from 872 until he passed away.

People used to think he was related to the counts of Toulouse. But a document from 920 clearly calls him "Count Raymond, son of Count Lupus... in the country of Pallars." His father might have been Basque Count Lupus I of Bigorre. During Raymond's time, Pallars was the easternmost place where the Basque language was spoken.

Who Was Raymond I?

Raymond I was a local nobleman. He became powerful after Bernard II of Toulouse was killed in 872. Bernard was killed by people who supported Bernard Plantapilosa. After this event, Raymond took control of Pallars and Ribagorza for himself.

Becoming a Leader

We don't know all the exact details of how Raymond became so powerful. But he probably owned land south of the Pyrenees mountains. This land was part of the County of Toulouse before he became independent. It's also not clear how much the important people of the region helped him rise to power. However, after he took control, Pallars and Ribagorza were no longer even officially connected to Francia (an old name for parts of France).

Ruling His Lands

Raymond quickly tried to make peace and alliances with the Banu Qasi governors. These governors controlled Huesca and Zaragoza. In 884, he even bought Zaragoza. But the Caliphate (a large Islamic empire) quickly took it back. Because of this, Raymond had to start a policy called the Reconquista. This meant trying to take back land from the Muslim rulers.

Building Castles and Churches

As a result of this new policy, many castles were built in Pallars and Ribagorza. Many defensive towers, called turres, also appeared. Castles were built in places like Leovalles, Castellous, and Lemignano. Raymond also made his independence stronger by creating a new diocese of Pallars. A diocese is an area controlled by a church leader. This allowed him to control the local church.

Making Important Alliances

Raymond also formed an alliance with the Jiménez dynasty from the Navarre. He arranged for his sister, Dadildis, to marry García Jiménez of Pamplona. In 905, Raymond worked with Alfonso III of Asturias and Abd Allah ibn Lubb al-Qasawi. They helped to remove Fortún Garcés of Pamplona from power. Raymond's nephew, Sancho Garcés I, then became the new ruler.

Challenges and Later Life

In 904, Lubb ibn Muhammad al-Qasawi attacked Raymond. He captured 700 people, including Raymond's son Isarn. Raymond lost a lot of Ribagorza, including Roda and Montpedrós, to Muhammad al-Tawil of Huesca in 907. After this, he mainly ruled just Pallars. Pallars had always been his main political base.

His wife might have been Giniguentes, daughter of Aznar Dat. She is mentioned in the Códice de Roda. However, the text is a bit unclear. It probably refers to the wife of his son, Isarn. When Raymond died, Pallars was inherited by his two youngest sons, Isarn and Llop. Ribagorza, which was mostly taken over by others, went to his two oldest sons, Miro and Bernard Unifred. Another son of Raymond was Ato, who became Bishop of Pallars. Documents from that time show him as the brother of both Bernard and Isarn.

Sources

• d'Abadal i de Vinyals, Ramon. Els comtats de Pallars i Ribagorça, Institut d’Estudis Catalans:Barcelona, 1955.
• del Arco y Garay, Ricardo. "España Christiana: Hasta el año 1035, fecha de la Muerte de Sancho Garcés III" in España Christiana: Comienzo de la Reconquista (711-1038). Historia de España [dirigida por Don Ramón Menéndez Pidal], vol. 6. Espasa Calpe: Madrid, 1964.
• Lacarra, José María. "Textos navarros del Códice de Roda," Estudios de Edad Media de la Corona de Aragón, 1:194-283 (1945).
• Lewis, Archibald Ross. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.
• Pérez de Urbel, Justo. "Los Primeros Siiglos de la Reconquista, (Años 711-1038)" in España Christiana: Comienzo de la Reconquista (711-1038). Historia de España [dirigida por Don Ramón Menéndez Pidal], vol. 6. Espasa Calpe: Madrid, 1964.
• Serrano y Sans, Manuel. Noticias y documentos historicos del Contado di Ribagorza hasta la muerte de Sancho Garces III, Centro de Estudios Historicos: Madrid, 1912.

See also

In Spanish: Ramón I de Ribagorza y Pallars para niños