Catalan counties

As a Catalan counties, the counties in Catalonia are referred to those which existed under the Carolingian conquest. From them the Spanish March and from later the core of what today is Catalonia was created.

Origins of the Catalan counties

Immediately after the Carolingian conquest can be found in the dominated by the Franks areas the mention of various political- administrative units: Pallars, Ribagorça, Urgell, Cerdanya, Barcelona, ​​Girona, Osona, Empúries, Rosselló ( Roussillon ). This will get the name of the county. As a sub - division of these counties there were Pagi ( Pagus in the singular), for example, Berga or Vallespir.

The origin of these counties and Pagi dates back to the times before the Carolingians, as the correspondence of the boundaries which proves the ancient Iberian tribes. For example, a match of the County Osona with the country's Ausetaner. Accordingly, these territories must have been formed at the time of the Romans and Visigoths political-administrative units, even though they were not counties. They were not administered during the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo Earl. In the hierarchy of the Gothic Kingdom of the counts were under the Dukes, who possessed the highest authority under the king. The authority of the Count was on the individual cities - usually just inside the city walls - limited.

For their newly conquered territories south of the Pyrenees, the Franks created, therefore no new administrative units, but took over the existing ethnically and culturally founded structures.

Development

With the end of Moorish domination in the 9th century, the counties gradually liberated from the Frankish supremacy and were ultimately sovereign.

A milestone was Wilfred the Hairy, the five largest counties of the country populated as sovereign redesigned and abandoned landscapes again. Taking advantage of the crisis in the Frankish monarchy he received from the Emperor Charles the Bald the right to inherit the title and estates. From this point, titles of nobility were inherited, and King of the Franks agreed to the transfer only.

During the 11th and 12th century, the territorial expansion began under Ramon Berenguer III. Barcelona - the first of the Lord of the Catalans called. The expansion went to the Eastern continent, Mediterranean islands and Occitania. The conclusion of this expansion was the annexation of New Catalonia, south and west of the Llobregat river to the Ebro, which was conquered and repopulated in the 12th century by the Moors.

By the marriage contract between Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronella of Aragon, heir to the Crown of Aragon, was created in 1137 from Aragon and Catalonia in the 12th century largely identical countries of the Counts of Barcelona, a state community which is known as the crown of Aragon.

List of Catalan counties

The Catalan counties were:

  • County of Barcelona
  • County Berga
  • County Besalu
  • County of Cerdanya
  • County Conflent
  • County Empúries
  • County Girona
  • County of Manresa
  • County Osona
  • County Pallars
  • County Ribagorça
  • County of Rosselló ( Roussillon )
  • County of Urgell

List of Catalan Vice- counties

  • Viscounty Àger
  • Viscounty Bas
  • Viscounty Cabrera
  • Viscounty Castellbò
  • Viscounty Meille
  • Viscounty Peralada
  • Viscounty Rocabertí
Carolingian dynasty 11th century Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona Counts of Berga County of Pallars Counts of Urgell
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