Ponce Giraldo de Cabrera

Ponç II Guerau de Cabrera (Spanish Ponce Giraldo de Cabrera, German Pontius Geraldus of Cabrera; † between January 1, 1162 and May 25, 1163 ) was a Catalan nobleman from the House Cabrera, who in the 12th century at the court of Spanish Emperor Alfonso VII of León - Castile came to high office. He was a son of the Guerau Ponç II († 1131/32 ), from whom he inherited the vice county of Girona and the rule of Cabrera and Àger. His mother was probably the second wife of his father named Elvira, who came from the Leonese nobility.

Life

In a deed of gift from his father in 1124 Ponç is guaranteed in writing for the first time as a witness. In a deed dated October 27, 1128 he was first named as Lord of the imperial castle of Ulver (now Cornatel ) called in the Kingdom of León. Apparently he had come in the wake of Berenguela Barcelona at the court of King Alfonso VII of León - Castile, on the occasion of their wedding in November 1127th In the following years Ponç is in possession of various other goods in the border region of León, Galicia and Portugal to occupied. Overall, he had acquired a closed rule territory here, the Sierra de La Cabrera included, who coincidentally bore his name. For the first time he is dubbed directly as lord of this region on 13 May 1138. Since the royal court day from March 25, 1129 in Palencia Ponç was to meet regularly in the personal environment of Alfonso VII, whose confidant he became. The king had let himself in 1135 crowned " Emperor of all Spain ".

1139 Ponç was involved in the conquest of Colmenar de Oreja, and in the spring of 1142 in the conquest of Coria, where it is called here in a document issued by Alfonso VII on June 6 certificate for the first time as the " Prince of Zamora ". About the same time he must have been endowed with the goods in Salamanca and Castrotorafe, in whose possession it is attested little later. In the same year he took part in a raid on Portugal. On October 5, 1143 Alfonso VII held in Zamora from a court day, in which he gave Ponç the village Moreruela de Frades, who in turn handed it to a group of Cistercian monks who founded a monastery there. Signed in the same month Ponç in Nájera a deed of gift of the Emperor to the abbey of Cluny, where he for the first time had been titled as comes, indicating its inclusion in the highest circle of leónesisch Castilian nobility. On May 4, 1145, he is finally called for the first time in Toledo, Office of the " imperial mayor of the palace " ( maiordomus imperatoris ), which he held until the death of Alfonso VII in August 1157. In these years Ponç was involved in all the major campaigns of the Emperor against the Almoravids of al -Andalus, as in 1147 when taking Calatrava, Baeza and Almería, and 1150/51 in the conquest of Córdoba and Jaén. In the rhyme poetry Prefatio de Almaria which lyrically describes the conquest of Almería, he is once praised because of its knightly valor. For his services he was honored by the Emperor with various land grants.

After the death of Alfonso VII whose empire was among his sons Sancho III. and Ferdinand II divided. Although most of his possessions were in the territory of the latter, to Ponç joined the entourage of the former, which earned him the enmity of Ferdinand II. During his absence it had come in Zamora to a popular uprising, the " Motin de la trucha " ( trout uprising ), in which, among other things, his son in the church of Santa María died, which was set on fire by the rebels. King Ferdinand II pardoned the rebels and deprived Ponç fact his rule over Zamora. Only after Sancho III. had reconciled in the Treaty of Sahagún on May 23, 1158 with his brother, Ponç could take over his Leonesic possessions again. When Sancho III. still died the same year, Ponç finally went over to the camp of Ferdinand II and has since been regularly referred to in the Hofgefolge. As of June 14, 1159 he is even occupied the office of maiordomus for Ferdinand II, which he held until his death. The last time Ponç for January 1, 1162 and documented in writing, when he donated in Zamora -actuated to the abbey of Samos. He died before May 25, 1163 and was buried in the Cathedral of Zamora, because his children actuated on that day a land grant to the canons of Zamora for the salvation of her father.

Family

The first wife of Ponç II Guerau de Cabrera was called Sancha ( † after 1165 ), of which he must have still separated into the 1120er years. They had two sons:

• N. N. († 1157 in Zamora).
• Guerau III. Ponç ( † after 1165 ).

His second wife was María Fernández called on March 26, 1142, first documented as such. She was the daughter of the powerful Galician count Fernando Pérez of Traba, who had been the tutor of the young King Ferdinand II. She was buried after her death in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The children from this marriage inherited the Leonese possession.

• Fernando Ponce de Cabrera, 1162 named as Mr. Sanabria.
• Sancha de Cabrera; ∞ with Gutiérrez Vela, in 1149 after succeeding his father called as Lord of La Cabrera.