Artau II of Pallars Sobirà
Encyclopedia
Artau II the Count of Pallars Sobirà from 1081 until his death c.1115, was active in the Reconquista
and sometimes referred to himself as comes et marchio (count and margrave
), because he governed a frontier district. He was the son and successor of Artau I
.
There is a surviving convention between Artau II and his cousin Raymond IV of Pallars Jussà
concerning the castles of Llimiana and Mur, which Raymond commended to Artau. The castellans (seniores) were to be vassals of Artau, with Raymond having the right to fill a vacancy. Artau is known to have given the castle of Cuberes to his vassal Mir Arnau, who in turn gave it to the monastery of Santa Maria de Gerri
, to which it had been given on an earlier occasion by Artau's father.
According to a now-lost charter, Artau and Raymond Berengar III of Barcelona
reached an agreement (convenientia) concerning the division of lands after the projected capture of Tortosa
(which in any event did not come in their lifetimes). This alliance, by which Artau would have been invested with the castle of Tortosa, was concocted towards 1100 and is one of the first instances of the young Raymond Berengar III (he was not even twenty) pursuing a policy of Reconquista against the Muslims to his south.
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
and sometimes referred to himself as comes et marchio (count and margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
), because he governed a frontier district. He was the son and successor of Artau I
Artau I of Pallars Sobirà
Artau I was the Count of Pallars Sobirà from 1049 until his death in or around 1081. His reign was characterised by ceaseless wars and litigations with his more powerful cousin and neighbour Raymond IV of Pallars Jussà....
.
There is a surviving convention between Artau II and his cousin Raymond IV of Pallars Jussà
Raymond IV of Pallars Jussà
Raymond IV was the Count of Pallars Jussà from 1047 until his death in 1098. He was the son and successor of Raymond III and Ermessenda. His reign was characterised by ceaseless wars and litigations with his cousins Artau I and Artau II of Pallars Sobirà, yet it was transformative in the history...
concerning the castles of Llimiana and Mur, which Raymond commended to Artau. The castellans (seniores) were to be vassals of Artau, with Raymond having the right to fill a vacancy. Artau is known to have given the castle of Cuberes to his vassal Mir Arnau, who in turn gave it to the monastery of Santa Maria de Gerri
Santa Maria de Gerri
Santa Maria de Gerri is a monastery in Gerri de la Sal, in the comarca of Pallars Sobirà, Catalonia, Spain, situated on the shores of the Noguera Pallaresa river.-History:...
, to which it had been given on an earlier occasion by Artau's father.
According to a now-lost charter, Artau and Raymond Berengar III of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer III the Great was the count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 1082 , Besalú from 1111, Cerdanya from 1117, and Provence, in the Holy Roman Empire, from 1112, all until his death in Barcelona in 1131...
reached an agreement (convenientia) concerning the division of lands after the projected capture of Tortosa
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
(which in any event did not come in their lifetimes). This alliance, by which Artau would have been invested with the castle of Tortosa, was concocted towards 1100 and is one of the first instances of the young Raymond Berengar III (he was not even twenty) pursuing a policy of Reconquista against the Muslims to his south.