County of Manresa
Encyclopedia
The County of Manresa is a term which refers to the western extremity of the County of Osona, divided into the Moianès and Bages
. Through the Reconquista
, Manresa was extended as far as Anoia
, Segarra
, and Urgell
.
The castle at Manresa
dates from the last quarter of the ninth century. In that period, the region, depopulated since the rebellion of Aissó
in the 826, was repopulated by settlers from the overpopulated regions of Pallars
and Cerdanya. The repopulated regions came under the control of Wilfred the Hairy
, who gave them their ecclesiastical and political organisation. The Valle de Lord was attached to the County of Urgell and the pagus
of Berga
(Berguedà
) to the County of Cerdanya, but the region of the Ripollès
, the Lluçanès
, the Plana de Vic, and the Guilleries
were structured around the city of Ausa, a region which in ancient times had been ethnically distinct, inhabited by the Ausetani
. The County of Ausona was thus born and to it Wilfred attached the Moianés and Bages, which already had their own traditional capital, Manresa, which had historically been the region of the Laceti.
From the year 906, it is clear from documents that Manresa never possessed any judicial or administrative significance — it never had a viscount
— rather it was a geographical unit solely. The centre of Manresa was the pagus of the same name. The most notable difference between Manresa and the rest of Ausona was due to privileges granted by King Odo in 889 and 890 whereby he gave Manresa the right, because of its position on the front line against Moorish aggression, to build towers of defence called manresanas or manresanes. Manresa fell into disuses as a term in the twelfth century, when the county was divided into vegueria
s.
Bages
Bages is a comarca in the center of Catalonia, Spain. It includes two subcomarques, el Moianès and el Lluçanès.Industries include the mining of potash at Súria and Sallent, and the manufacture of textiles along the rivers Llobregat and Cardener...
. Through the Reconquista
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...
, Manresa was extended as far as Anoia
Anoia
Anoia is a comarca in central Catalonia, Spain, with its capital at Igualada.The comarca of l'Anoia is irrigated by the Anoia River; the leading industry is the making of paper....
, Segarra
Segarra
Segarra is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, situated on a high plain. Historically, the name referred to a larger area than the current comarca. It has a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers, and between 350 and 450 mm of rainfall per year. It is a grain-growing region, with some...
, and Urgell
Urgell
The County of Urgell is one of the historical Catalan counties, bordering on the counties of Pallars and Cerdanya.The county was carved by the Franks out of a former section of the Mark of Toulouse when the Alt Urgell area became part of the Carolingian Empire between 785 and 790.The original...
.
The castle at Manresa
Manresa
Manresa is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographic centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged around the basilica of Santa María de la Seo....
dates from the last quarter of the ninth century. In that period, the region, depopulated since the rebellion of Aissó
Aissó
Ayxun ibn Sulayman ibn Yaqdhan al-Arabí better known as Ayxun or Aissó was an Islamic or a Goth nobleman who led a revolt in Barcelona, Ausona, and Girona in 826 to 827....
in the 826, was repopulated by settlers from the overpopulated regions of Pallars
County of Pallars
The County of Pallars or Pallás was a de facto independent petty state, nominally within the Carolingian Empire and then West Francia during the ninth and tenth centuries, perhaps one of the Catalan counties, originally part of the Marca Hispanica in the ninth century...
and Cerdanya. The repopulated regions came under the control of Wilfred the Hairy
Wilfred the Hairy
Wilfred or Wifred, called the Hairy, was Count of Urgell , Cerdanya , Barcelona , Girona , Besalú , and Ausona ....
, who gave them their ecclesiastical and political organisation. The Valle de Lord was attached to the County of Urgell and the pagus
Pagus
In the later Western Roman Empire, following the reorganization of Diocletian, a pagus became the smallest administrative district of a province....
of Berga
Berga
Berga is the capital of the comarca of Berguedà, in Catalonia, Spain.- History :Berga derives its name from the Bergistani, an Iberian tribe that lived in the area before the Roman conquest. The Bergistani were first subdued by Hannibal in 218 BC...
(Berguedà
Berguedà
Berguedà is a comarca in the interior of Catalonia, Spain, lying partly in the Pyrenees and partly in Catalonia's Depressió Central.-Geography:...
) to the County of Cerdanya, but the region of the Ripollès
Ripollès
Ripollès is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the Ribes and Camprodon river valleys. , its population is 25,744, about 40% of whom live in the capital, Ripoll....
, the Lluçanès
Lluçanès
Lluçanès is a natural comarca, transitioning between the Plain of Vic and Berguedà, in the pre-Pyrenees. Although not an officially recognized comarca of Catalonia, it has a strong historical, natural and social personality.-Corresponding Municipalities:...
, the Plana de Vic, and the Guilleries
Guilleries
The Guilleries Massif is a mountain system located at the apex of the Catalan Transversal Range and the Pre-Coastal Range...
were structured around the city of Ausa, a region which in ancient times had been ethnically distinct, inhabited by the Ausetani
Ausetani
The Ausetani were an ancient Iberian people of the Iberian peninsula . They are believed to be of Iberian language...
. The County of Ausona was thus born and to it Wilfred attached the Moianés and Bages, which already had their own traditional capital, Manresa, which had historically been the region of the Laceti.
From the year 906, it is clear from documents that Manresa never possessed any judicial or administrative significance — it never had a viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
— rather it was a geographical unit solely. The centre of Manresa was the pagus of the same name. The most notable difference between Manresa and the rest of Ausona was due to privileges granted by King Odo in 889 and 890 whereby he gave Manresa the right, because of its position on the front line against Moorish aggression, to build towers of defence called manresanas or manresanes. Manresa fell into disuses as a term in the twelfth century, when the county was divided into vegueria
Vegueria
The vegueria was the feudal administrative territorial jurisdiction of the Principality of Catalonia during the Middle Ages and into the Modern Era until the Nueva Planta decrees of 1716...
s.
Sources
- Lewis, Archibald Ross. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965.