View source for County of Urgell

{{Short description|Medieval Catalonian county (798–1413)}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name             = {{native name|ca|Comtat d'Urgell}}<br />{{native name|la|Comitatus Urgellensis}}
|conventional_long_name  = County of Urgell
|common_name             = Urgell
|era                     = [[Middle Ages]]
|government_type         = [[Feudal monarchy]]
|year_start              = 785
|year_end                = 1413
|date_start              = 
|date_end                = 
|event_start             =
|event_end               = 
|p1                      = Carolingian Empire
|image_p1                = 
|s1                      = Principality of Catalonia
|image_s1                = 
|image_flag              = Flag of the County of Urgell.svg
|flag                    = Counts of Urgell
|flag_type               = Banner of arms
|image_coat              = Blason de la famille d'Urgel (Catalogne).svg
|symbol                  = Counts of Urgell
|image_map               = Comtat d'Urgell.svg
|image_map_caption       = Location of Urgel County
|image_map2              = Evolución condados pirenaicos orientales.svg
|image_map2_caption      = Eastern Pyrenean counties
|common_languages        = [[Catalan language|Catalan]]
|capital                 = [[La Seu d'Urgell]]
|religion                = [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]
|title_leader            = [[Counts of Urgell|Count]]
|leader1                 = [[Borrell, Count of Osona|Borrell]] <small>(first)</small>
|year_leader1            = 798–820
|leader2                 = [[James II, Count of Urgell|James II]] <small>(last)</small>
|year_leader2            = 1408–1413
|legislature             = 
|today                   = [[Andorra]]<br />[[Spain]]
|demonym=|area_km2=|area_rank=|GDP_PPP=|GDP_PPP_year=|HDI=|HDI_year=}}
[[File:Double Sepulchral Monument of Alvar Rodrigo de Cabrera, Count of Urgell, and His Wife, Cecellia of Foix.jpg|thumb|240px|Sepulchre of [[Àlvar I]] and [[Cecília de Foix]] at ''[[The Cloisters]]'', [[New York City]]]]
[[File:Escudo aquelado - stemma scaccato - chequy coat of arms - blason échiqueté by Dario Scaricamazza.jpg|thumb|Historical-artistic reconstruction of the coat of arms of the counts of Urgell (from the tomb of Àlvar I and Cecilia de Foix) by the heraldic artist Dario Scaricamazza.]]
The '''County of Urgell''' ({{langx|ca|Comtat d'Urgell}}, {{IPA|ca|komˈtad duɾˈdʒeʎ|IPA}}; {{langx|la|Comitatus Urgellensis}}) is one of the historical [[Catalan counties]], bordering on the counties of [[County of Pallars|Pallars]] and [[Cerdanya]].

==History==
The county of Urgell 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.<ref name="enciclocomtaturgell">[http://www.enciclopedia.cat/fitxa_v2.jsp?NDCHEC=0068602&BATE=comtat%20d%27Urgell L'Enciclopèdia: Comtat d'Urgell]</ref>

The original territory was made up of the [[Alt Urgell]], also known as [[Urgellet]] from the end of the 12th century onwards, with the see at [[La Seu d'Urgell]]. From 839 onwards it would include 129 villages, the valleys of the [[Valira River|Valira river]], namely [[Andorra]] and [[Sant Joan Fumat]], the [[Segre River|Segre]] riverine area as well as the valleys located between [[El Pont de Bar]] and [[Oliana]].<ref>''L'Enciclopèdia: Comtat d'Urgell'': Acta de consagració de la Catedral d'Urgell</ref>

Its maximal extension territory was between the [[Pyrenees]] and the [[taifa of Lleida]], that is, the current [[Comarques of Catalonia|comarques]] of Alt Urgell or Urgellet, [[Noguera (comarca)|Noguera]], [[Solsonès]], [[Pla d'Urgell]], [[Urgell (comarca)|Baix Urgell]] and the still independent country of [[Andorra]]. The historical capital was first [[la Seu d'Urgell]] and later [[Balaguer]]. The county of Urgell was extinguished and absorbed by the [[Crown of Aragon]] in 1413 as a part of the [[Principality of Catalonia]], after the revolt of the last count, [[James II of Urgell]], against the king [[Ferdinand I of Aragon]].

==Rulers==
{{For|a more complete overview of the family's domains and divisions|Catalan counties #Hereditary Rulers}}
===First dynasty===
[[Sunifred II of Urgell]] (897–948) died without descendants and the county went to his nephew [[Borrell II]], [[List of counts of Barcelona|Count of Barcelona]], [[Count of Girona|Girona]] and [[Count of Osona|Osona]]. In his testament Borrell II, who died in 992, gave Barcelona, Girona and Osona to [[Ramon Borrell]] (992–1017), while Urgell went to Ermengol I (992–1010), so that the Count of Urgell title became separated from the [[House of Barcelona]]. Thus the first dynasty of Urgell began with Ermengol I. The first dynasty is also known as Barcelona-Urgell.

* [[Ermengol I]] (992–1010), son of [[Borrell II, Count of Barcelona]]
* [[Ermengol II]] (1010–1038)
* [[Ermengol III]] (1038–1065)
* [[Ermengol IV]] (1065–1092)
* [[Ermengol V]] (1092–1102)
* [[Ermengol VI]] (1102–1154)
* [[Ermengol VII]] (1154–1184)
* [[Ermengol VIII]] (1184–1209)
* [[Aurembiaix]] (1209–1231)

The title was disputed by [[Peter I, Count of Urgell|Peter I]] and [[Guerau IV de Cabrera]] during Aurembiaix's time.

=== Second dynasty ===
[[File:Escut del Casal de Cabrera-Urgell.png|thumb|120px|Coat of arms of the second dynasty]]
{{main|House of Cabrera}}
In 1231 Countess [[Aurembiaix]] died without descendants and the first dynasty became extinguished. After a period of dynastic squabbles [[James I the Conqueror|Jaume I]] acknowledged [[Ponç IV of Cabrera]] as the successor to the County of Urgell. The second dynasty is also known as Cabrera-Urgell.

*[[Ponç IV of Cabrera|Ponç I (Ponç IV of Cabrera)]] (1236–1243)
*[[Ermengol IX]] (1243)
*[[Àlvar I]] (1243–1267)
*[[Ermengol X]] (1267–1314)

=== Third dynasty ===
[[File:Blason Pierre d'Aragon, Comte d'Urgel (selon Gelre).svg|thumb|120px|Coat of arms of the third dynasty]]
{{main|House of Barcelona}}
Ermengol X d'Urgell named his niece [[Teresa d'Entença]] as successor to the county. She was married to [[Alfons el Benigne]], son of [[James II of Aragon]]. The third and last dynasty is also known as Aragon-Urgell.

* [[Jaume I of Urgell]] (1336–1347)
* [[Pere II of Urgell]] (1347–1408)
* [[Jaume II of Urgell]] (1408–1413)

==Diocese of Urgell==
{{main|Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell}}
There is also a [[Roman Catholic]] [[Bishop of Urgell|diocese of Urgell]]. The [[diocese]] is of ancient origin and traditions of the [[early Christian]] church lingered. [[Felix, Bishop of Urgel|Felix of Urgel's]] tendencies towards the [[heresy|heretical]] position of [[adoptionism]] was attacked by [[Alcuin of York]] in ''Contra Felicem''.<ref>Steven Runciman, ''The Medieval [[Manicheism|Manichee]]'', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1947.</ref>

[[Andorra]] was ceded to the [[bishop of Urgell]] by the count [[Ermengol VI of Urgell]] in the twelfth century. The [[bishop of Urgell]], currently [[Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat]], is simultaneously joint head of state of [[Andorra]] alongside the President of the French Republic.

==See also==
* [[Counts of Urgell]]
*[[House of Cabrera]]
*[[Viscounty of Àger]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*[[Jordi Bolòs|Bolòs, Jordi]], ''Atles del comtat d'Urgell (v788-993)'', Barcelona, Rafael Dalmau, Barcelona, 2006. {{ISBN|84-232-0700-5}}.

[[Category:Medieval Catalonia]]
[[Category:Principality of Catalonia|Urgell]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1413]]
[[Category:Catalan counties|Urgell]]