Military Orders and Peasant Servitude in Catalonia: Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
Paul Freedman
The County of Barcelona was founded in the wake Carolingian empire's collapse late ninth century.' population this beleaguered region managed to expand southward from overpopulated Pyrenean valleys, settling foothills and much coastal plain despite devastation inflicted by frequent Islamic expeditions raids. In eleventh century balance power between county its neighbors shifted, as it did throughout Spain, counts were able extort gold enfeebled, divisive states.2 Unlike Leon-Castile, however, there no dramatic territorial expansion century, nothing parallel conquest Toledo except humiliating failure attempt capture Tarragona at end century. twelfth marks beginning energetic Catalonia. By mid-century had last been seized resettled, Tortosa south Lerida west absorbed what becoming unified Kingdom Aragon Barcelona. role principal military orders union Catalonia is well known. Alfonso I el Batallador died without direct heirs 1134, leaving his kingdom Knights Templar, Hospitaller, Holy Sepulchre. recently created groups knights Land Europe who took vows like monks but remained fighters aid crusades.
Hahr-hispanic American Historical Review