Family History 2.03

Bigelow History:pre-1630

Wilfred the Hairy

 

 Wilfred is a hero to the people of Catalonia (the district around Barcelona), because he is credited with founding the Catalan culture and people, even though the name was not used until a couple of centuries after his time.

 

The son of Sunifred, he was responsible for consolidating the family's hold on power in the area which later developed into Catalonia, along with its neighbouring districts on the northern side of the Pyrenees mountains in what is now France.

 

His main task, as a vassal of the Frankish kings who succeeded Charlemagne as rulers of this part of the former Holy Roman Empire, was to defend the borders against any incursion by the Moorish rulers of the rest of Spain.

 

His reign started in 878. In that year he defeated the previous Count of Barcelona, who had rebelled against the King, and was invested with the county of Barcelona as a reward. This appointment was confirmed at an imperial council at Troyes, presided over by the Pope and the King. So he had powerful backers. But he made sure the power belonged to him, and, by the time he died, in 898, he had established himself sufficiently to name his son as his heir, a decision willingly approved by the King.

 

His programme involved moving people from the heavily populated lands in the mountains to the north, on to the deserted plains between the Pyrenees and Barcelona, because everyone had left in fear of marauding attacks from the Moors to the south. Wilfred clearly had the support to guarantee the safety of these people, and over the two decades the land was re-occupied and re-cultivated and re-incorporated into the county of Barcelona.

 

At the same time, he re-instated the Church hierarchy, with parishes, monasteries and bishoprics to serve the newly settled populations. And he did not discourage these churchmen from asserting independence from their church leaders over the mountains in Narbonne.

 

The Moors to the south did not take kindly to Wilfred's expansionist activities and eventually provoked a fight.  Wilfred was killed defending Barcelona in 898.