Bigelow History: pre-1630
Borrell II, Count of Barcelona
About 945, Borrell and his brother started acting as counts of Barcelona, along with their father, Sunyer.
Sunyer died in 950, and the two brothers worked together until Miro died in 966, leaving Borrell as sole ruler of the area now known as Catalonia. In those days, Borrell was regarded by his courtiers as "Duke of Gothia" (Gothia being the name for the old Visigoth kingdom which stretched roughly from Marseille to Taragona, on both sides of the Pyrenees).
Borrell was not a great military leader, having to accept defeat in a couple of battles with the Moors, but he was a competent diplomat, maintaining good relations both with the Moorish regime in Cordoba, and the Frankish regime to the north-east. He was also on good terms with the Papacy and the Roman emperor.
A patron of the arts and culture, Borrell helped with the education of promising young people, including a future Pope. He also continued the family tradition of endowing monasteries and strengthening the church's administration, and encouraging its leaders to take an independent line from the French Bishops.
In 985 Barcelona was attacked by the Moors and Borrell was defeated and the city largely destroyed. In spite of urgent calls to the French king, no help arrived, and the people had to rebuild their lives after the battle. Catalans regard this episode as the birth of their nation's independence in 987.
From 988, Borrell's sons began to help their father with the administration, and in 993 he died.
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