The Crown of Aragon: Formation, Expansion, and Legacy
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Formation of the Crown of Aragon
The Royal Marriage
The new King of Aragon, Ramiro II, married and had a daughter, Petronila. The Aragonese king arranged the marriage of his daughter with the Count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer IV.
Ramiro II later returned to the monastery, and Ramon Berenguer IV, appointed Prince of Aragon, assumed responsibility for the kingdom.
Conquest of New Territories
The union of Catalonia and Aragon led to the political empowerment of the new kingdom and the consolidation of its military force.
Conquest of Tortosa and Lleida
Once the matrimonial alliance with the Kingdom of Aragon was consolidated, Ramon Berenguer IV commanded significant military power and carried out a large expedition to conquer the Taifas of Lleida and Tortosa.
Finally, in 1153, Siurana, the last Muslim stronghold in Catalonia, surrendered.
The Catalan Dynasty
Alfonso II of Aragon, son of Ramon Berenguer IV and Petronila, was the first person to hold both the title of Count of Barcelona and King of Aragon.
The king completed the Reconquista of the lands of Aragon. In Catalonia, the monarch is known as Alfonso I the Chaste.
Beyond the initial territories of Aragon and Catalonia, subsequent conquests by the Crown of Aragon were also governed by the same monarch. Thus began the Catalan dynasty, which ruled the Crown of Aragon until the early 15th century.
Settlement and Repopulation
This process was carried out during the 13th century. New cities, often named Vilanova (New Town), were founded.
Expansion into Occitania
The economic momentum of the 11th century fueled a policy of expansion towards Occitania.
Confrontation with France
At the beginning of the 13th century, the King of France sought to regain territories in Southern France and sponsored a military expedition against the Occitan counts.
Peter I, King of the Crown of Aragon, went to fight alongside the nobles of Southern France, who were his vassals. They were defeated at the Battle of Muret in 1213, where Peter I died.
James I, Peter I's son and successor, renounced all his rights to Occitania through the Treaty of Corbeil with Louis IX of France.
The Crown of Aragon then shifted its expansionist focus towards the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean.