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Birth:          1113 of Barcelona
Death:          6 Aug 1162 Borgo San Dalmazzo, Cuneo, Italy

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Berenguer_IV,_Count_of_Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer IV (Catalan pronunciation: [r?'mom b????'ge]; c. 1114[1] – 6 August 
1162, Anglicized Raymond Berengar IV), sometimes called the Saint, was the Count of 
Barcelona who brought about the union of his County of Barcelona with the Kingdom 
of Aragon to form the Crown of Aragon.
Early reign[edit]

Ramon Berenguer IV inherited the county of Barcelona from his father Ramon 
Berenguer III on 19 August 1131. On 11 August 1137, at the age of about 24, he was 
betrothed to the infant Petronilla of Aragon, aged one at the time. Petronilla's father, 
Ramiro II of Aragon, who sought Barcelona's aid against Alfonso VII of Castile, 
withdrew from public life on 13 November 1137, leaving his kingdom to Petronilla and 
Ramon Berenguer, the latter in effect becoming ruler of Aragon, although he was 
never king himself, instead commonly using the titles "Count of the Barcelonans and 
Prince of the Aragonians" (Comes Barcinonensis et Princeps Aragonensis), and 
occasionally those of "Marquis of Lleida and Tortosa" (after conquering these cities). 
He was the last Catalan ruler to use "Count" as his primary title; starting with his son 
Alfonso II of Aragon the counts of Barcelona styled themselves, in the first place, as 
kings of Aragon.

The treaty between Ramon Berenguer and his father-in-law, Ramiro II, stipulated that 
their descendants would rule jointly over both realms, and that even if Petronilla died 
before the marriage could be consummated, Berenguer's heirs would still inherit the 
Kingdom of Aragon.[2] Both realms would preserve their laws, institutions and 
autonomy, remaining legally distinct but federated in a dynastic union under one ruling 
House. Historians consider this arrangement the political masterstroke of the Hispanic 
Middle Ages. Both realms gained greater strength and security and Aragon got its 
much needed outlet to the sea. On the other hand, formation of a new political entity 
in the north-east at the time when Portugal seceded from León in the west gave more 
balance to the Christian kingdoms of the peninsula. Ramon Berenguer successfully 
pulled Aragon out of its pledged submission to Castile, aided no doubt by his sister 
Berengaria, wife of Alfonso the Emperor, who was well known in her time for her 
beauty and charm.

Crusades and wars[edit]

In the middle years of his rule, Ramon Berenguer turned his attention to campaigns 
against the Moors. In October 1147, as part of the Second Crusade, he helped Castile 
to conquer Almería. He then invaded the lands of the Almoravid taifa kingdoms of 
Valencia and Murcia. In December 1148, he captured Tortosa after a five-month siege 
with the help of Southern French, Anglo-Norman and Genoese crusaders.[3] (When 
Moors later tried to recapture Tortosa, the women put up such a spirited defense that 
Berenger created for them the Order of the Hatchet.) The next year, Fraga, Lleida and 
Mequinenza in the confluence of the Segre and Ebro rivers fell to his army. The 
reconquista of modern Catalonia was completed.

Ramon Berenguer also campaigned in Provence, helping his brother Berenguer Ramon 
and his infant nephew Ramon Berenguer II against the Counts of Toulouse. During the 
minority of Ramon Berenguer II, the Count of Barcelona also acted as the regent of 
Provence (between 1144 and 1157). In 1151, Ramon signed the Treaty of Tudilén 
with Alfonso VII of León and Castile. The treaty defined the zones of conquest in 
Andalusia as an attempt to prevent the two rulers from coming into conflict. Also in 
1151, Ramon Berenguer founded and endowed the royal monastery of Poblet. In 1154, 
he accepted the regency of Gaston V of Béarn in return for the Bearnese nobles 
rendering him homage at Canfranc, thus uniting that small principality with the growing 
Aragonese empire.

Death[edit]

Ramon Berenguer IV died on 6 August 1162 in Borgo San Dalmazzo, Piedmont, Italy, 
leaving the title of Count of Barcelona to his eldest surviving son, Ramon Berenguer, 
who inherited the title of King of Aragon after the abdication of his mother Petronilla of 
Aragon two years later in 1164. He changed his name to Alfonso as a nod to his 
Aragonese lineage, and became Alfonso II of Aragon. Ramon Berenguer IV's younger 
son Pere (Peter) inherited the county of Cerdanya and lands north of the Pyrenees, 
and changed his name to Ramon Berenguer.

Appearance and character[edit]

The Chronicle of San Juan de la Peña said he was, "[a] man of particularly great 
nobility, prudence, and probity, of lively temperament, high counsel, great bravery, 
and steady intellect, who displayed great temperance in all his actions. He was 
handsome in appearance, with a large body and very well-proportioned limbs."

Parents
BERENGER Raymond (Raimund) III (IV) "el Grande" (11 Nov 1082 - 19 Jun 1131)
DI GIEVAUDUN (MILHAUD) Douce (Dulce) Aldonza (1090 - 1127)

Siblings
____ Raymond (Ramon) Berenguer IV (1113 - 6 Aug 1162)
DE BARCELONA Berengaria (Berenguela) Raimundo (ABT 1116 - 2 Feb 1149)

Marriage To OF ARAGON Petronilla (Petronel) I (1136 - 15 Oct 1173)
    m. Aug 1150 Lleida, Aragon

Notes

Parents
SANCHEZ Ramiro II "the Monk" (24 Apr 1086 - 16 Aug 1157)
OF AQUITAINE Agnes (Maud) (Matilda) (ABT 1105 - ABT 1159)

Children by OF ARAGON Petronilla (Petronel) I 1136 - 15 Oct 1173
____ Alfonso II "The Chaste" (Mar 1157 - 25 Apr 1196)
____ Dulce (Aldonza) (ABT 1159 - 1 Sep 1198)

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