Berenguer, first Count of Albarracin
| Berenguer | |
|---|---|
| Count of Albarracin | |
| Predecessor | Title created |
| Successor | Ramon |
| Born | c. 1015 Aragon |
| Died | 1070 Albarracin |
| Noble family | Cerdanya Vieja |
| Father | Giufré de Cerdanya |
| Mother | Isabel |
Berenguer de Cerdanya (c. 1015 - 1070) was a Catalan knight and baron, and apparent member of a Christian military order, who was the first Count of Albarracin from 1068 until his death.
Life
Practically nothing is known of Berenguer's early life. His date of birth can be estimated from a contemporary chronicler's statement that "[...]obiit supra annos quinquaginta", or that he died above the age of fifty. Berenguer was the youngest son of his father Giufré de Cerdanya, a great-grandson of Wifredo, duke of Barcelona. Giufré appears to have served as a knight and minor court functionary for the Barcelona dynasty. The contemporary chronicle of Híjar records Giufré's death in July 1049, labelling him as senectus, or of a very great age.
It seems that Berenguer, as his father's youngest son, may have been destined for a career in the Church. It is attested by multiple contemporaries that Berenguer swore some type of monastic vow during his life, and before his elevation to the nobility. The nature, or historical existence, of this vow cannot be determined by modern historians. It is certain that Berenguer served as a knight to Ramon-Berenguer, duke of Barcelona, beginning in the early 1050s. In 1061 he was described as "monk and knight". Berenguer fought in the battle of Barcelona, Ramon-Berenguer's victory over the Tahirid emirate, on 12 April 1067.
In August 1068, Berenguer was granted the county of Albarracin by the duke, in reward for his services on the battlefield. Now probably in his early fifties, Berenguer had been elevated into the top rank of the feudal baronage within the duchy of Barcelona. The new count made no attempt to abjure his vow of celibacy, and did not take a wife. Berenguer was present in his master's army during the capture of Lleida on 14 January 1070, but died at his castle of Albarracin later that year, perhaps during the pestilentia rubellam recorded by two contemporaries. Berenguer's tomb does not survive. He left no issue, and was succeeded by his elder brother Ramon.