Ramon, second count of Albarracin
| Ramon | |
|---|---|
| Count of Albarracin Baron of Cerdanya | |
| Predecessor | Berenguer |
| Successor | Henry |
| Born | c. 993 Aragon |
| Died | 24 November 1073 Teruel |
| Buried | Cathedral of Híjar |
| Noble family | Cerdanya Vieja |
| Spouse(s) | Adelaida |
| Issue
Henry William William Raymond | |
| Father | Giufré de Cerdanya |
| Mother | Isabel |
Ramon de Cerdanya (English: Raymond; c. 993 - 24 November 1073) was a Catalan nobleman, baron, and royal councilor during the late eleventh century. He succeeded his younger brother Berenguer as second count of Albarracin.
Life
Ramon was born about 993, a date which can be extrapolated from chronicle accounts of his death, which place him at just above eighty; a remarkable age for the time. Ramon's father Giufré de Cerdanya, a great-grandson of Wifredo, duke of Barcelona, was himself recorded as living to a very old age.
Although he was his father's eldest son, little is known of Ramon's early life. He probably served as a knight at the court of the dukes of Barcelona alongside his father, serving first Duke Berenguer-Ramon and, after his death in 1035, his son Ramon-Berenguer. Ramon married unusually late, taking a wife circa 1048, shortly before his father's death, when he married a Catalan woman named Adelaida. At some point circa 1054, Ramon was given the barony of Cerdanya by his liege lord, Duke Ramon-Berenguer. The gift of this barony may have provided the basis for Ramon's family name; his father had not distinguished himself from the Barcelona dynasty.
Ramon has left little trace as a baron. By the time of his younger brother's promotion to comital status in 1068, he was already in his mid-seventies. Berenguer's death in 1070 left Ramon as heir to the county of Albarracin by the law of primogeniture, and he was duly recognized as count with his master's approval. Ramon was present at Vic during Ramon-Berenguer's coronation as king of Aragon on 8 May 1071. Ramon apparently received some kind of conciliar or official position under the new king. He was very close to Ramon-Berenguer, traveling with him to Lleida in 1072, and to Calatayud in July 1073.
After attending the king during his serious illness in Barcelona, Ramon began a journey back to Albarracin but died at Teruel on 24 November 1073. The elderly count was buried at Híjar by his eldest son Henry, who succeeded to his titles.