William, fifth count of Albarracin

William
Count of Albarracin Baron of Cerdanya
Predecessor	Ferran
Successor	William
Born	1052 Aragon
Died	26 October 1100 (aged 48) Albarracin, Kingdom of Aragon
Buried	Cathedral of Híjar
Noble family	Cerdanya Vieja
Spouse(s)	Elisenda
Issue William Elisenda Peter Adelaida
Father	Ramon, second count of Albarracin
Mother	Adelaida

William de Cerdanya (Catalan: Guillem; 1052 - 26 October 1100) was an Aragonese nobleman and royal official at the end of the eleventh century.

Life

Born in 1052, William was the second son of Ramon de Cerdanya, a minor nobleman in the duchy of Barcelona. Shortly after William came of age, his father became count of Albarracin. After Ramon's death in 1073, William inherited the barony of Cerdanya under the terms of his father's last testament. He held the barony as a vassal of his elder brother Henry, count of Albarracin. Circa 1070 William married a Catalan woman named Elisenda, but their first child, a son, was not born until 1081.

William supported his brother during the dynastic war of 1083-85, defending the castle of Cerdanya when it was besieged by royal forces during the spring of 1084. After his garrison gradually ran out of supplies, William was forced to surrender to Antso IV of Navarre, who was fighting on behalf of King Ramon-Berenguer, on 11 June. William escaped arrest and execution for his role in the war, apparently by insisting that he had sworn an oath to God to support his brother as his liege lord. William's escape from prosecution may have been due to Ramon-Berenguer's stroke in June 1085 and the ensuing regency of the queen, Bertha de Savoie, who had little interest in pursuing him.

After the death of his nephew Ferran from a bat bite in 1086, William inherited the county of Albarracin. In 1089-91, William served as a co-regent of Aragon during King Pere-Ramon's absence on the First Crusade. In this capacity, he was a participant in negotiations for the marriage of Princess Brunisenda with Prince Robert of France, which were concluded in March 1090. William attended the royal tournament held at Zaragoza in November 1091. He was apparently close to Pere-Ramon, and served as a royal councilor and court official. William sat on the trial of Berenguer, count of Empuries, in 1093, which resulted in the count's execution. In 1095, he received a commission as a general of the king's armies.

William served in the early stages of the Almansan War, and apparently fought with the king at the battle of Sant Cugat on 10 May 1096. Pere-Ramon relied on William to assist in the assembly of a new army, which took place at Híjar during that summer. At some point after this, William seems to have been incapacitated by illness. In the last years of his life he was very sickly; in 1099, a royal scribe recorded him as non valens exercitus, or not in good enough health to attend the army. William died at Albarracin on 26 October 1100. He was enbalmed and buried at Híjar several weeks later by his namesake and successor, his eldest son William (II).

Issue

By his wife Elisenda (c. 1050 - 1109), William had four children.

• William, sixth count of Albarracin (1081 - 2 April 1108); succeeded his father as count of Albarracin. He had no issue.
• Elisenda de Cerdanya (c. 1083 - 1136); married Suleyman of Eliat, with whom she had issue, including Hugh, tenth count of Albarracin.
• Peter, seventh count of Albarracin (1085 - 6 July 1111); succeeded his elder brother William. He was executed as a traitor.
• Adelaida (c. 1090 - 1111), married Ermengol, count of Lleida; died of the Great Plague.