Domains of the Hispanic March

The Marca Hispanica consists of two primary regions, both divided into two portions. In the west, the kingdoms of Castile and Navarre hold the border. In the central foothills and the east, the crown of Aragon rules over the kingdom of Aragon and the county of Barcelona. Nestled within the bo-

som of the Pyrenees lies the tiny realm of Andorra, the last true marcher county established by Charlemagne. These are busy, complicated realms, and this material only touches upon the portions which share the border of the Pyrenees with Provence. It is intended to provide additional context for mundane and political interactions and should not be considered a complete resource.

Ferdinand III, the son of the current king of Leon, rules the kingdom of Castile and claims suzerainty over Sancho VII, king of Navarre, through an elaborate chain of events. Ferdinand inherited Castile from his mother in 1217. She surrendered it to him after the death of her younger brother, Henry I of Castile. Henry was thirteen years old and died after being struck by a tile falling from a rooftop. Henry's father was Alphonso VIII, a great contributor to the Reconquista and founder of the Order of the Knights of St. James of the Sword. Dissatisfied with Sancho VI's oath of fealty to his father, Alphonso VIII united much of Castile and Navarre by force, seizing his cousin's provinces of Álava, Guipúzcoa, and Biscay while Sancho VII campaigned in Africa, attempting to secure the support of the Almohads against Castile. Afterwards, Navarre reaffirmed its vassalage to Castile and pledged alliance to Ferdinand III of Castile, Sancho of Barcelona and regent of Aragon and Alphonso II of Portugal against the remaining Almohads in Iberia.

Pamplona

Located on the right bank of the Arga river, Pamplona enjoys a rich income provided by the influx of pilgrims traveling through its lands on the Way of St. James. The routes from the Tunnel Way and Roncevaux Pass continue through the lands of Pamplona. People take pride in facilitating the journey of the devout to Compostella. Heavily fortified after hundreds of years of conflict, Pamplona has a reputation as "a bit of a fortress," a city with high walls where people speak slowly and keep to their own business. A large number of ethnic Basques and Occitan immigrants make their home in Pamplona and the Provençal style of wandering trobairitz is quite popular. Despite its status as the capital of Navarre, most local authority comes from the bishop, the king's brother Ramiro, as Sancho VII retired to the monastery of Tudela after the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. Ramiro's sister, the Regent Blanca of Navarre, normally focuses her attention on military affairs to the south.

Sancho VII of Navarre was brotherin-law of Richard the Lionheart, who married his sister, Berengaria, the only queen of England never to set foot in England. He considered Richard I a close ally and maintained good terms with John, the following king of England. His parents were Sancho VI of Navarre and Sancha of Castile, sister of Sancho III of Castile.

Alphonso VIII of Castile, Sancho VII of Navarre's regional contemporary and rival, married the daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Eleanor of England—Richard I and John's sister. Eleanor died of grief 28 days after Alphonso, in 1214. Alphonso's parents were Sancho III of Castile and Blanca of Navarre, sister of Sancho VI of Navarre, and Sancho VII's aunt.

This made Sancho VII and Aphonso VIII cousins by blood, brothers-in-law by marriage, and alternately foes and allies on the battlefield—fully displaying the kind of complicated political-familial relationships common to the region in this era.

Near Pamplona, the Cistercian monastery of San Salvador of Leyre is famous for its former abbot, St. Virila. The abbot sat entranced for 300 years listening to the song of a nightingale in order to better contemplate eternity. Renowned as early as 920, he awoke unaged and unaware of the passage of time. Was he possibly a forerunner of the pious magi, and do his relics—entombed beneath the monastery— hold any secrets?

Frustrated at what he considers the theft of his ancestral birthright, the count of Labourd entertains the idea of turning to the sorginak for revenge. He plans to buy their services, using them to curse, intimidate, and blackmail the officials of Bayonne into submission. Then, when the situation becomes unbearable, he will offer to intercede on their behalf, in exchange for their fealty.

County of Labourd

From the shores of the Bay of Biscay to the peak of Mount Rhune at the eastern edge of Lower Navarre, Labourd is considered the cultural center of the Basque people. Many unGifted folk witches, or sorginak, live in the numerous towns and villages and frequently travel to Rhune to hold the witches' sabbat of akelarre (see the section on sorginak later in this chapter) in or around the stone circles, dolmens, and ancient burial mounds that litter its slopes. The seven-headed, flying, firebreathing dragon Lehen Sugea supposedly sleeps deep within the mountain, which has a Magic aura of 4. At least one coven of sorginak operates around the capital of Ustariz and travels to Rhune for their Friday akelarre in the form of ravens.

The count of Labourd lost his rights to Bayonne, historically a part of the domain, after participating in the revolt against King Henry II. Richard the Lionheart crushed the count's forces, occupied Bayonne for thirty years, and granted it a charter which King John then reaffirmed. Given Bayonne's strong trade relationships with Cornwall and Aquitaine, there is little chance the count will recover those rights.

This collection of valleys and hills has changed fealty between Gascony and Navarre many times in the last two hundred years. It currently pledges allegiance to Navarre but has no noble ruler. A sheriff oversees the towns and hamlets, collecting taxes and enforcing the king's law.

The people of Lower Navarre remain very involved in the industry surrounding the Way of St. James, which passes through the fabled Roncevaux Pass after leaving the popular mustering point of Ostabat. The region is also known for its pink sandstone, rare wild ponies known as pottok, and Irouleguy wines—produced by the monks of the Abbey of Roncevaux. Numerous dolmens dotting the countryside suggest that the ancient race of giants known as jentilak once occupied these hills.

Viscounty of Soule

Soule shares the Oloron river as its northern border with the county of Béarn in Gascony. Its capital is Mauléon, governed by Ramon Guillem IV, who became the viscount in 1217. Lower Navarre forms its western boundary, and the valleys of Barétous and Salazar form its eastern and southern borders. Its primarily Basque population rarely speaks anything but Euskara and occasionally Occitan. Riddled with sinkholes and caves, the limestone hills of Soule serve as lairs for a few drakes and worms, said to be the progeny of Sugaar, and for countless lamia, who purportedly teach their mystic secrets to the Basque folk witches.

The kingdom of Aragon and the county of Barcelona belong to the crown of Aragon and the region is collectively called Catalonia. Once ruled by Pedro II the Catholic, Simon de Montfort's forces killed the king at the Battle of Muret in 1213. His 12 year-old son, James I, currently resides in the political heart of Aragon, the city of Zaragoza. Nobles loyal to him plot to secure his ascension to power with a marriage to Eleanor, daughter of Alphonso VIII of Castile. Planned for the prince's 13th birthday in 1221, the marriage is intended to strengthen Aragon until James reaches majority in 1223. Sancho of Barcelona, James' uncle and the count of Roussillon and Cerdagne, as well as Sancho's son, Nuno Sanche, lord of Roussillon, Vallespir, Conflent and Cerdagne, act as regents of Aragon. They are further discussed in Chapter 7: Narbonnais.

Obviously, several of these counties lie in Narbonnais and their lords are also lords of Aragon, further demonstrating the entangled relationships between the nobles of the region.

County of Besalu

The county of Besalu joined the lands of the county of Barcelona in the early 12th century. Many important monasteries operate here, including the all-female monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses, and the monasteries of Santa María de Ripoll, Bañolas, Camprodón, and Sant Pau de Fenollet. Several castles watch its northern border, including Tautavel, Vingrau, Queribus, and Aguilar. All are fairly remote and guard routes through the Pyrenees; many currently house groups of Cathar refugees.

Santa María de Ripoll is considered the religious heart of Catalonia and hosts the mausoleums for the counts of Barcelona and the counts of Besalu, stretching back to the ninth century. A renowned center for learning with over 400 manuscripts, it controls the abbeys of Martin-du-Canigou and Monserrat—both in nearby Conflent. Santa María de Ripoll's beautifully sculpted portal has seven bands showing God seated in Heaven, telling the stories of Cain and Abel, Jonah, David and Solomon, and Moses. The monastery has a Divine aura of 4.

County of Conflent

A holding of Nuno Sanche, Charlemagne established Conflent to include the Tét river valley and some surrounding lands. Over time, Conflent broke away from the Franks to become a familial holding, passing into the count of Barcelona's possession in the early 12th century. Many castles stand here, including the formidable structures in Castellano and Turres Betses. Villefranche-

Current Covenants: Aedes Mercurii, Bellaquin, Miniata Sophia

Ruined, Abandoned, or Lost Covenants: Chapterhouse of Val-Negra near Girona, Mistridge, Outpost of Aedes Mercurii in the city of Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, Val-Negra, Windgraven

de-Conflent, established in the 11th century at the confluence of the Tét and Cady rivers, is the region's administrative center and a heavily fortified town.

Mount Canigou dominates the northern horizon, and the abbeys of Martin-du-Canigou and Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa stand high on its slopes.

County of Cerdagne

Nuno Sanche also rules Cerdagne, or what remains after Raymond Roger I of Foix invaded in 1195. The count attacked while attempting to claim his rights to Andorra from the Bishop of Urgell, whose parishes extend through Cerdagne, Pallars, and Urgell. Foix destroyed a number of churches and attacked several monasteries, rampaging throughout Cerdagne and Urgell until his eventual defeat in 1203. The Albigensian Crusade interrupted a short recovery and further stressed the region, ensuring most of the devastation remains. In the absence of rebuilding, most existing Divine auras here are nothing but slowly fading remnants. With his distributed holdings, the politics of the Aragonese regency, and the Crusade in Provence, the count pays little attention to reconstruction in the aftermath. Fortunately, the Segre river valley, which comprises Cerdagne, is the only regional valley running from east to west. This alignment provides it with ample sunlight and results in bountiful harvests allowing it to weather the recent hardships.

County of Pallars

Nestled deep in the mountains of the Pyrenees, many remote villages in this

quiet county become completely isolated after winter storms close the routes beyond their valleys. Its ruler is Roger I de Pallars, the brother of the count of Comminges. He married the countess in 1217, but she is distant and uninterested in matters of rulership, preferring to study scripture. Roger I is an active participant in the Albigensian Crusade, fighting against the Cathars. He pays little attention to Pallars, and there is nearly no noble oversight of the land.

All three counties are a part of the lands claimed by the Crown of Aragon, and governed by the regency of James I until he reaches majority.

Alternatively known as the county of Aragon, Jaca was once a part of Navarre, until its count shifted his loyalties. Since the early part of the 12th century, Jaca has belonged to a confederation of domains which included Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, eventually forming the nucleus of what grew into the kingdom of Aragon.

Considered a combined territory since the tenth century, when the marriage of the two families created a unified land, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza claim a large Basque population, and a remnant Muslim population. Both live peacefully alongside the Christian majority. A very mountainous region, the highest peaks of the Pyrenees are located in Ribagorza.

County of Urgell

The count of Urgell, Ermengol VIII, died in 1208. He successfully defended the region against the incursions of Raymond Roger I, the count of Foix, starting in 1195. The count eventually captured Raymond Roger I in 1203 and turned him over to the bishop, who in turn gave him to Pedro II of Aragon. The king released the count of Foix in anticipation of the coming conflict of the Albigensian Crusade and actually added to Foix's lands to ensure Raymond Roger's loyalty.

Elvira, the count's widow, continues to rule from La Seu d'Urgell since Ermengol's death, but her poor health means she is not expected to survive beyond the winter of 1220. She is desperately grooming their daughter, Aurembiaix, to succeed her. The countess married Aurembiaix to Álvaro Pérez de Castro, a Castilian noble, in 1212, in an attempt to strengthen Aurembiaix's position.

The last survivor of the Pyrenees Marches established by Charlemagne, tiny Andorra consists of five united parishes: Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, and Sant Julia de Loria. No lord lives in Andorra; they supposedly possess a charter granting them sovereignty over their lands, a reward from Charlemagne for their military service during his battles against the Moors. The Bishop of Urgell and Raymond Roger, count of Foix, both assert rights to Andorra. However, neither has successfully enforced their privilege, and the Andorrans largely ignore them or play the two against each other. The greatest tribute ever demanded from Andorra in recent memory was a gift of several hams and other samples of regional produce.

Though tiny, Andorra prospers and manages to export goods to both sides of the Pyrenees. Livestock and wool remain the primary industries, but it also produces an exceptional mountain wine. The rivers of Andorra also serve as a minor trade pass between Toulouse and the lands of Catalonia. Despite its light traffic, the pass ensures that Andorra is independent and insulated, but not isolated. The natural beauty attracts many visitors, often wealthy pilgrims who linger before continuing west.

Each of the five Andorran parishes contains a handful of tiny mountain villages. In 1220, the entire population numbers roughly three thousand people. Representatives of these parishes meet annually in the town of Andorra la Vella to discuss issues concerning regional rule and administration. However, native Andorrans possess neither lordship nor vassalage within their lands. Each one, from rich landowner to wage earning servant, considers himself an individual sovereign within Andorra.