 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "House of Montcada" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
TheHouse of Montcada (inCatalan;Moncada inSpanish andItalian) is an aristocratic andnobleCatalan House with important ramifications inSicily. QueenElisenda of theCrown of Aragon was a member of the family.
The House of Moncada was started byGuillem I de Muntanyola or de Vacarisses (b. ? - d. 1040). He was the son of Sunifred, the Vescomte de Girona (Viscount ofGirona) who was granted the castle and lands of Montcada inMontcada i Reixac,Barcelona. Guillem I took the name Guillem I de Montcada in accordance with proper naming traditions upon being granted a landed title. Guillem I marriedAdelaida de Claramunt (b. 1000 - d. 1063). Their first child,Ramon I de Montcada, II Senyor del Castell de Montcada was appointed the office ofSenescal of Barcelona andCatalonia. Their second son,Bernat I de Montcada became the Ardiaca (Archdeacon) of Barcelona. The third son,Renard de Montcada went on to become the Senyor del Castell (Lord of the Castle) ofla Roca del Vallès and became the first head of theHouse of Sarroca or La Roca.
One of Ramón I's grandchildren,Guillem Ramon I de Montcada (b. ? - d. 1173), known as theGran Senescal or theDapifer became one of the infamousNou Barons de la Fama who were the most influential nobles in the court of theCount of Barcelona. He became theSenescal ofRamon Berenguer III of Barcelona,Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona, and ofAlfonso I of Aragón. During the governance of Ramon Berenguer IV, he negotiated the count's marriage withPetronilla of Aragon, the daughter of Ramiro I. This power move was the masterstroke in uniting theKingdom of Aragon and theCounty of Barcelona. Guillemo Ramon was also present during the military campaigns inTortosa andFraga. He married his cousin,Beatriu de Montcada (another grandchild ofRamon I de Montcada), and the couple had two children. The firstborn,Guillem de Montcada, inherited theViscounty of Béarn which passed in 1309 to theHouse of Foix-Castellbò. The second son,Ramon de Montcada el Vell, became the fourth Senescal and began the line of the lords of Tortosa and later of Fraga. His own son,Ramon de Montcada el Jove died fighting at theBattle of Portopí along withJames I of Aragon in theConquest of Majorca. His second son, Guillem Ramon, marriedConstance of Aragon [es], daughter ofPeter II of Aragon and began a line that would hold lordship overAitona. His cousin went on to further found a line of the family that moved toSicily where they collaborated with theSicilian Vespers.
The House of Montcada would go on to extend their roots throughout thePrincipality of Catalonia, Spain and parts of Europe. They intermarried with the noble houses of Aragon, Cardona, Béarn, Ayerbe, Cervera, Luna, Anglesola, Cornell, Aitona, Albalat, Abarca, Queralt, Vilaragut, Urgell, Entença, Illa Jordà, Pinós, Lloria, Seròs, Vilamarxant, Ribelles, Lioro, Tolsà, Caltanissetta, Vallgornera, Ventimiglia, Fenollar, and Sarrià amongst others.