Pyrenean Settlers and Animal husbandry in the Early Stages of the Comital Dominion of Osona (Central Catalonia, 9th–10th Centuries)

Abstract

There is documentary evidence suggesting that the incorporation of Osona into the comital domain during the last quarter of the ninth century—which marked the beginning of the feudalization of the local populations—was accompanied by the settlement of inhabitants from the Pyrenees, referred to in the sources as cerdans, with an early chronology coinciding with that of the conquest itself. Their arrival appears to be linked to the interests of the aristocracy rooted in the initial conquest zone, specifically the Cerdan viscountal lineage, and to one of its descendants, the comital vicar Sala. In this process, livestock farming also played a significant role. However, the limitations inherent to early written documentation and the absence of archaeological evidence warrant a cautious approach regarding the extent and role of Pyrenean settler activity under the aegis of the comital conquest.