Barcelona & Catalonia Cinderellas

Born in the year 972 and died in Barcelona on February 25 of the year 1018. Son of Borrell II and is known as Ramon Borrell III, is cinderella number 7:

Berenguer Ramon I started his county in 1018. This is the reason for the eighth cinderella:




Note:Her mother Ermesenda of Carcassonne was the true protagonist of the county power.

A most interesting series. It takes us back memòries of our Barcelona early rulers. Some of them, are still remembered by Catalans, after more than 1000 years, despite the continuous attempts of Castilian/Spanish rulers to erase our history and colonize us.

By far, not as good as Melic's, this is a cinderella issued in 1966 for the National Printers' Congress, held in Barcelona.

The ninth cinderella refers to Count Ramon Berenguer I son of Berenguer Ramon I and married to Almodis de la Marca, born in Occitania:

Ramon Berenguer I called "el Vell" (the Elder) is considered to be the father of the Catalan Constitutional corpus, as he ordered the compilation of Barcelona County consuetudinary laws, "Els Usatges de Barcelona" or Barcelona common law. As the county expanded to englobe all Catalonia, its laws become the embrio of our "Constitucions" or Catalan Legal System, that was to last (updated!)until it was abolished by the Spanish/Castilians after the 1714 defeat. Thus,lasting more that 6 centúries. We're a traditional nation!

The Cinderella nº 10 is dedicated to Usatges. Compilation of consetudinary law. According to tradition, the first compilation of the Usatges was in 1068, under Ramon Berenguer I:

The children of Ramon Berenguer I were Ramon Berenguer II and Berenguer Ramon II. The first one, Ramon Berenguer II, was known as "Cap d'Estopes" because of its abundant blond hair. He was murdered in an ambush and, although without evidence, his brother Berenguer Ramon II was told that he had succeeded, had killed him or had ordered his death. It is known as "The Fraticide." The two brothers never respected.

Ramon Berenguer III son of Ramon Berenguer II, was known as "The Great" and during his mandate, Provença was united to his county.

The union of the County of Barcelona (by then comprising most of today's Catalonia), with the County of Provence (South of France East of the Rhône river) was the fruit of the marriage of Ramon Berenguer III and Dolça of Provence, heir of the county, and lasted for 100 years. Until the defeat and death of the count-king Pere I of Catalunya-Aragó at the Muret battle (1213).

And today the two last cinderellas of this set with the numbers 15 and 16 that refer to Ramon Berenguer IV and the expedition to Almeria, to the south of the peninsula.

S.Nathan's catalog picks up what Cazin & Rochas says by referencing only the first cinderella and only brown colour.

Mr. Nathan, a British philatelist, did a tremendous job by divulgating Catalan cinderellas on the late 70's and early 80's. Today, thanks to the surfacing of more Catalan nationalist cinderellas, and to the modern computer devices available, we can catalog the Catalan cinderellas, with Melic and some other friends. A heavy, but very interesting job. I have the privilege of being Melic's friend and to share some afternoons chatting on cinderellas over a cup of coffee.

With Ramon Berenguer, called "The Saint", the County of Barcelona, was to achieve its màximum expansion. By marrying in 1137 the child daugther of the king Ramir the monk of the inner kingdom of Arago, he annexed this minor kingdom secured the western border and was able to conquer the last import cities of Catalonia still on the hands of the muslims: Lleida (on the West) and Tortosa (on the South).
He also expanded the kingdom of Arago to the South over muslim lands and his own home county to the North in what today's Southern France.

Anyway, Ramon Berenguer didn't take the title of King of Aragon. For all his life, he was Count of Barcelona and Provence and Prince of Arago. He didn't want to be "the smallest of the kings"; but, instead, "the greatest of the counts". A very Catalan way of thinking, still, today!

Althought many times, for commercial reasons, it's missidentified as a "Spanish civil war item", this cinderella was issued to promote turism to the towns of Santa Maria de Palautordera and Sant Esteve de Palautordera (60 km NE of Barcelona). They lie at the slopes of the Montseny, a mountain very popular for treking among Barcelona people.
It was issued around 1933.

We've reached the 115.000 reading milestone. So I'm showing a mini-sheet of the cinderella issued in 1968 to commemorate the 100 years of the birth of Pompeu Fabra (Gràcia, 1868 - Prada de Conflent, 1948). He is the father of the Modern Catalan Language grammar and dictionary.





On the cinderella, you can read "The Language of a nation".