Ramon Berenguer I

Ramon Berenguer I, called the Old (c. 1023–1076), succeeded his father Berenguer Ramon I as Count of Barcelona in 1035. He campaigned against the Muslim taifas, raiding as far as Barbastro and drawing tributes that brought Catalonia its first prosperity, and built Catalan sea power in the western Mediterranean. He acquired Carcassonne and Razès beyond the Pyrenees and began codifying the Usages of Barcelona.

He scandalised the papacy by marrying Almodis de la Marche, wife of the Count of Toulouse, and both were excommunicated; together they founded the Romanesque cathedral of Barcelona. He died in 1076, leaving twin heirs.