Complex sentence: Initially, a diverse category of people were sporadically mentioned as noblemen in official documents, but from the late 12th century, only the highest-ranking royal officials and the "ispáns" (or heads) of the counties were regarded nobles.
Split into simpler sentences: Initially, a diverse category of people were mentioned as noblemen in official documents. From the late 12th century, only the highest-ranking royal officials and the "ispáns" (or heads) of the counties were regarded nobles.