The Aragonese crown ( arag. Corona d'Aragón , Spanish. Corona de Aragón , Cat. Corona d'Aragó ) - a long union of numerous titles and states in the hands of the king of Aragon .
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At the top of its power, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the crown of Aragon controlled a large part of modern eastern Spain , southeastern France , as well as some of the main islands and significant continental Mediterranean territories, stretching all the way to Greece .
The kingdoms that made up the Crown were not politically united, but nonetheless submitted to the will of the king. In modern conditions, this entity existed more as a confederation than a single state. In this sense, the Crown of Aragon should not be confused with any part of it, such as the kingdom of Aragon , which gave the name to this union.
In 1479, a dynastic alliance was formed between the Crown of Aragon and the Castile Crown , thereby creating what will be called the Kingdom of Spain . The title of the Aragonese crown among the additional titles was used by the Spanish monarchs until 1716 , when they were canceled by the Nueva Planta decrees , due to the defeat of the throne contender, supported by the former states that make up the Crown of Aragon, in the Spanish Succession War .
Context
The leading economic centers of the Crown of Aragon were Barcelona and Valencia . The political center was Zaragoza , where kings were crowned in the Cathedral of San Salvador (“La Seo”). The city of Palma on the island of Mallorca was another important city and a seaport of the crown.
Ultimately, the Crown of Aragon included the kingdom of Aragon , the principality of Catalonia , the kingdom of Valencia , the kingdom of Mallorca , the kingdom of Sicily , Malta and Sardinia , as well as for a period - Provence , the Kingdom of Naples , the Duchy of Neopatria and the Duchy of Athens .
The countries of the Iberian Peninsula, starting in 722 , spent in a periodic struggle called the Reconquista . This was the struggle of the northern Christian kingdoms against small Muslim typhus in the south of the peninsula , as well as against each other.
In the late Middle Ages, the southern expansion of the Aragonese crown met with the advance of the Castilians east in the region of Murcia . In this regard, further Aragon expansion concentrated on the Mediterranean , acting in the direction of Greece and the Barbarian coast , while Portugal, which completed its Reconquista in 1272 , developed in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean . Mercenaries from the territories of the Crown, the Almogavars , participated in the creation of this Mediterranean empire, and subsequently were able to find a place in all countries of southern Europe.
There is an opinion (recorded, for example, in “Lliber del Consolat del Mar” , written in Catalan , one of the oldest codes of maritime laws in the world) that the Crown of Aragon should be considered the empire that ruled the Mediterranean for centuries, extending its power throughout to the sea . Indeed, at the zenith of its power, it was one of the main forces in Europe.
However, its different territories were loosely interconnected, which contradicts traditional notions of the empire. The modern researcher of the Marquis de Lozoy [1] defines the Aragonese crown as a confederation rather than a centralized kingdom, not to mention an empire. In no official document does the word “empire” ( Imperium or related definition) appear; it was considered a dynastic union of separate kingdoms.
History
Portrait of 1634 from the Prado Museum .
Origin
The Aragonese “empire” was founded in 1137 , when Aragon and the county of Barcelona were united by a dynastic union [2] , through the marriage of Ramon Berenguer IV , Earl of Barcelona, and Petronila of Aragon .
Their son Alfonso II ascended the common throne in 1162 . With this merger, the House of Barcelona inherited the royal crown [3] . So, gradually, the lands that they ruled began to be called the Crown of Aragon for the greater prestige of the public title.
However, Ramon Berenguer IV, the new head of the united dynasty, continued to call himself the Count of Barcelona and simply the “prince” of Aragon. [3]
The son of Ramon Berenguer IV and Petronila, Alfonso II, inherited both the titles of King Aragon and Count of Barcelona , in a style that will be supported by all his successors. Thus, this alliance was achieved with respect for the existing institutions of the parliaments of both territories.
Extension
Alfonso II, using favorable circumstances, tried to conquer Valencia, but the opportunity was missed when Sancho VI of Navarre invaded Aragon. To ensure further protection of the Aragonese borders, Alfonso II signed the Cazorla Agreement with the King of Castile Alfonso VIII . This agreement also determined the prospects for the further expansion of states: the kings of Aragon departed Valencia, Murcia - Castile. [four]
In the XIII century, King Jaime I began the era of expansion, having conquered and annexed to the Crown Mallorca and a significant part of the Kingdom of Valencia . With the 1258 Treaty of Corbey, based on the principle of natural borders [5] , the French claim to Catalonia came to naught. His main condition was the cessation of Aragonese influence north of the Pyrenees [5] Jaime I realized that a waste of strength and energy in trying to maintain a foothold in France could only end in disaster. [5] In January 1266, he besieged and captured Murcia, settling it with his people, mainly the Catalans , and then returned Murcia to Castile in accordance with the Cazorle agreement. [6] .
Thanks to King Jaime II , Mallorca, together with the counties of Cerdan , Roussillon and the Senoria of Montpellier , maintained their independence from 1276 to 1279, after which became the vassal of the Crown, and, in 1344, became part of the Crown of Aragon.
The Kingdom of Valencia, recently founded on the site of Moorish typhus , became the third member of the Crown (the legal status of Mallorca was still different from the status of Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia).
In 1282 , the Sicilians rebelled against the Anjou branch of the Capetian house , killing the entire French garrison during the Sicilian Vespers . Five months later, Pedro III of Aragon accepts the offer of the rebels to accept the crown of Sicily, lands in Trapani , where he receives a warm welcome. The pro-French pope Martin IV excommunicated Pedro III from the church, declared him deposed and offered the kingdom of Aragon to the son of Philip III [7] [8] .
When Pedro III chose not to spread the action of the Aragonese fueros in Valencia, representatives of the cities and nobles gathered the Cortes in Zaragoza and demanded that the king confirm their privileges. The king confirmed them in 1283. After that, an alliance for the protection of traditional liberties arose - the Union of Aragon , which established the position of Hustis , who served as an intermediary between the king and the nobility of Aragon. On all controversial issues, the Khustis decision was binding. The king undertook to convene the Cortes at least once a year and consult with them on all current matters. [7]
Dutch arm of the late 14th - early 15th century.
After the son of Pedro III, Jaime II of Aragon , completed the conquest of all the lands of the Kingdom of Valencia, the Crown of Aragon becomes one of the most influential forces in Europe. Under a grant from Pope Boniface VIII for Jaime II, the kingdoms of Sardinia and Corsica were annexed to the Crown in 1297 , although by that time they had been under the control of the Aragon crown for more than a century.
After the marriage of Pedro IV to Eleanor of Sicily in 1381, the Duchies of Athens and Neopatria passed under the authority of the Crown. However, the Greek possessions were soon transferred to Nerio I Aktsiaioli in 1388, and Sicily for the period from 1395 to 1409 passed into the hands of Martin I the Younger. In 1442, the Kingdom of Naples was conquered by Alfonso V of Aragon .
It should be noted that the management of the Crown’s possessions outside the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands was carried out by governors from the local elite, and not by any centralized government. They were more likely economic components of the Aragonese crown, than political. The king was interested in negotiating new kingdoms, and not just expanding the borders of existing kingdoms. This was part of the power struggle when the interests of the local nobility were contrasted with royal interests. This process, which is inherent in other European states, has successfully migrated from the Middle Ages to the present. New territories inherited from the Moors , such as Valencia and Mallorca, were usually given Fueros as an instrument of self-government in order to limit the power of the nobility in new acquisitions, and at the same time, incline them to an alliance with the monarch. The neighboring kingdom of Castile conducted the same course, both kingdoms contributed to the Reconquista , granting self-government to cities and territories, instead of giving new territories to the power of the nobility.
Union with Castile
In 1410 , King Martin I died without leaving any heirs. As a result, according to the Compromise of Kaspe , Ferdinand of Antequera from the Castilian dynasty of Trastamar occupies the throne of Aragon as Ferdinand I.
Subsequently, his grandson, King Ferdinand II of Aragon, would return to the Crown the northern Catalan county of Roussillon , once lost in favor of France, and the kingdom of Navarre , also formerly owned by the Aragon crown, but lost due to internal dynastic disputes.
In 1469, Ferdinand II marries the Infanta Isabella of Castile , half-sister of King Enrique IV , who becomes Queen of Castile and Leon after his death in 1474. This dynastic union [9] [10] [11] with the signing of the Segovian Treaty became the starting point in the history of the kingdom of Spain . Despite this, Castile and the Aragonese crowns remained separate territories in which their own state institutions, parliaments and laws remained. The merger was completed only by Charles I , by 1516 uniting all the kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula (except Portugal) under one crown, thus contributing to the formation of the Spanish state , although decentralized for that period.
Decline and extinction
The era of former splendor glorified in literature refers primarily to the period of the 12th and 13th centuries, when Valencia, Mallorca and Sicily were conquered, population growth was accompanied by the absence of social conflicts, and cities flourished. The peak of this process occurred in 1345 and reflected the organizational and cultural achievements of the Crown [12] . After this date, the Crown began to weaken: population growth was halted by the expulsion of Jews from Spain (1492), Mudejar (1502), and Morisks (1609). She was unable to prevent the loss of Roussillon, Menorca and her Italian possessions in 1707-1716, as well as the introduction of the French language in Roussillon (1700) and to stop the growing dominance of Castilian in all the old lands of the Crown in Spain (1707-1716) [13] .
The crown of Aragon and its departments were abolished only after the war for the Spanish inheritance (1702-1713) by the decrees of Nueva Planta, published by Philip V , king of Spain [13] . Administrative authorities were included in the Castilian government, and the lands of the Crown were combined with the Castilian to form a single state - Spain, as required by the centralized leadership of the new Bourbon dynasty [13] .
Nationalist Myths
Rough treatment and punishment applied in the territories that fought in the Spanish Succession War against Philip V, and in modern Spain is used by some Valencian and Catalan nationalists as an argument. The Aragonese hide behind the myth of an ancient constitution written back in the Middle Ages, and the Catalans recall their privileges, with which they associate the Generalitat and the resistance of Castile. [14]
19th-century romanticism , fueled by thoughts of the “Iberian Kingdom”, was more in line with the vision of 13th-century troubadours than with the historical realities of the Aragonese crown. This vision exists today as a "nostalgic program of a politicized culture." [14]
Flag
The stripes of Barcelona became the emblem of kings [15] . The flag was used only by the monarchs of the Crown and was an expression of their sovereignty and evidence of supreme power [16] . King Jaime III of Mallorca, a vassal of the kingdom of Aragon, also used a four-lane coat of arms.
Government Institutions
Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia had their own legislatures, known as the Cortes. There were also local governments - an analogue of the modern general deputation ( Spanish: diputación general ) - known as Generalidad in Aragon , and Generalitat in Catalonia and Valencia.
Capital
The crown did not have a single capital. The royal court before Philip II was wandering [17] . The Spanish historian Domingo Buesa believes that Zaragoza should be considered the political capital (but not economic or administrative), since kings should have been crowned in the cathedral of La Seo in Zaragoza [18] . At the same time, the Aragonese kings lived in Barcelona, which allows, according to other historians, to recognize it as the capital.
Land of the Crown
Bas-relief on the building of the deputation in Zaragoza
- Kingdom of aragon
- County Barcelona
- Kingdom of Valencia
- Kingdom of Mallorca
- County Roussillon
- Principality of Andorra
- Kingdom of neapolitan
- Corsica
- Sardinia
- Kingdom of Sicily
- Duchy of Athens
- Duchy of Neopatria
- Malta
See also
- List of rulers of Aragon
Notes
- ↑ Marqués de Lozoya, Tomo Segundo de Historia de España , Salvat, ed. of 1952, page 60: " El Reino de Aragon, el Principado de Cataluña, el Reino de Valencia y el Reino de Mallorca, constituyen una confederación de Estados ."
- ↑ Thomas N. Bisson. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History . - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986.- P. 31.
- ↑ 1 2 Stanley G. Payne. Chapter Five. The Rise of Aragón-Catalonia . A History of Spain and Portugal (1973). Date of treatment June 11, 2009. Archived April 1, 2012.
- ↑ Thomas N. Bisson. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History . - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986.- P. 36.
- ↑ 1 2 3 HJ Chaytor. Chapter 6, James the Conqueror . A History of Aragon and Catalonia . Date of treatment June 11, 2009. Archived April 1, 2012.
- ↑ Thomas N. Bisson. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History . - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986.- P. 67.
- ↑ 1 2 Thomas N. Bisson. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History . - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986. - P. 87-88.
- ↑ HJ Chaytor. Chapter 7, Pedro III . A History of Aragon and Catalonia . Date of treatment June 11, 2009. Archived April 1, 2012.
- ↑ Stanley G. Payne. Chapter Nine, The United Spanish Monarchy . A History of Spain and Portugal (1973). Date of treatment June 11, 2009. Archived April 1, 2012.
- ↑ HJ Chaytor. Chapter 16, Juan II. Union of Aragon with Castile . A History of Spain and Portugal . Date of treatment June 11, 2009. Archived April 1, 2012.
- ↑ Richard Herr. Chapter 3, The Making of Spain . An historical essay on modern Spain . Date of treatment June 11, 2009. Archived April 1, 2012.
- ↑ Thomas N. Bisson. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History . - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986. - P. 188-189.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Thomas N. Bisson. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History . - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986. - S. 189. - P. 189.
- ↑ 1 2 Thomas N. Bisson. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History . - Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986. - P. 189.
- ↑ Léon Jéquier. Les origines des armoiries: actes du IIe Colloque international d'héraldique. - Bressanone: Léopard d'or, 1981. - 172 p. - ISBN 2-86377-030-6 .
- ↑ La bandera de Aragón (Spanish) (unavailable link) . Autonomical Government of Aragon (6 de marzo de 1997). Date of treatment June 11, 2009. Archived May 29, 1997.
- ↑ A team of investigators of the University of the Balearic Islands directed by Doctor Josep Juan Vidal. Felipe II, the King that defended Majorca but didn't want to recognize all its privileges (Spanish) (link not available) . Servei de Comunicacions de la UIB . Дата обращения 11 июня 2009. Архивировано 27 января 2005 года.
- ↑ Domingo J. Buesa Conde. El rey de Aragón. — Zaragoza: Caja de Ahorros de la Inmaculada, 2000. — С. 57—59. — 126 с. — ISBN 84-95306-44-1 .
Bibliography
- Thomas N. Bisson. The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History . — Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1986. — 264 с. — ISBN 0-19-820236-9 .
- Stanley G. Payne. A History of Spain and Portugal . — Madison , WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1973. — 741 с. — ISBN 0-29-906270-8 .
- Henry John Chaytor. A History of Aragon and Catalonia . — London, UK: Methuen Publishing Ltd, 1933.
- Корсунский А. Р. История Испании IX — XIII веков (Социально-экономические отношения и политический строй Астуро-Леонского и Леоно-Кастильского королевства). Учебное пособие. — М. : Высшая школа, 1976. — 139 с.
- Альтамира-и-Кревеа, Рафаэль . История Средневековой Испании / Перевод с испанского Е. А. Вадковской и О. М. Гармсен. - SPb. : «Евразия», 2003. — 608 с. - 1,500 copies. — ISBN 5-8071-0128-6 .
Links
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