Crown of Aragon

The Crown of Aragon was a large group of lands ruled by one king. It began when the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona, later called the Principality of Catalonia, joined together under the same ruler. This group of lands grew over time and became very powerful, especially in the 1300s and 1400s. At its strongest, the Crown of Aragon controlled many places, including parts of modern-day Spain, France, and many islands in the Mediterranean Sea, like the Balearic Islands, Sicily, Sardinia, and parts of Italy.

Each land in the Crown of Aragon had its own laws and its own way of doing things. The king was the only part that connected all these different places. Even though they shared the same king, each area kept its own special traditions and ways of governing themselves.

In 1479, the Crown of Aragon joined with another big group of lands called the Crown of Castile. This union happened when two rulers known as the Catholic Monarchs got married. Together, these two groups formed what we now call Spain. The Crown of Aragon kept existing as part of Spain until the early 1700s when a series of rules called the Nueva Planta decrees changed things forever.

Context

The Crown of Aragon was a group of lands ruled by one king. The main city where kings were crowned was Zaragoza, but the busiest and most important city was Barcelona. Other key cities included Valencia and Palma in Mallorca.

Over time, the Crown of Aragon grew to include many places such as the Kingdom of Aragon, the Principality of Catalonia, the Kingdom of Valencia, the Kingdom of Sicily, Malta, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. At its height, it also controlled areas in Provence, Corsica, and even parts of Latin Greece. Although these lands had their own laws and governments, they were all united under one ruler.

History

The Crown of Aragon started in 1137 when the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona joined together through marriage. This union created a larger group of lands ruled by one king but each area kept its own laws and ways of doing things.

Over time, the Crown of Aragon grew to include many places. It added lands in what is now Spain, parts of southern France, and many islands in the Mediterranean Sea like Sicily and Sardinia. Each new area had its own rules and leaders, but they all owed loyalty to the same king. This made the Crown of Aragon a powerful group of many different lands working together.

Pennon

Main article: Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon

The Pennon is a special flag that came from the old coats of arms used by the Counts of Barcelona and Kings of Aragon. Only the kings of the Crown of Aragon used this Pennon to show their power. One ruler, James III of Majorca, who served under the Crown of Aragon, had a coat of arms with four bars, which can be seen in pictures from old books called the Leges palatinae.

Institutions

The Crown of Aragon was made up of separate states, each with its own laws and governments. Each state, like Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia, had its own legislative body called Cortes or Corts. These bodies helped make laws for their own areas.

Starting in the 15th century, each part of the Crown also got its own court of justice, known as a Royal Audience. Later, the king was represented in each state by a viceroy, including places like Mallorca and Sardinia.

Capital

The main religious building of the Crown of Aragon was the Cathedral of the Savior of Zaragoza. Important meetings of the Crown’s leaders often happened in places like Monzón, Fraga, Zaragoza, Calatayud, and Tarazona. The main offices were in Barcelona and later in Naples.

The Crown’s official records were kept in Barcelona starting in 1318. For a time, the real center of the Crown was Valencia, and later it moved to Naples. Leaders worked in many places until Philip II of Spain came to power. Some historians think Zaragoza was the main political home because kings were crowned there in the Cathedral of the Savior of Zaragoza.

Culture

During the time of the Crown of Aragon, Catalan culture and language grew strongly, especially through trade. The culture included influences from many places, such as Andalusian and Arab styles in buildings.

People also used a special mixed language called the Mediterranean Lingua Franca for trading and talking with others across the sea. This language mixed words from many different tongues and was used by many groups, including traders from Genoese and Venetian trading colonies.

Composition

The Crown of Aragon was made up of many different lands and islands. These places are now parts of countries like Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Malta, and Andorra. Each of these areas had its own laws and ways of doing things, but they all shared the same king. Over time, these lands joined the Crown in different orders, which can be seen by looking at when each place was first added.

Coat of arms of the kings of the Crown of Aragon

The Crown of Aragon had different coats of arms used by its kings over time. From Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona to Alfonso II of Aragon, one design was used. Then, from Alfonso II of Aragon to Peter II of Aragon, a new coat of arms appeared. Later, from Peter II of Aragon to Peter IV of Aragon, another version was adopted. Finally, from Peter IV of Aragon to Ferdinand II of Aragon, the last design was used during their reigns.