SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IN SPAIN, 1031-1276
_Moslem Spain_
[Sidenote: Absolutism in government.]
The principle of absolute monarchy continued to be followed in Moslem
Spain, and was even accentuated, whether in the eras of the _taifas_, or
at times of a single dominion. Indeed, this was virtually the case while
the _taifas_ were still republics, although they soon converted
themselves into confessed monarchies. In furtherance of absolutism an
excess of court ceremonial was introduced, and the rulers rarely allowed
their faces to be seen, holding audiences, for example, from behind a
curtain. The _taifa_ kings amassed great wealth, and their palaces were
overflowing with luxury.
[Sidenote: Social factors in Moslem Spain.]
The most important social change was the complete overthrow of the
Arabic element, leaving the Berbers and Renegados in control. Arabic
influence had already done its work, however, and the passing of the
contemporary members of that race did not mean the uprooting of Arabic
traits in Spain. Social well-being declined, owing to the various
factors of war, the development of vast landed estates (at the expense
of the small proprietor), and the increase in taxation. The Jews enjoyed
great consideration for a while, exercising an important influence in
material, intellectual, and even political affairs. Under the
Almoravides and Almohades they were severely persecuted, and many of
them emigrated to Castile, where for the time being they were well
received. The Mozárabes were also persecuted, and in increasing degree
with the advance of the Christians, for they aided not a little in the
reconquest. Many of them were taken north by the Christian kings when
they returned from their invasions, whereupon those remaining in Moslem
territory were all the more harshly treated. The Almohades were
particularly intolerant.
_León and Castile_
[Sidenote: Nobles and clergy.]
The nobility continued to be the most important social class, with much
the same differences of grade among themselves, the same authority and
privileges, and the same tendencies to war against the king and with one
another and to commit acts of violence and robbery as in the preceding
period. The conflict of the nobility as a class against the king took
definite shape, and a numerous new nobility, the _caballeros_ (knights),
sprang up. The _caballeros_ proceeded from the plebeian ranks, being
composed of those who could equip themselves for war as cavalrymen.
Although they gained certain privileges, such as exemptions from
taxation, thus weakening the king’s power, they served in fact as a
counterpoise to the hereditary noble class. They were much favored by
the kings, who needed well-equipped soldiers for their wars. The clergy
made distinct gains as regards personal immunities and the freedom of
their lands from the usual obligations, especially from that of
taxation. This bettering of their position was not the result of general
laws, but rather of the accumulation of individual privileges, granted
now to one religious institution, now to another. Their advantages in
these respects were not always well received by others, and objections
were made, especially by the popular element, through their
representatives in the national _Cortes_ (Congress, or Parliament),--of
which institution presently.
[Sidenote: The advance of the middle class.]
[Sidenote: Gains of the servile classes.]
The free popular element, or middle class, which had been reborn in the
preceding period with the founding of the _villas_, or _concejos_,
developed a much greater social importance than formerly. Many factors
contributed to this end, such as the increase in the number of the
_villas_, the concession of new privileges, the material advance of
Christian Spain (agriculturally, industrially, and commercially), the
important military services of the municipal militia, and the fact that
not only the _caballeros_ but also the leading jurisconsults began to be
recruited from the middle class. As a rule this element paid taxes, but
it enjoyed not a few exemptions and privileges,--for example, a right
not to be required to make unusual contributions at the mere will of the
king, or in some cases a right to commute all of their taxes to a single
tribute. At the same time, the servile classes made striking advances,
in part through their own efforts, but aided also by an increasing
sentiment in favor of manumissions, by the need for population (both as
a result of the conquests and in consequence of economic development),
and by the protection accorded them in the _villas_. The movement for
emancipation was not uniform or free from setbacks, and this led to
numerous uprisings of serfs, who joined the enemies of their masters in
wars against the latter. The monks of Cluny, accustomed to the much
greater subjection of the servile classes in France, represented a
strong current of reaction. At Sahagún, the principal Cluniac centre,
there were such limitations on liberty as those requiring that all bread
must be cooked in the ovens of the monastery, and forbidding anybody to
sell his wine before the monks had sold theirs, or to buy cloth, fresh
fish, firewood, or other necessities before the monks had bought theirs,
and there were other restrictions of a like character. By the end of the
twelfth century serfs generally had gained such rights as the exact
fixing of services due their lords, the abolition of the practice of
selling them with the land, and the recognition of the validity of their
marriages, whether consented to by their lords or not. In the thirteenth
century they gained almost complete personal liberty, doing away with
the _malos usos_, or bad customs, like those referred to in the case of
the monastery of Sahagún.
[Sidenote: The four new social classes.]
Four new social classes became important at this time, principally as a
result of the wars of reconquest,--the foreigners, Jews, Mudéjares, and
Mozárabes. As a general rule each group had its own law, differentiating
it from the national elements. Foreigners from every prominent western
European region came to León and Castile, attracted by the crusading
character of the wars or by the material development of this part of
Spain or perhaps fleeing from worse conditions in the lands whence they
had come. For the Jews this was the happiest period they ever enjoyed in
Catholic Spain, and great numbers of them entered Castile in order to
escape the persecution of the Almoravides and Almohades. For a while
they were on practically an equal footing socially and juridically with
the Christians, and were one of the principal agencies for the diffusion
of Moslem culture in León and Castile. By the opening of the thirteenth
century their situation began to change with the adoption of restrictive
measures, although it was not until the next period that these operated
in all their harshness. As the conquests proceeded, great bodies of
Moslems were incorporated into the Christian states, and they came to be
called “Mudéjares.” Despite the growth of intolerance with the advance
in the crusading character of the wars the Mudéjares were in general
very well treated. Aside from treaties of capitulation making promises
to that effect, political and economic interests made it advisable both
on account of the numbers of the vanquished Moslems and because of the
need for population. Many of them, whether as freemen or serfs, were
agricultural laborers enjoying considerable independence, including the
right of publicly practising their religion. As time went on they tended
to gather into the cities, although subjected to more restrictions than
in the country,--such as the refusal to allow the public practice of the
Moslem faith (with a number of exceptions, however) or requirements that
they must wear a distinctive dress and live in a separate section of the
city. If they were not greatly molested in other respects they did have
to endure very heavy taxation, even including the tithe for the benefit
of the Christian church. The Mozárabes, though of the same race and
religion as the Leonese and Castilian population, had lived so long in
contact with Moslem civilization that they represented a class apart,
having their special laws differing from those of the native-born
Christians. Naturally, they were well received.
[Sidenote: Forms of wedlock.]
[Sidenote: The family.]
Among the social traits of the era may be noted a certain moral laxity.
Two forms of marriage were recognized, that of _bendición_ (blessing of
the church), accompanied by a religious ceremony, and the wedding _á
yuras_ (under oath), by a simple contract between the parties concerned.
A third form of union, similar to the latter but not recognized as
lawful wedlock, was that of _barraganía_ (concubinage). The essential
conditions of _barraganía_ were permanence and fidelity. Both parties
were supposed to be single, although the custom often extended to
include married men; in the latter case, but not in the former, the
children were held to be illegitimate. Many clergymen entered into this
relation, despite efforts to prevent the practice. _Barraganía_ and the
marriage _á yuras_ have been considered to be a Christian imitation of
Moslem marital customs. Divorce was allowed for serious cause. The
father was recognized as the master of the family, although the wife and
children gained certain financial and personal rights which had not
formerly been accorded them. The bonds of family were so strong,
however, that individuals who were free by law to emancipate
themselves--for example, by marriage--often continued under the parental
roof. Thus great family groups living in common were formed.
[Sidenote: Advance in domesticity.]
[Sidenote: Other social customs.]
As a result of the greater economic wealth, the comparative peace back
from the frontier, and the development of the towns the manner of life
underwent a rapid change, which may be summed up by saying that people
began to live inside the house instead of out, giving more active play
to the domestic instinct of the woman, which in its turn had a much
needed softening effect upon the man. Houses now had hearths, although
not always a chimney and as late as the twelfth century no panes of
glass in the windows. Furniture reached a degree of luxury and comfort
far in advance of what it had been since the Roman era. It was heavy and
very sober in decoration at first, but increased in adornment later on.
Beds were an object of luxury in the eleventh century; people slept on
benches or on the floor. By the thirteenth century artisans and laborers
usually had a bed, as also a table, two chairs, and a chest. Chairs,
throughout the period, were low, and rarely had backs; those with both
arms and a back were reserved for the master of the house. Floors, even
in palaces, were usually bare of cover. Habits of cleanliness were not
yet very much in evidence. Clothing was customarily worn until worn out,
without being changed or washed. At table it was rare for the diners to
have individual plates or napkins, and the fork was not yet known. Bones
and refuse were left on the table, or thrown on the floor, and the use
of water for any purpose other than for drinking was unusual. The custom
of public baths had some vogue in the cities, however. Men still lived
much in the open, but women habitually withdrew from public view. Crimes
against women, from those which were more serious down to the
comparatively mild offence of pulling a woman’s hair, were punished with
extreme severity,--not that women enjoyed high esteem or even an equal
consideration with men, for the supposed gallantry of the medieval
period did not in fact exist. Men wore their hair long, and a long beard
was considered as an indication of dignity,--so much so, that a heavy
penalty was imposed on anybody who pulled or cut another’s beard.
Amusement was provided by jugglers or by dancing and singing, especially
on days of religious festivals, or holidays, and during the holding of
fairs. Among the great people the French sport of the tourney was much
in favor. From France, too, came feudal chivalry, imposing the ideals of
valor, loyalty, and dignity (to the extent that nobody should doubt
another’s nobility, his word, or his courage) on those professing it.
This exaggerated sense of honor led to duelling, and comported ill with
the real conduct of the nobles. Epidemics of leprosy and plagues
(bubonic?) were frequent, resulting in the founding of hospitals and
institutions of charity.
[Sidenote: Political and administrative changes.]
Fundamentally, León and Castile had much the same political organization
as before, but the popular element, as represented in the _villas_ and
the _Cortes_, began to be a real political force, and the kings
increased their strength at the expense of the nobles, although their
struggle with the nobility as a class was not to result in complete
royal victory for more than two centuries yet. The throne continued
elective in theory, but the tendency was for it to become hereditary,
although the question was not definitely settled at this time. The right
of women to reign became recognized with the crowning of Berenguela. In
administration many governmental districts were enlarged to include
various counties, the whole being ruled by a governor appointed directly
by the king, assisted by functionaries called _merinos mayores_,[20] who
had charge of civil and criminal jurisdiction. An important reform was
effected by removing the nobles from the post of the king’s
representative in the counties and substituting officials called
_adelantados_, whose authority at this time was more civil than
military, and therefore less dangerous.[21] Still others exercised
respectively political and military authority.
[Sidenote: Beginnings of the _Cortes_.]
[Sidenote: Legislation.]
For centuries the kings had been in the habit of holding councils of
nobles or ecclesiastics, or both, although there was a tendency to
exclude the churchmen. In 1137 a council of nobles at Nájera was called
the _Cortes_. The popular element was first admitted in 1188, at a
_Cortes_ held in León,--possibly the first occasion in the history of
Europe when representatives of the towns appeared in such an assembly.
The first known instance in Castile occurred in 1250. For a number of
years, León and Castile, though become a single kingdom, continued to
have a separate _Cortes_. The kings called this body whenever they
wished, although they often made promises (which they did not fulfil) to
set regular intervals. None of the individuals called, whether nobles,
ecclesiastics, or representatives of the _villas_ (or towns), had the
right to present themselves; that was left to the choice of the king,
but the custom gradually became fixed that certain towns should have the
privilege of being represented. Each member had one vote, but the number
of representatives from the towns differed, without being subject to a
general rule. The towns themselves chose who should represent them, but
the methods of choice were various. The _Cortes_ was allowed to make
petitions to the king, each branch for itself, and to fix the sum of
money that it would grant him. It had no true legislative functions, but
the king sought its advice, or its approval for his laws, and its
influence was such, that it was able to procure desired legislation. The
king presided in person at the opening and closing sessions, and through
officials of his own appointment at the other meetings. The king
continued to be the principal legislative authority, and the law
retained its former diversity and its fundamental basis of privilege;
the variety even increased, with the introduction of the new social
classes. The _Fuero Juzgo_, which was the common law, applied in but few
respects. The kings did something in the way of producing greater
juridical similarity, as by making dispositions of a general character
at meetings of the _Cortes_, and by using certain municipal charters as
types, while Ferdinand III commenced to draw up a uniform code, although
he did not live to complete it.
[Sidenote: Political life of the towns.]
Municipal organization retained the essential features of the preceding
era, such as the local assembly and the various officials, of whom the
most important were the judges. The latter came to be called _alcaldes_
(from an Arabic term meaning “the judges”),--an example of Moslem
influence. In many cities, there were representatives of the king,
called _merinos_ and other names. Communication with the king was also
maintained by the use of messengers, now of the king, now of the city.
The actual monarchical authority was so slight that the towns often
acted with complete independence. Like the nobles they made forays
against the Moslems on their own account, or fought one another, or with
very good reason attacked neighboring, lawless nobles. For these wars
they often formed leagues, or brotherhoods (_hermandades_), of towns (or
occasionally leagues which included some nobles), for which special
ordinances were drawn up without previously consulting the king. Some of
the towns of the north coast were so independent that they joined in the
wars between France and England, against the latter. Often the towns
changed their own charters without royal permission, although this was
not done in open defiance of the king, but, rather, in secret and
fraudulently. The privileges of the towns in respect to taxation
(although, indeed, they paid the bulk of what the king received from his
free, Christian subjects) have already been mentioned.[22] Taxes were
also collected within the towns for local purposes. In addition to
revenues from direct contributions the towns also imposed obligations of
personal service on their citizens, and owned lands which formed
perhaps their most important source of wealth. These lands were of two
kinds, the _propios_ (estates “belonging to” a municipality and utilized
to assist in defraying public expenses), which were worked directly or
rented by the town, and the _comunales_, or land common, for the use of
all, subject to local regulations. In seigniorial towns, especially in
those acknowledging an ecclesiastical lord, great progress was made
toward an approximation of the rights enjoyed by the royal towns and
cities. They had already gained economic independence, but now wished to
attain to political freedom as well. They fought against the lord’s
practice of arbitrarily choosing their principal magistrates; next, they
endeavored to gain for their own assembly the exclusive right of choice;
then they tried to increase the powers of the locally chosen officials
as compared with those appointed by the lord; and, all along, they aimed
to acquire more authority for their assemblies, or for the council which
came to represent them,--for example, the right to fix wages. By the
opening of the thirteenth century local autonomy had been gained at
Santiago de Compostela, and many other seigniorial towns (both noble and
ecclesiastical) had achieved equal, or nearly equal, good fortune.
[Sidenote: The administration of justice.]
Justice belonged fundamentally to the king, but the _alcaldes_ of the
towns usually exercised civil jurisdiction, and often criminal as well;
in some towns royal _merinos_ or _adelantados_ had charge of criminal
jurisdiction. The king might punish local judges, however, even removing
them and appointing others, but this power did not in fact enable him to
check abuses. Appeals went to the king, who also had the right to try in
first instance the serious crimes of murder, assault on a woman,
robbery, and others. In such cases the king was assisted in
administering justice by a group of men of his own appointment, called
the _Cort_ (not to be confused with the _Cortes_), but this body merely
advised him, for the decision was left to him. As might be expected in
an age of disorder, punishments were atrocious,--such, for example, as
mutilation, stoning to death, throwing over a cliff, burning, burial
alive, starvation, cooking, stripping off the skin, drowning, and
hanging; only the last-named has survived. On the other hand,
composition for murder, or the payment of a sum of money, was
allowable,--for men were valuable to the state,--although the murderer
was not free from the private vengeance of the dead man’s family. The
so-called “vulgar proofs,”--such as the tests of the hot iron and hot
water, and the wager of battle,--besides torture, were employed (as
elsewhere in western Europe) as a means for acquiring evidence, but
these methods were already being looked upon with disfavor. Real justice
was in fact rare; the wealthy, especially if they were nobles, were able
to take matters into their own hands or to procure favorable decisions,
if affairs should reach the point of litigation.
[Sidenote: Methods of warfare.]
Military service was obligatory upon all, but except for a small royal
guard there was no permanent army. Organization continued to be simple;
the seigniorial troops were commanded by the lord or his representative,
and the militia of the towns by an _alférez_ (standard-bearer).[23]
Large numbers of foreigners joined in the wars against the Moslems, but
perhaps the most important element was that of the military orders.
These orders had a mixed religious and secular character, for, while
some members took the usual monastic vows, others were not required to
do so. Aside from the orders of general European prominence, like that
of the Templars, there were three which were confined to the peninsula,
those of Calatrava, Santiago, and Alcántara, all formed in the middle of
the twelfth century. Their membership became so numerous and their
wealth so great that they constituted one more important force with
which the kings had to reckon in the struggle for the establishment of
royal authority, although the peril proved greater in its possibilities
than in the fact. War was absolutely merciless, falling quite as heavily
on the non-combatant as upon the opponent with arms in his hands. The
enemy population might be subjected to the loss of their lands and to
enslavement, unless this seemed inadvisable, and pillage was legally
recognized, with a share of the booty going to the king. Such weapons as
the sword, lance, and pike were still the principal types. The use of
flags was introduced as a means of inciting the troops to deeds of
valor, while priests were employed to provide a like stimulus. The first
navy in this part of Spain was the private fleet of Bishop Gelmírez of
Santiago de Compostela. Private navies were the rule. The first royal
navy was formed by Ferdinand III, as a result of the important part
played by the private naval levies which had assisted in the taking of
Seville.
[Sidenote: The monks of Cluny and church reform.]
Notwithstanding the increase in privileges accorded the church, the king
had always intervened in its affairs,--as by the appointment or
deposition of bishops, and even by taking under his own jurisdiction
certain cases on appeal from the ecclesiastical courts. The monks of
Cluny, influential in so many respects, set about to uproot the
dependence of the church upon the king and to bring about a closer
relation of the clergy with the papacy. Aided by the piety of the kings
themselves they were able to achieve their ends, although the monarchs
maintained that the pope’s measures should not be valid in the royal
dominions without governmental consent. Thenceforth, the pope and his
legates began to take the place of the king in church affairs. The same
centralizing policy of the monks of Cluny and the great popes of the era
was employed to bring the Castilian church into uniformity with that of
Rome in matters of doctrine and rite. Some difficulty was experienced in
the latter respect, for the Spanish people were attached to their form
of worship, which was called the Visigothic, or Mozarabic, rite. Earlier
popes had recognized this as orthodox, but Gregory VII asked Alfonso VI
to abolish it. The king was willing, but the people and the clergy were
not. The matter was once left to the decision of the wager of battle,
and again to that of fire, but in each case the local rite came out
victorious. Finally, the king rode roughshod over judicial proofs, and
abolished the local rite.[24] It was in this period, therefore, that the
hierarchy of the church, depending on the pope, was established in
Spain. At this time, too, the monasteries (and the military orders as
well) became independent of the bishops, and ascended to the pope, or
his legate, through the medium of their abbots (or grand masters). The
increasing wealth and privileges of the church have already been
sufficiently alluded to; many of the orders degenerated greatly, even
that of the monks of Cluny, as a result of the luxury which their means
permitted. At the moment when clerical ostentation had become greatest
there came the founding of the mendicant orders, early in the thirteenth
century. In the peninsula, as elsewhere, these orders (whose principal
vow was poverty) achieved a great work for the church; the Franciscans
went chiefly among the poor, and the Dominicans dealt more with the
upper classes, but both preached the necessity for repentance and for
conversion to the faith.[25] They also contributed greatly to doing away
with the loose practices which had become current among the clergy in
all parts of Christendom. One such practice persisted, despite their
efforts, the earlier efforts of the monks of Cluny, and the continuous
opposition of the kings (translated into severe laws),--that of priests
entering into the form of union called _barraganía_.
_Aragon proper_
[Sidenote: Social institutions in Aragon.]
In institutions, Aragon proper must be distinguished, throughout this
period, from the Catalonian region of the greater kingdom of Aragon.
Social differences were much more marked than in León and Castile, for
there was an excessively privileged feudal nobility, which had a
despotic power over the servile classes; the movement for emancipation
from slavery and serfdom belongs to a much later time. Lords had a right
even to kill their serfs. Slavery (confined usually to Moslems) was not
personal, for the slaves were attached legally to the land. What has
been said for Castile as regards the church, the Jews, Mozárabes, and
Mudéjares applies generally for Aragon. There were more Mudéjares than
in Castile, but, although they enjoyed equality with Christians before
the law, they were on a lower plane socially, and were more heavily
taxed. The practice of living in communal family groups was the rule in
Aragon.
[Sidenote: Political life and administration in Aragon.]
The nobles had privileges of a political, as well as of a social
character, being virtually sovereigns on their own estates. One
noteworthy official to develop was the _Justicia_ (Justice, or
Justiciar), charged with hearing cases of violation of privilege and
complaints generally against the authorities. The nobles tried to take
the appointment of this official to themselves, but failing in this
were, nevertheless, able to compel Jaime I to recognize that the
functions of the _Justicia_ were to be exercised in his own right, and
not by delegation of the king,--for example, in cases in which the
_Justicia_ acted as judge, or mediator, between the nobles and the king.
The free towns usually sided with the crown, as in Castile, but they
were not nearly so numerous, and not equally an agency for the
liberation of the servile classes. According to some writers they were
represented in the _Cortes_ as early as 1163 (which was earlier than in
León), but others make 1274 the date of their entry. There were four
estates in the Aragonese _Cortes_,--the higher nobility, the
_caballeros_, the clergy, and the representatives of the towns. Aragon
and Catalonia continued to have a separate _Cortes_ after the union of
the two states, and Valencia also received one of its own, but there
were times when a general _Cortes_ of the entire kingdom was held. The
principal form of legislation was that of the royal charters. The same
diversity of law existed as in Castile, but Jaime I did something to
bring about unification by having a code drawn up. This code, called the
_Compilación de Canellas_ (Compilation of Canellas), for one Canellas
was the compiler, embodied the traditional law of Aragon, supplemented
by principles of equity. It did not do away with the charters, applying
only to matters which they did not cover. The Roman law of Justinian and
the canon law, both of which greatly favored the king, were beginning to
be studied, but the nobility opposed the assertion of these legal
principles in courts of law. Taxes fell more heavily and more
vexatiously on the common people than they did in Castile, but a greater
proportion went to the lords and less to the king; Jaime I had to give
his note for the royal dinners, at times, and he paid his tailor by an
exemption from taxation. The king was not always able to persuade his
nobles to join him in war, though in other respects the military customs
resembled those of Castile. The principal difference in the religious
history of the two regions was that the influence of the monks of Cluny
in favor of ecclesiastical dependence on the pope was much earlier
accepted in Aragon; the Visigothic, or Mozarabic, rite was abolished as
early as 1071. Pedro II’s submission of the kingdom to the pope was not
well received, however, by either the nobility or the people of both
Aragon and Catalonia.
_Catalonia_
[Sidenote: Social institutions in Catalonia.]
Different as Catalonia was from Aragon, the two regions had many
features in common because of the existence of feudalism. The feudal
hierarchy was composed of counts, viscounts, _valvasores_ (barons), and
free vassals, of whom the first three grades were noble. Underneath was
the institution of serfdom, equally harsh as in Aragon, and almost
equally late in advancing toward emancipation. Personal slavery (of
Moslem prisoners of war, as a rule) also existed. There were not many
Mozárabes or Mudéjares, but the Jews were fairly numerous. All enjoyed
the same lenient treatment as that accorded in Castile and Aragon,--with
a beginning of restrictive measures at the end of the period. The middle
class of the cities was more important than in Aragon, especially in the
coast cities or towns, where the citizens engaged in commerce. Although
the communal family group was the general rule in Catalonia, this
institution was considerably modified by the existence of the law of
primogeniture, causing the entailment of landed properties to each
successive eldest son,--a variation from the _Fuero Juzgo_. This aided
in economic prosperity, because it kept estates intact, and influenced
younger brothers to go forth in order to build up estates of their own.
In other respects, social customs did not vary materially from those of
Aragon and Castile.[26]
[Sidenote: Political life and administration in Catalonia.]
[Sidenote: Importance of Barcelona.]
The only new factor of interest in general political and administrative
organization was the increase in the actual authority of the counts of
Barcelona (and, similarly, after they became kings of Aragon), although
on the same legal basis of feudalism as before. This came about through
the uniting of most of the counties in the single family of the counts
of Barcelona, who therefore were able to exercise a decisive influence
in Catalonian affairs. The rise in importance of Barcelona was the most
notable event in municipal history. Its commerce and wealth were so
great, and its prestige as capital of the county so influential, that it
exercised a veritable hegemony over the other towns. Each year the
general assembly elected five councillors, who in turn appointed a
council of one hundred, or _Consell de Cent_, which was the principal
governing body of the city. The city was allowed to coin money and to
appoint consuls charged with looking after the business interests of
Barcelona in foreign lands. The _Consell_ also had mercantile
jurisdiction. The Catalan commercial customs were to pass over in a
developed form into Castile, and from there to the Americas. The
Catalonian _Cortes_ had but three estates, and was in other respects
similar to that of Castile. The representatives of the towns were
admitted in 1218, but their right to appear was not definitely affirmed
until 1282. Barcelona had unusual weight in that body, for it possessed
five votes. The _Usatges_ (the code adopted in the reign of Ramón
Berenguer I) merely expressed in writing the feudal customs which were
already in vogue, and therefore it was generally observed. It did not
supersede the charters, the _Fuero Juzgo_, and local customs, all of
which continued in effect. The Roman and canon law, despite the
resistance of the nobility, came to be regarded as supplementary to
other legal sources, although not as of right until centuries later. In
naval affairs Catalonia was far ahead of the rest of Spain. Both a
merchant and a naval marine had existed since the ninth century, and the
former was encouraged by the suppression of taxes and by favorable
treaties with the Italian states. The navy had become a permanent state
institution by the middle of the twelfth century (in the reign of Ramón
Berenguer IV). Individual lords and towns had naval vessels of their
own, however. The history of the church followed the same course as in
Aragon; the Roman rite was adopted in the time of Ramón Berenguer I
(1035-1076).
_Valencia_
[Sidenote: The royal power in the social and political life of
Valencia.]
When Jaime I conquered Valencia, he had an opportunity to put into
effect some of his ideas with regard to strengthening the principle of
monarchy, and did not fail to take advantage of it. In the distribution
of lands among the nobles, the king was recognized as the only lord;
furthermore, the majority of the lands were given outright, in small
parcels, to middle class proprietors, subject only to the royal and the
neighborhood taxes. Most of the recipients were Catalans, and thus the
Catalan civilization came to predominate in Valencia. The most numerous
body of the population, however, was that of the Mudéjares. Many of
these were not molested in their estates and their business, and some
were even granted lands, but the majority were obliged to pay heavy
taxes in return for the royal protection. The Mudéjar uprisings led to
the introduction of more rigorous measures. In political affairs, too,
Jaime I established a system more favorable to monarchy. The nobles
wished to have the Aragonese law apply, but the king introduced new
legislation whereby the greater part of the authority rested with him.
The Valencian _Cortes_, of three branches, dates from 1283.
_Balearic Islands_
[Sidenote: Similarly in the Balearic Islands.]
Jaime I pursued the same policy in the Balearic Islands as in Valencia,
avoiding the evils of feudalism, and treating the Mudéjares well,--for
here too they were in the majority.
_Navarre_
[Sidenote: Feudalism and French influences in Navarre.]
The extreme of feudal organization, similar to that in Aragon, existed
in Navarre. French peoples were an important element in the population,
and the power of the monks of Cluny was unusually great. Although the
kings established hereditary succession, the nobles continued to be
virtually absolute on their estates. The towns did not become as
important a power as elsewhere in Spain, and it was not until the next
era, possibly in the year 1300, that their representatives were admitted
to the _Cortes_.