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History of Andorra PDF Print E-mail
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History of Andorra
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Several years after, on December the 6th of 1288, both co masters signed a "second pariatge". The andorran people had the moment two sovereigns. Thanks to this situation, that remain through history, Andorra has maintained its independence if front of powerful nations on both border-lines.
Both co-princeps, living outside Andorra, named their councilors every other year alternatively, receiving the tribute of the "Questia", given by the andorrans. Andorra, then conforms as the actual co principate. The andorran people at that time feed normally of bread, milk, and some vegetables, as well as cheese "de llesca" (laminated), used usually to pay tributes.
In year 1419 A.D., "Andreu d'Alàs" as a messager of the Valleys of Andorra, got from the bishop co-prince "Francesc de Tovia" and the count of Foix, "Joan I" the permission to create the "Consell de la Terra" (Earth Council) -origin of the "General Council"-. At the same time they granted the right to the people of Andorra (in this election the only able to vote were the house-heads of the most important "houses or families") to elect several people to represent them in the Council. This Council may be considered one of the oldest Parliaments in Europe.
In the year 1469, "Ferran" of Aragó married "Isabel de Castella", and in 1479 on the other hand, "Gastó IV de Foix" viscount of "Castellbó" and of "Foix", co-prince of Andorra, marries "Joan d'Albret". The "Albrets" became the kings of Navarre, dominating as well "Foix", "Bearn" and "Bigorre", being at the same time co-princes of Andorra.
The attempts of annexation of the catalan lands dependant of the countcy of "Foix" to the crown catalano-aragonesa, done by Pere II de Catalunya (and IIIrd of Aragó) (1280-1283), "Alfons II" (1333-34) and "Marti the Human" (1396-1400) did not arrive, having account their temporary character, to interrupt the continuity of the peculiar regime of the andorran valley.

4.Modern Age (1.512 A.D.-1.899 A.D.)

The survival, after the definite union of those territories to the royal patrimony, decreed a century later by "Ferran II of Catalunya Aragó" (1512), results completely unexplained.
To say the truth, however "Ferran II the Catholic" (1512) conquers the southern part of Navarre and later obtains the viscountcy of "Castellbó" and the valleys of Andorra, and although he gave this as donation next year to his second woman, "Germana de Foix" as life present converted in perpetual by "Carles V" (1519 and 1523), the andorran people, continues being loyal and paying regularly the "Questia" to the kings of Navarre-counts of "Foix" as established in the previous "pariatges".
In 1589, "Enric III" king of Navarre and count of "Foix", became king of France, with the name of "Enric IV". This king, educated in the protestantism by his mother "Joana D'Albert", embraced the catholicism, in order to reach the French throne. "Lluís XIII" successor of "Enric IV" incorporates during 1607 the countcy of "Foix" to the French Crown, and this fact converted him in co-prince of Andorra with the bishop of Urgell, dignity that two centuries later, once disappeared the monarchy in France, passed to the following heads of the State.
Fortunately for Andorra, none of its mighty neighbours, never attempted to make reivindications that could go further that those established in the medieval "pariatges".
This let Andorra keep its co-sovereignty, and obtain as well a "corpus" of privileges, juridical (citizens of a neutral country, no military service, no war contributions or of a foreign country occupation) as well as commercial (basically, free circulation of goods between both border-lines and very reduced taxes).
The first years of the 18th century, Andorra maintains neutral during the war of Spanish Succession, that affected so much Catalunya. During 1715 the bishop of Urgell, "Simeó de Guinda" dictates several orders, indicating the consuls of the Valleys of Andorra not to obey any order dictated by third parties others than the king of France or himself co-princes of the Valleys of Andorra.
Later on, appears in Andorra the most important person of the "Il.lustració", "Antoni Fiter i Rossell", attorney at law, born in Ordino, that compiled "the uses and costumes" of Andorra in the "Manual Digest", published during 1748. In this book, he transcripted everything that was in the andorran archives starting with the documents of "Charlemagne" and "Lluís el Piadós". The original manuscript is kept at the House of "Ordino", but there are two more copies: one at the closet of the seven keys of the House of the "Valls d'Andorra" (1580), and the other one at the bishopric of "Seu D'Urgell".
In 1763, clergy "Antoni Puig", born in "Les Escaldes", writes another very important book for the history of Andorra, inspired in that of "Fiter i Rossell", entitled "Politar Andorrà", a costumes book describing the privileges of the Principate and the attributions of the authorities in other topics. These two books, well understood that have to be contextualized at that time, show evidence that Andorra did not live isolated of the european ideological currents in the 18th century.


 

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