Crown of Aragon

The Crown of Aragon was a complex composite monarchy. It was not a single, centralized nation. Instead, it was a collection of several autonomous states. These different realms were joined together by one king. However, each territory kept its own specific laws. Each state also managed its own taxes and parliaments. These parliaments were known as the Corts or Cortes. This structure meant the Crown functioned more like a confederacy.

This political system relied on a unique mechanism of shared power. The monarch ruled over each state according to its local rules. This allowed diverse regions to coexist under one crown. For example, the Kingdom of Aragon and the Principality of Catalonia remained distinct. The Kingdom of Valencia also maintained its own institutions. Even the Kingdom of Majorca held independent status for a time. The king acted as the single link between these separate parts.

The Crown consisted of many different types of territories. Some were large kingdoms, such as Aragon and Valencia. Others were principalities, like Catalonia. There were also smaller counties and islands. The Crown eventually controlled the Balearic Islands and Sicily. It also held Sardinia, Malta, and parts of Greece. For brief periods, it even held Montpellier and Provence. This wide variety of lands created a massive Mediterranean empire.

The history of the Crown began with a dynastic union in 1137. This happened through the marriage of Petronilla of Aragon and Raymond Berenguer IV of Barcelona. Their son, Alfonso II, became the first ruler of both in 1162. Before this, the House of Jiménez and the House of Barcelona were separate. Alfonso II had to manage two different paths of expansion. One path looked south toward the Ebro valley. The other path looked north toward Occitania and the sea.

Expansion was often shaped by conflict and treaties. In the 13th century, King James I expanded the Crown southward. He conquered Mallorca and much of the Kingdom of Valencia. However, the Crown lost influence in southern France. This happened after the Albigensian Crusade and the Battle of Muret in 1213. Peter II died during this battle, which weakened Aragonese control in Occitania. The Treaty of Meaux-Paris in 1229 eventually handed those lands to the King of France.

At its height, the Crown was a powerful thalassocracy. A thalassocracy is a state that derives its power from controlling the sea. The Crown controlled vast portions of the Mediterranean. This maritime power was supported by specialized soldiers called Almogavars. These mercenaries helped build the empire and worked across southern Europe. The Crown even developed early maritime laws. These were recorded in the Llibre del Consolat del Mar. This book is one of the oldest collections of sea laws in the world.

The importance of the Crown shifted during the late 15th century. In 1479, a new union occurred with the Crown of Castile. This was led by the Catholic Monarchs. This union helped form the basis of the modern Spanish monarchy. The Crown of Aragon did not disappear immediately. It lasted until the War of the Spanish Succession. Following a defeat, King Philip V issued the Nueva Planta decrees. These decrees abolished the Crown between 1707 and 1716.