The Expanded county of Barcelona & The Kingdom of Aragon
12th Century C.E.
Petronilla & Ramon Berenguer IV
In the 12th Century, the Counts of Barcelona continued to expand their territory, conquering new lands from the Moors and acquiring the thrones of other counties in the former Hispanic March. This process culminated in the rule of Ramon Berenguer IV, who successfully formed a marriage alliance with Petronilla, Queen of Aragon. Their heir, who would be known as Alfonso II of Aragon, inherited both the Crown of Aragon and all the counties held by his father. Under his rule, these counties were combined into the County of Barcelona, which henceforth made the County of Barcelona theoretically equal to the Kingdom of Aragon. It is this new, expanded County of Barcelona which most clearly defines the notion of “Catalonia” in the historic tradition. Barcelona gained increased power and prestige as the newly official capital of all of Catalonia. As Aragon was a landlocked kingdom, Barcelona quickly became the principal port by which Aragon conducted maritime trade, and this resulted in major economic growth in the city. This part of history is the point where Barcelona begins to earn for itself the status of Capital of the Western Mediterranean. (Busquets 2005, p. 39)
The Consell de Cent & The Generalitat 13th Century C.E.
The expansion of Barcelona’s economy, population, and power called for a better system of government to manage the affairs of the city, especially as the Count of Barcelona was increasingly involved in the administration of his other realms, the Kingdom of Aragon and the newly formed Kingdom of Valencia. As such, King Jaume I issued decrees in 1249 and 1265 that legally founded the Consell de Cent, the Council of 100 Jurors. This council consisted of elected representatives from every civilian social stratum. This body would be responsible for governing the day-to-day affairs of Barcelona, including the water supply, the food supply, the road system, the laws governing trade, and the city’s construction practices. The Consell de Cent laid down the first building code in Barcelona, designed to protect the public interest as well as the neighbors of any new construction. Furthermore, the Generalitat was also formed not too long after the Consell de Cent. The Generalitat was instituted in 1287 for the purpose of collecting taxes. Although the Generalitat at this time was solely an administrative institution, not a political one, it would go on to become the governing body of Catalonia, and an enduring symbol of Catalan autonomy. Throughout the 13th Century, Barcelona continued to grow, and its role in the economy and political life of the Aragonese Empire expanded as well. (Busquets 2005, pp. 40-41)
RECONQUISTA, UNITY, INQUISITION, THE ALHAMBRA DECREE, CASTILIAN CENTRALIZATION, THE 3RD WALL, La Rambla, & El Raval
1480-1519 C.E.
The late 15th century was a turbulent time for all of Spain, and Barcelona was no exception. First was the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, which lay the foundations for the unification of Spain. Although the unification would not become legal and official until the ascension of their grandson, Charles, it was in this time that the idea really became possible. Shortly after their marriage, Ferdinand & Isabella determined two major priorities. First was to institute an Inquisition in Spain to deal with the perceived issue of Crypto-Jews among the conversos, those who were once Jewish and had converted to Catholicism. It was claimed that many of these converts were practicing Judaism in secret, and were luring honest conversos back into Judaism. Furthermore, Ferdinand & Isabella wanted this to be a Spanish Inquisition, one controlled by the monarchs of Spain, not controlled by the Pope. Eventually they convinced the Pope to agree to their wishes, and the Spanish Inquisition was established in 1481.
Ferdinand & Isabella’s second priority was to finish the Reconquista, the conquest of the remainder of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. In 1492, after a decade long war, Ferdinand & Isabella took the last Muslim stronghold in Spain, the city of Granada. With this act, the Reconquista was complete; Spain was once again ruled entirely by Christian monarchs. Immediately after the capture of Granada, Ferdinand & Isabella issued the Alhambra Decree, which declared that all Jews in Spain must either convert to Christianity or leave the country. This had a major effect in Barcelona, where there had been a sizable Jewish quarter, and the Jews had been responsible for much of the city’s financial sector. The closure of the Jewish quarter and the near destruction of the financial sector forced a municipal institution, the Taula de Canvi i comuns dipòsits de la ciutat, to take over as the primary financial institution of the city. (Busquets 2005, pp. 58-63) Over this entire period, the central government of the newly unified Spain exerted its power over the autonomous periphery, first from Seville and then from Madrid. This included some significant reforms in the institutional and religious governmental systems in Catalonia, as they were forcibly brought more into line with the customs of Castile. Although Catalonia retained its autonomous status, its institutions had been made more Castilian in nature as a show of force. Furthermore, as the decades passed, Barcelona came to play an ever smaller role in the Spanish empire, as power was ever more concentrated in the unified royal court in Madrid. (Busquets 2005, p. 70) The event that had the greatest effect on the urban form of Barcelona during this time was the construction of the 3rd wall and the accompanying development of the Raval and the Rambla. In the 15th century, it was decided to make an addition to the existing walls, as there had been a slow urbanization of the land outside the western wall for a long time, and this part of the city was exposed and unprotected. The new walls enclosed these suburbs, and they also enclosed a good deal of open space, which would allow the city to better grow over time. These western settlements outside the 2nd wall and enclosed by the new 3rd wall were known collectively as the Raval. The Raval contained numerous institutional structures, including monasteries and hospitals, and would quickly grow to be an integral part of the city. Along with the development of the Raval came the formation of the Rambla, which was a great thoroughfare that ran between the 2nd wall and the Raval. It was left open, and it became a space for greenery, markets, festivals, and processions. The Rambla can be seen as the start of Barcelona’s long tradition of creating great, public, communal spaces where the activity of the city can take place freely. (Busquets 2005, pp. 63-69) |