Catalan-Aragonese Crown: Expansion and Society
The Expansion of the Crown of Aragon
The Causes of the Expansion: The defeat of Peter II of Aragon at the Battle of Muret (1213) ended a period in which the Crown of Aragon had expansionist aims in the lands of southern France.
The Conquest of Majorca and Valencia: The first objective of the Catalan nobles and merchants was the Balearic Islands, as they were a rich Muslim kingdom. The conquest of the Kingdom of Valencia was an initiative of the Aragonese nobles and military-religious orders.
Land Distribution and Resettlement: Once Majorca and Valencia were conquered, King James I proceeded to distribute land among the organizers of the conquest. In Majorca, a large portion of the Muslim population died during the conquest or emigrated.
Mediterranean Expansion: The successors of James I began a military and commercial expansion in the Mediterranean. Peter the Great initiated the conquest of Sicily. This island was a strategic point on the Mediterranean trade routes. In 1323, James II began the conquest of the island of Sardinia.
Catalan Trade Routes: These routes acquired desired products from the East. These goods came to Europe, and merchants made great profits.
Consulates of the Sea
To promote this commerce, Barcelona organized a system of consulates in major cities of the Mediterranean. The Consulate of the Sea was a tribunal.
Population, Economy and Society
Population: During the 12th and 13th centuries, the population of the Crown of Aragon increased considerably as a result of economic prosperity, reaching a total population of one million people.
Economic Activities: Agriculture experienced significant expansion from the 13th century onward through the expansion of the cropped area with newly broken ground. In cities, craft activity was important, and the various trades were grouped into guilds. Trade activity was even more significant and formed the basis of medieval Catalan economic prosperity.
Social Groups: Catalan society was a feudal society, meaning it was made up of the privileged and the non-privileged.
- Privileged: The nobility and clergy were the great landowners and the privileged classes.
- Non-privileged: Farmers constituted 90% of the population.
Within the non-privileged group, there were different levels:
- The wealthy bourgeoisie, who were mainly engaged in commerce and high-level crafts.
- Middle-class traders, artists, and craftspeople.
- The lower class, including most artisans, workers, and the poor.
Jews in Catalonia
Jews were preferentially engaged in crafts and commerce. They were providers of money or held positions in the court. There were significant Jewish communities. They lived marginalized and suffered discrimination; they were required to wear distinctive clothing and live in separate neighborhoods called “calls” (Jewish quarters). A series of attacks against the Jews, called pogroms, occurred.
A Confederate Monarchy
The Crown of Aragon was organized as a confederation of states. The monarchy was the only common institution of all the kingdoms of the Crown. In his constant absence, the monarch appointed a governor to represent him in each kingdom.
Pactism: This system of government, in which the kings respected the laws, institutions, and customs of each country, is known as pactism.
Institutions of Government
The Royal Court: The royal court consisted of relatives, nobles, clerics, and officials who accompanied the monarch.
The Courts: The courts were meetings of representatives of the privileged, grouped into the clergy and nobility. The courts constituted a limitation on the king’s power.
The Generalitat: This institution in Barcelona had its own powers to collect taxes, maintain an army, and a fleet to ensure compliance with the laws.
Municipal Councils: James I definitively established the organization of the City of Barcelona, which consisted of five councilors and an assembly of one hundred citizens. The offices of councilors and deputies were quickly dominated by the richer bourgeoisie, who formed a true municipal oligarchy.
Artistic Legacy
- Religious Architecture: Monasteries of Santa Maria de Poblet and Santes Creus.
- Civil Architecture: Barcelona Exchange, Palace of the Generalitat.
- Sculpture: Jaume Cascalls.
- Painting: Jaume Huguet and Lluís Dalmau.