Introduction

"Catalan-Aragonese Crown" it is the name given in Catalonia to the former Crown of Aragon as it better expresses the reality of the union of the two kingdoms. The fact "Catalonia was a kingdom" is confirmed by the seven manuscripts (s.xii to s.xv) of the book "Llibre dels feits del rei en Jacme"^[1], official documents that prove this designation.

The definition «Corona Aragonum et Catalonia» appears on the Privilege of annexation to the Kingdom of Mallorca on 16, Oct., 1286 (Ferran Soldevila, Historia de Catalunya, Barcelona, ed. Alpha, 1962, p. 383, note 29), videt: Great Encyclopedia Catalana, Aragonese Great Encyclopedia. Peter IV of Aragon (4th in Aragon) called himself "Peter third" (catalan) (Armand Fluvià)

Castile and Leon have a very similar situation, historically was the "Crown of Castile", but is universally accepted by many institutions including the government of Spain, the expression "CORONA CASTELLANO-LEONESA" .

So if it is the union of two kingdoms they can be defined perfectly as the "Crown of Catalonia and Aragon" "Catalan-Aragonese Crown".. as is the case of "CORONA CASTELLANO-LEONESA"

James I said that Catalonia was a kingdom

There are some people who say that due to the fact the seven manuscripts (s.xii to s.xv) of the "Llibre dels feits del rei en Jacme" are just transcriptions of the originals, (the oldest manuscript preserved, is from 1314 and King James I died in 1276), the definition of Catalonia as a "kingdom" can be due to an error of transcription or interpretation. They are not aware they are invalidating the chronicles backbone of the history of the "Crown of Aragon"

But against this assertion M.D. San Pedro MartĂ­nez^[2] says that, from James II onwards (1314, the year of Pere Marsili's latin manuscript), the book was read aloud every year at the Cathedral of Palma in front of the King, then, with a simple falsehood or error pronounced, the scribe wouldn't have escaped the justice of the king.

The following paragraph is very important at the Cap-LXXIV. of the "Crònica latina de Jaime I"^[3], (LXXIV. De prava responsione facta Regi per nobìles de Aragonia super auxilio quod petebat)

...Qui dixit: Ignoramus, Domine, in terra ista quid bovaticum, et ut vos
verbis non detineam, quando hoc fuit propositum in consilio, omnes una
voce vociferati sunt, dicentes se in hoc articulo non faceré quod vos vultis.
Tunc respondens ait: Repleti nimia admiratione duram gente vos intuendo
probamus ad iudicandum, et clare perspiciendum iudicium
rationis. Considerare debuistis condicionem negocii, et nostram iuxta hoc
intentione, que apparet omnino sine reprehensione.Quod enim nos facimus,
intuita Dei facimus, et ut Yspaniam defendamus, ac per hoc nobis
et vobis apud omnes gentes famam perpetuarti aequiramus, ut noverit universus
orbis quod per nos Yspania sit salvata. Et cum Catalonia que est
nobilius et honorabilius Regnum Yspanie habens quatuor comités videlicet
Urgellensem, Empuriarum, Foxensem, Pallarensem. Habet
etiam tot nobiles, ut pro uno de Aragonia sint in Catalonia quatuor, et pro
uno milite quinqué, et pro uno clerico quinqué, et pro uno honorabili
cive quinqué; cum Catatonia inquam velit non iuvare, et dare nobis de
suo, vos qui tenetls honores pro nobis ad valorem viginti milium, triginta
milium, quadraginta milium solidorum, deberetis citius et melius nos iuvare,
maxime quia totum vobis ipsis remaneret etiam cum augmento...

The following paragraph is very important at the Cap-392 of the "Llibre dels feits del rei en Jacme"^[4], "...E el dix: No sabem en esta terra, senyor, que ses bouatge, e dich uos que quan hoiren dir aquesta cosa que tots cridaren a vna uou que non farien re. E direm nos: Gran maraueylans donam de uosaltres, car sots dura gent dentendre rao, car be deuriets guardar lo negoci qual es, e deuriets guardar siu fem nos per bon enteniment o per mal: car creem per cert que nuyl hom nons poria en real notar aço, car nos ho fem la primera cosa per Deu, la segona per saluar Espanya, la terça que nos e uos haiam tan bon preu e tan gran nom que per nos e per uos es saluada Espanya. E fe que deuem a Deu, pus aquels de Cathalunya, que es lo meylor Regne Despanya, el pus honrat, el pus noble, perço car hi ha ·IIII· comtes, ço es lo comte Durgell, el comte Dampuries, el comte de Fois, el comte de Paylas: e hay Richs homens, que per ·I· que aqui naja na ·IIII· en Cathalunya, e per ·I· caualler na en Cathalunya ·V·, e per ·I· clergue que aci haja la na ·X·, e per ·I· ciutada honrat na en Cathalunya ·V·: e pus aquels de la pus honrada terra Despanya nos uolgren guardar en dar a nos del lur, uosaltres que tenits nostra honor, qui ·XXX· milia qui ·XX· milia, qui ·XL· milia sous, bens deuriets aiudar, e maiorment car tot se romandria en uos, ab mes que nos uos hi anadiriem del nostre...."

On Page 5 of the "Llibre dels feits del rei en Jacme"^[5] says :"...quens faeren fer, que manssem Cort a Leyda, de Cathalans e D'aragoneses, en la qual fossen larchabisbe, els bisbes, els abats, els richs homens de cadahun dels Regnes..." . It is the beginning of the reign and there were only two kingdoms, Jacme is defining Catalonia as a "kingdom" ...

Said by Cervantes, in La Galatea=

«..Contó el mesmo sacerdote que os he dicho; y fue que, viniendo Timbrio caminando por el reino de Cataluña, a la salida de Perpiñán, dieron con él una cantidad de bandoleros, los cuales tenían por señor y cabeza a un valeroso caballero catalán, que por ciertas enemistades andaba en la compañía, como es ya antiguo uso de aquel reino, cuando los enemistados son personas de cuenta, salirse a ella y hacerse todo el mal que pueden, no solamente en las vidas, pero en las haciendas: cosa ajena de toda cristiandad y digna de toda lástima..» (fol. 91r).^[6]

History

It was a Count of Barcelona, which became, in addition to Earl, King of Aragon, not vice versa. On the other hand, continued to exist alongside the Cortes of Aragon and Catalonia Courts, then those of Mallorca, Valencia, those of Sicily, Naples, the federal system

The Count-Kings, at least until King Ferdinand, used the Catalan speaking or writing official documents (in the latter, alternating with the Latin) and, although the court was traveling (the count-kings were in person wars, and the court with them), wanted to be buried in Catalonia (Poblet, Santes Creus). Even the princesses queen consorts in other realms when widowed, retired to a place of Catalunya (Pedralbes for example)

In all the territories of "the Crown of Aragon" - until King Ferdinand - the justice being delivered from the "Cancelleria and the Consell reial. In Zaragoza since Peter the Great, the Aragonese not accept the "Consell reial" Catalan and Aragon gave the Justice had no jurisdiction and in Catalonia, and Valencia, and Majorca, etc. ..

Ferdinand was reducing the power given by his ancestors to the "Cancelleria and passing it to the "Consell Reial " hi had not forgiven the fact that Catalonia and Navarra, made a 11-year war against his father John II, considering that the heir was Prince of Viana (the firstborn) and not him (Fernando), as his mother Juana Enriquez had arranged.

Until very recently (300 years), the royal ensign belonged to a royal house not to a kingdom. an it hapened to be Ramon Berenguer IV who brought his shield to the kingdom of Aragon. (When Philip I "the Fair" reigned in Castile - while Fernando was still only king of "Aragon and its domains" - brought with it the banner of the Hapsburgs a - white flag with the red cross of St. Andrew -.

The colors of the shield of Aragon-Catalonia are the colors of Charlemagne, Aragon was never a subjected vassal of Charlemagne, the nature of the Aragonese Pyrenees prevented (in your area has the highest mountains - Aneto, etc. ..-, its flag had a red cross on white background with four Moor heads in the quadrants. Although some authors give today to Aragon the cross of St. George)

The count-kings, were counts when borning in Catalonia sworn no more but to become kings of Aragon, says Zurita, before being sworn in, (being abroad), had to be electted by the courts of Aragon. When Charles V arrived to Aragon, the same thing happened  -  the first courts to recognize him as a king of Catalonia were the Catalan Courts -

The coronation took place in Zaragoza, but the language used in the ceremony, was the Catalan speech of the kings. The fact that prevailed the title of Count of Barcelona "next" to the title of king of Aragon "proofs" that are and were complementary "(in the same person). The king reigned in in the five counties of Catalonia, as "King of Catalonia", not for being "Count of Barcelona".

Neither the Catalan, Valencian, Majorican, Sicilian or Neapolitan people, have never considered themselves as Aragonese, the Borgia popes are a clear example, they were from Valencia (Lords of Xativa, although originally from Huesca in Aragon), but were considered pure Catalans (in Rome called them "the clan of the Catalans"). Hence the phrase of Cardinal Bembo: Oh Dio!, LA CHIESA IN MANI DI CATALANI!

Some citations that make the difference between Aragon (Kingdom) and Catalonia (Kingdom-Principality-County)

• —Jaume I. Llibre dels feits cap.119:

« E l'alcaid e tots los vells e el poble de la terra eixiren contra aquestes galees al port de la Ciutadella e demanaren: -De qui són les galees? E dixeren que del rei d'Aragó e de Mallorques e de Catalunya e que eren missatgers seus. »

• —Jaume I. Llibre dels feits cap.167:

« E tal consell no em donets que mal tornaria jo en Catalunya e en Aragó e ab gran vergonya de mi si jo aital llogar com aquest no prenia. »

• —Jaume I. Llibre dels feits cap.241:

« E ab l'ajuda de Déu e ab aquells qui tenen nostres feus en Catalunya e honors en Aragó. »

• —Jaume I. Llibre dels feits cap.392:

« pus aquels de Cathalunya, que es lo meylor Regne Despanya, el pus honrat, el pus noble... E ha hi rics-homens que per un que aquí (regne d'Aragó) n'haja n'ha quatre en Catalunya e per un cavaller n'ha en Catalunya cinc, e per un clergue que ací allà n'ha deu, e per un ciutadà honrat n'ha en Catalunya cinc. »

• —Alfons II el franc al mestre del Temple.abril 1290:

« consideratis malis ac dampnis Terre Sancte illatis per inimicos fidei, ut per venerabilem et dilectum nostrum fretem Berengarius de S.Justo magistrum milice Templi in Aragonia et Cathalonia nuper intelleximus fuimus(...) »

• —B. de Vilaragut a Jaume, rei de SicĂ­lia. 1290[5]

« e recomten aqueles letres quel prinse a dada sa fila ha Karlot de Fransa (...) e renonsia a la donacio que li era estada feta Darago e de Catalunya (...) »

• —capĂ­tols missatgers Jaume II. març 1295:

« Essi per aventura lo rey Daragon no pogues retre Sicilia(...) lo rey Daragon enten que per aço la sua pau no romanga abans la aya ben e complidament el e tot ço que a la Corona Daragon e al Comptat de Barcelona pertany. »

• —Ramon Muntaner, cap.CCXCVI:

« E divenres matí venc, la gràcia de Déu,de bona pluja, que pres tot Aragon e Catalunya e Regne de Valencia e de Murcia e durà entrò per tot lo dicmenge tot dia. »

• —crònica Pere terç, cap.I 42:

« Com lo dit infant En Jacme (...) renuncià de fet als dits regnes d'Aragó, de Valencia, de Sardenya, e de Corsega e al comdat de Barcelona e a tots drets que hagués per dret de primogenitura. »

• —Pere el CerimoniĂłs, Crònica; cap. 1, p.48:

« E con foren denant lo senyor rei, nostre pare, e la reina, madastra nostre, e tot llur Consell, En Guillem de Vinatea proposà e dix que molt se meravellava del senyor rei e de tot son Consell que aitals donacions faés ne consentís com havia; car allò no volia àls dir sinó tolre e separar lo Regne de València de la Corona d'Aragó, car separats les viles e llocs tan apropiats com aquells eren de la ciutat de València, València no seria res. »

• —Pere el CerimoniĂłs, Crònica; cap. 3, p.36:

« E maman fer segells nous en què fos intitulat e nomenat lo Regne de Mallorques ab lo títol dels altres regnes, lo qual ordenam en aquesta forma: En Pere, per la gràcia de Déu, rei d'Aragó, de València, de Mallorques, de Sardenya e de Còrsega, e comte de Barcelona. És ver que els de Mallorques conceberen algun desplaer com nós metem València en nostre títol ans de Mallorques e ho proposaren danant nós, e nós responguem un dia en la nostre cambra, que jatsia que antigament Mallorques fos ans de València en lo títol, en temps d'alguns nostres predecessors, però lo Regne de València és molt ennoblit e mellorat. E puis diguem-los rient que en aquell lloc del títol no haüda ventura de Mallorques de romanir a la Corona d'Aragó, ans era estada donada e retuda dues vegades, e així ara volíem assajar si melloraria la ventura en lo tercer lloc del títol. E ells així riguerense'n, e no ens en parlaren pus enant. »

References