Querimonia Explained

The Querimonia (Occitan (post 1500);: Querimònia) is a legal document written in Latin that details the political and administrative autonomy granted to the Aran Valley (Catalonia, Spain) by James II of Aragon in 1313.^[1] The valley maintained a special status until 1834 when the queen regent María Cristina forced the integration of the valley with the province of Lleida. In 1990, the Aranese once again achieved a measure of autonomy when the autonomous community of Catalonia devolved power to the local government, giving them control over education, sanitation, culture, environment, agriculture and tourism.^[2]

Rights

The querimonia confirmed and ceded the following rights to the Aranese:

• Free and explicit common ownership by the Aranese of their mountains without tribute or subsidy; with the freedom of pasture for all meadows and fields
• Free use of the forests
• Free use of water, for irrigation as well as mills
• The freedom to fish and hunt
• Exemption from all royal servitude, burden, and imposition
• Recognition of the traditional Aranese convinença and the torneria.

In return, the Aranese agreed to pay a tribute once per year to the king called the Galin Reiau, consisting of a quantity of wheat per resident of the valley.^[3]

Sources

• Book: Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana . Carbonell i de Ballester . Jordi . Carreras i Marti . Joan . enciclopedia.cat . Enciclopèdia Catalana . ca . .

Notes and References

1. Book: Turell. M. Teresa. Multilingualism in Spain : sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic aspects of linguistic minority groups. 2001. Multilingual Matters. Clevedon [u.a.]. 9781853594915. 142. [Online-Ausg.].. 19 August 2015.
2. Web site: Val d'Aran celebra los 700 años de su 'carta magna', la 'Querimònia'. lavanguardia.com. 17 June 2013 . La Vanguardia Ediciones. 19 August 2015. es.
3. Web site: Què és la Querimònia?. ccma.cat. 17 June 2013 . Mitjans Audovisuals S.A.. 19 August 2015. ca.