Aragon
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| Missing image Locator_map_of_Aragon.png Image:Locator map of Aragon.png | |||
| Capital | Zaragoza | ||
| Area – Total – % of Spain | Ranked 4th 47 719 km² 9,4% | ||
| Population – Total (2003) – % of Spain – Density | Ranked 11th 1 217 514 2,9% 25,51/km² | ||
| Demonym – English – Spanish | Aragonese aragonés | ||
| Statute of Autonomy | August 16, 1982 | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | AR | ||
| Parliamentary representation – Congress seats – Senate seats | 13 2 | ||
| President | Marcelino Iglesias Ricou (PSOE) | ||
| Gobierno de Aragón (http://www.aragob.es) | |||
This article is about the geographical region. For the poet, see Louis Aragon. For the Olympic medallist, see Aragon (horse).
Aragon (Spanish and Aragonese: Aragón; Catalan: Aragó) is an autonomous community of north-eastern Spain. It has an area of 47,719 km² with a population of 1,217,514 (2003).
Aragon is bounded on the north by France, on the east by Catalonia, on the south by Valencia, and on the west by Castile-La Mancha, Castile-Leon, La Rioja, and Navarre (Spanish: Navarra). It comprises the provinces of Zaragoza (English: Saragossa or Caesaraugusta), Huesca, and Teruel. It is traversed by the Ebro, mountainous in the north; with beautiful fertile valleys, rather barren, in the south.
Its capital is Zaragoza.
In addition to its three provinces, Aragon is subdivided into 33 comarcas (counties).
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Language
In addition to Spanish, there is an original Aragonese language, still spoken in some valleys of the Pyrenees, which is different from the Aragonese dialect of Castilian Spanish language.
Catalan is spoken as well in some comarques (counties) adjacent to Catalonia, in particular: the Ribagorzan dialect in Ribagorza (capital Benabarre) and Litera (capital Binefar), and a dialect similar to that of Terra Alta in Matarraña (capital Valderrobres) and Bajo Cinca (capital Fraga).
History
Aragón was a Frankish feudal county (Jaca) before becoming a self-proclaimed kingdom, which was united to the kingdom of Pamplona (later Navarre) in 925. Split from the kingdom of Navarre, the kingdom of Aragón was re-established in 1035 and lasted until 1707. Aragón was also the name of the crown, because of the dynastic union of a Count of Barcelona (Ramon Berenguer IV) with a Queen of Aragón (Petronila of Aragon), their son inheriting all their respective territories. This Crown was effectively disbanded after the dynastic union with Castile (see below). The Kings of Aragón (called by some present-day historians "Catalan Kings of Aragón", "Catalan Kings", "Count-Kings", or "Counts of Barcelona and Kings of Aragón" so that the role played by Catalonia in the crown is not ignored inadvertently) ruled territories that consisted of not only the present administrative region of Aragón but also Catalonia, and later the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Sicily, Naples and Sardinia (see Aragonese Empire).
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The King of Aragón was the direct King of the Aragonese region, and held also the title of King of Valencia, King of Mallorca (for a time), Count of Barcelona, Lord of Montpellier, and, only temporally, Duke of Athens and Neopatria. Each of these titles gave him sovereignty over a certain region, and these titles changed as he lost and won territories.
The real centre of this kingdom was Barcelona, since it had a seaport and was near the geographical centre of the Crown of Aragon, while Valencia was the most important seaport for trade until approximately the 18th century. Present-day historians usually call the Crown the "Crown of Aragón", the "Catalan-Aragonese Confederation" or simply "Catalonia-Aragón", many times depending on whether that historian lives in Aragón or in Catalonia. The Kingdom of Aragón is called simply Kingdom of Aragón. Saying just "Aragón" is ambiguous and should be avoided. Barcelona was the center of what was in many ways a Mediterranean Empire, ruling the Mediterranean Sea and setting rules for the entire sea (for instance, in the Llibre del Consolat del Mar, in Catalan).
List of Chancellors
- Alfons de la Cavalleria 1494-1508
- Tomás de Malferit 1508
- Antoni Agustí de Sicart 1508-1523
- Frederic Honorat de Gualbes de Vallseca (for the Principality of Catalonia) 1523-1529
- Jeronimo de Rage (for Aragón Kingdom) 1523-1529
- Eiximèn Perez de Figuerola (for Valencia Kingdom) 1523-1529
- Joan Sunyer 1529-1533
- Miquel Mai 1533-1546
- Jeroni Descoll de Oliva 1546-1554
- Pere de Clariana de Seva 1554-1562
- Bernardo de Bolea y Portugal 1562-1585
- Simó Friigola 1585-1598
- Dídac Civarrubias Sanç 1598-1607
- Diego Clavera 1608-1612
- Andreu Roig 1612-1622
- President Garci Peréz de Araciel 1623-1624
- President Juan Manuel de Mendoza Luna Manrique, marquis of Montesclaros 1628
- President Enrique Pimentel, bishop of Cuenca 1628-1632
- President Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, duke of Alburquerque 1632-1637
- President Gaspar de Borja y de Velasco 1637-1645
- Maties Bayetola Cabanilles 1646-1652
- Cristòfor Crespí de Vallclaura Brizuela 1652-1671
- Melcior de Navarra Rocafull 1671-1677
- President Pasqual d'Aragó Folc de Cardona 1677
- President Pere Antoni d'Aragó Folc de Cardona i Córdoba 1677-1690
- Melcior de Navarra Rocafull 1690-1691 (second time)
- President Gaspar Téllez Girón y Sandoval, duke of Osuna 1692-1694
- President Ferran de Montcada-Aragó i de Montcada 1695-1698
- President Rodrigo Manuel Manrique de Lara y de Tabora 1698-1702
- President Iñigo de la Cruz Manrique de Lara y Ramiréz de Arellano, count of Aguilar and Frigiliana 1702-[[1707]
See list of Kings of Aragón.
See list of Lieutenants of the Kingdom of Aragón
The dynastic union of Castile and Aragon in 1479, when Ferdinand II of Aragon wed Isabella I of Castile, led to the formal creation of Spain as a single entity in 1516. See List of Spanish monarchs and Kings of Spain family tree.
See also
- River Aragón
- Aragonite
- Catherine of Aragon, 1st queen of Henry VIII of England
External links
- Government of Aragon (http://www.aragob.es) (in Spanish)
- Basic statistical data on Aragon (http://portal.aragob.es/servlet/page?_pageid=2885,591&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30&cuerpo.est=ITPG_EHE_IAEST_001DB03_0%2CITPG_EHE_IAEST_001DB03_1%2CITPG_EHE_IAEST_001DB03_2&menu.est=ITM_EHE_IAEST_inicio_menu) (in Spanish)
- http://www.charrando.com/ Page about the Aragonese Language
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| Andalusia | Aragon | Asturias | Balearic Islands | Basque Country | Canary Islands | Cantabria | Castile-La Mancha | Castile-Leon | Catalonia | Extremadura | Galicia | La Rioja | Madrid | Murcia | Navarre | Valencia | Ceuta | Melilla | Plaza de soberanía | |
Aragon is also the name of a commune in the Aude département, in France
an:Aragón ast:Aragón an:Aragón ca:Aragó cs:Aragonie da:Aragonien de:Aragón et:Aragón es:Aragón eo:Aragono fi:Aragonia fr:Communauté autonome d'Aragon it:Aragona (Spagna) ka:არაგონი hu:Aragónia nl:Aragon ja:アラゴン州 pl:Aragonia pt:Aragão ro:Aragon sv:Aragonien