Acceso usuarios
Thomas N. Bisson
In this article, which is based on a paper given at a Colloquium of the International Commission held in Florence in 1986, and has been revised to take account of recent work on the subject, Thomas N. Bisson enters the debate over whether the first true Corts of Catalonia was the assembly of 1283. Three aspects of the development of the Corts are examined: its recognition as a territorial assembly of Catalonia, the use of the Corts for formal, ceremonial celebrations of the status of the ruler, and for affirmations of loyalty and the introduction of urban representation alongside that of the prelates, barons and knights. It is argued that meetings officially recorded as ceremonial, and in some cases not officially recorded at all, as early as 1173, were the occasions of fierce political debate between the king and his vassals and have at least some of the defining characteristics of ‘parliamentary’ occasions. The article also produces evidence for the introduction of urban representation before the end of the twelfth century. The article concludes that there are good grounds for ascribing the origins of the Corts of Catalonia as a territorial, representative assembly, with parliamentary characteristics to the period 1173–1214.
