Medieval Spanish Institutions: Aljamas and the Cortes
The Aljama and Jewish Communities
Aljama: Aljama neighborhoods were sometimes enclosed in the center or the suburbs of cities and towns with a Christian majority. The term should not be confused with Jewry, as it not only involved a city's Jews but also the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. The Jewish quarter in the Crown of Castile also had economic and tax value. The Aljama Jewish community self-managed the collection of various taxes that the monarchy imposed on them.
Medieval Courts of the Iberian Peninsula
The Rise of the Cortes
From the 12th century, the rise of cities and the economic power of the bourgeoisie increased considerably. This prompted the monarch to grant entry to representatives of the municipalities in the Extraordinary Curia, an advisory body made up of nobles and clergy. This gave rise to the Cortes, which consisted of three "arms" (nobility, clergy, and bourgeoisie). The king's intention was to obtain financing for his projects (subsidies), but representatives of the Parliament, before granting the money, required the submission of their protests and petitions to the king.
The Kingdoms of Castile and León
The first courts created on the peninsula were in the Kingdom of León in 1188 and, later, the Kingdom of Castile (1217). With the union of the kingdoms of Castile and León, the Leonese Cortes began to meet alongside the Castilian ones, though they also met separately until the 15th century. The Castilian Cortes always maintained a consultative character, and their primary role was to approve grants. Gradually, the nobility and clergy stopped attending because they were exempt from paying the taxes agreed upon.
The Crown of Aragon and the Generalitat
In the Crown of Aragon, each kingdom had its own courts (Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia) which, unlike Castile, enjoyed legislative functions and voted on taxes. From the 14th century, Catalonia created a permanent delegation of the Parliament, which received the name of the Generalitat (Government) and whose function was to collect taxes and monitor compliance with the law.
The Kingdom of Navarre and the Charters
In the Kingdom of Navarre, parliament met for the first time in 1253, and the monarch had to respect the privileges, rights, traditions, and customs of the kingdom before being crowned. The charters (fueros) were a limitation of royal power; the king had to refer certain decisions to the Royal Council and, later, to the Cortes. The General Jurisdiction of Navarre was compiled between 1234 and 1253.