Querimonia facts for kids

The Querimonia (which means Querimònia in the local language) was a very important legal paper written in Latin. It was like a special agreement that gave the Aran Valley in Catalonia, Spain, the power to govern itself. This document was signed by King James II of Aragon in 1313.

The Aran Valley kept this special self-governing status for a long time. But in 1834, Queen María Cristina changed things. She made the valley become a regular part of the Lleida province.

However, the people of Aran Valley got some of their self-rule back in 1990. The region of Catalonia gave power to the local government in the valley. This meant the Aranese people could make their own decisions about things like education, keeping their towns clean, culture, protecting nature, farming, and tourism.

What Rights Did the Querimonia Give?

The Querimonia officially gave the people of the Aran Valley these important rights:

• Shared Mountains: The Aranese people could freely own and use their mountains together. They didn't have to pay any special taxes for this. They could also let their animals graze in all the meadows and fields.
• Forest Use: They had the freedom to use the forests.
• Water Use: They could freely use water for watering their crops and for mills.
• Hunting and Fishing: They were allowed to fish and hunt freely.
• No Royal Burdens: They were free from any special demands or taxes from the king.
• Traditional Rules: The document recognized their old traditional rules called convinença and torneria.
  • The convinença was a set of rules for sharing property. It explained how costs and profits were shared, especially when someone passed away. If there was no clear agreement, the convinença rules were used.
  • The torneria was a rule about selling property. If someone wanted to sell their land or house, they first had to offer it to their brothers, sisters, and close relatives. If the relatives didn't want to buy it, then the owner could sell it to anyone else. If the property wasn't offered to relatives first, they could challenge the sale.

In return for these rights, the people of the Aran Valley agreed to pay the king a yearly tribute. This payment was called the Galin Reiau. It was a certain amount of wheat for each person living in the valley.

See also

In Spanish: Era Querimònia para niños