Biography / Administrative history:

This document is part of a set of about 500 privileges granted to the city of Barcelona by the kings of Aragon from the 13th to the 18th century. They are preserved in the Archives of the Crown of Aragon since the first third of the nineteenth century.

The creation of the Consell de Cent ("Council of One Hundred", the governmental institution of Barcelona) dates from 1265, date in which King James I reformed the municipal regime of Barcelona, fixing in four the number of concellers and in one hundred that of men or juries, representatives of the old General Assembly. Subsequently, the number of concellers that integrated the "Savi Concell" as well as the number of juries expanded to 177 in the mid-sixteenth century, although they still retained the traditional name. The members of the Consell de Cent were chosen by the Concellers, in union with the veguer (Latin: vicarius) and the batlle (bailiff), and their duration was one year. Over time they were divided into committees of 36 members (Trentenari) who acted in quarterly shifts and whose mission was to prepare and study matters for the General Council. Until 1445, the juries were chosen among the influential citizens, but the monarchs of the House of Trastámara favored access to the Council of artisan classes. Continuing the reforms, King Ferdinand II the Catholic introduced a system of election at random, called “insaculación”, which would last on. The institution disappeared in 1714, by the Nueva Planta (Reform decrees), being replaced by a Board of five administrators.

Name of the creator(s):

Archivo de la Corona de Aragón (Barcelona, España)

Consell de Cent

General Conditions of Access:

©MECD. Archivos Estatales (España). La difusión de la información descriptiva y de las imágenes digitales de este documento ha sido autorizada por el titular de los derechos de propiedad intelectual exclusivamente para uso privado y para actividades de docencia e investigación. En ningún caso se autoriza su reproducción con finalidad lucrativa ni su distribución, comunicación pública y transformación por cualquier medio sin autorización expresa y por escrito del propietario.

Description Indices:

Castilla, María de (1401-1458, reina consorte de Aragón)

Converts

Jews

Moros

Notaries

Privilegios

State of conservation:

Good

Notes:

Firma autógrafa y sello pendiente de la reina María de Castilla.