Prince of Viana

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The Prince of Viana was the title of the heir of the Kingdom of Navarre. It was instituted by Charles III for his grandson Charles, born of the marriage between his daughter Blanca and Juan, Prince of Aragón. It was a reflection of a Western European trend, where the heir received a title that equipped him with rents for his personal benefit. Thus, there were, among others: Prince of Asturias, in Castile; Prince of Gerona, in Aragón; Dauphin, in France; and Prince of Wales, in England.

The document is dated in Tudela 20 January 1423 and thus says:

Carlos, by the grace of God, King of Navarre, Duke of Nemours: to all those present, and to come, that the present letters will see, health. As human linage is inclined, and desires, that men must wish to think about the exaltation of the state and honour of their children, and their descendants, and to put and to raise those in increase and supereminence of dignity and honour, and by grace, and blessing of our Lord God, our very valued and very loved children Infante Don Juan of Aragon and queen Dona Blanca, our first-born and heiress, have produced Infante Don Carlos, their son, and our very valued and very loved grandson, We now decide, because of paternal love, liking and good will, that honour and salary we must to this Infante Don Carlos our grandson, wanting put, to constitute, and to praise in honour and dignity, according to we are, had and we must do it, moved by the above-mentioned causes, and reasons, and other that luengas will be to express, and declare, of our certain sciencia, and movement proprio, special grace, and real authority, to this habemos infant D. given Carlos and give, by presentess, in I donate and special grace, the villas and castles and places that are followed.

• First, our villa and castle of Viana with its villages.
• Item our villa and castle of Laguardia with its villages.
• Item our villa and castle of Saint Vicente with its villages.
• Item our villa and castle of Bernedo with its villages.
• Item our villa of Aguilar with its villages.
• Item our villa of Uxenevilla with its villages.
• Item our villa of Lapobloción with its villages.
• Item our villa of Sanct Pedro, and Cabredo, with its villages and all our villas, and places, that habemos in the Val de Campezo; and affluent assí our castles of Marañon, Toro, Ferrera and Buradón; and habemos erected and we erected, by the presents, it names and title of Principality on the these villas and places, and habemos dice, and we give to title and honor him of Prince; and we want, and we ordered, by these presents, that of ahead intitule and name Prince of Viana, and all the these villas, castles, and places here, they have to be and they are of the this Principality, and its property. Extreme item, to the this infant our grandson, extreme the villas of Corella and Cintruénigo, that we gave him before now, habemos given, and we give by the presents, in herencio perpetual, our villa of Peralta and Cadreira with its castles; and we want that of here ahead he it is had to name gentleman of the these villas of Corella and Peralta. And all our these villas, castles, and places, habemos given and we give, by the presents, to this infant D. Carlos our grandson, with all his vasallos, that in it are, and will be, so that them it has, possida, and espleite and defends, like things hers own ones. All time inasmuch as, according to law, and custom of the saying reyno of Navarre, that is indivisible, and non can be started off, by this, the this infant, non will be able to give in casoalguno, to sell, and to alienate, to empeynar, and to divide, neither to distrayer, in no way, the these villas and castles, and places in everything, nor in game, time some in some way; antesaquellas will be completely, and perpetualmente, to the crown of Navarre. And thus we commanded to our treasurer, and solicitors, patrimonial public prosecutor and, qualesquiere our officials, who the presents will see, that to this infant D. Carlos, or to his solicitor by him, puts in possession of the these villas, castles, and places, and they dexen to him, they suffer, and they allow to possidir, and to have those, like things hers own ones; to car assi we want it, and it pleases to us. In testimony of this habemos I date to seal the slope presents to Us of our great seal of chancillería with bow of green wax silk. Given in Tudela in twenty of jenero l'aynno of the birth of our Gentleman thousand quatrocientos and twenty and three. By the King: Martin of San Martin, secretary”

The city of Viana, last Navarrese city on the ascent of the Way of Santiago, has weathered historical ups and downs, its appearance has experienced radical transformations and the title to which it lends name are lost the territories and the rents that it had assigned in his origin, although maintain its symbolic. After the conquest of the kingdom of peninsular Navarre by Fernando the Catholic, at the beginning of century XVI, and as a result of the dynastic union of the Spanish territories in the people of Catholic Monarchs, the title of Prince of Viana - as the one of Asturias and other several it were tie to the heir of Corona of Spain, that since then - and after diverse historical vicissitudes it shows it to the present time. The XXI Prince of Viana is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia. The title was used also for Gaston, Prince of Viana, the son and heir of Eleanor of Navarre and Gaston IV of Foix. It was also sometimes used as an alternate to Dauphin in France following the union between the two Kingdoms.