Fueros of Navarre

Memorial erected in Pamplona to the fueros (1903)

The Fueros of Navarre (Spanish: Fuero General de Navarra, Basque: Nafarroako Foru Orokorra, meaning in English General Charter of Navarre) were the laws of the Kingdom of Navarre up to 1841, tracing its origins to the Early Middle Ages and issued from Basque consuetudinary law prevalent across the (western) Pyrenees. They were a sort of constitution which defined the position of the king, the nobility, and the judicial procedures, which meant that the royal decisions needed to conform to the provisions set out by the charters. The first codifications are attested by modifications or amendments (amejoramientos) dated to 1330 and 1419.^[1]

Institutions

From 1515 until 1841, Navarre was in effect an autonomous kingdom in personal union with the Spanish crown. It was allowed to retain a large degree of home rule, preserving much of the institutions of the independent kingdom, not exempt of tensions with the ever centralizing drive of Castile and attempts at reunification with independent Navarre to the north of the Pyrenees led by the Parliament.

A viceroy represented the Spanish monarch. The Cortes (the Parliament) was the main legislative body, composed of three estates of clergy, nobles and burgesses. There was a Royal Council and a Supreme Court, as well as a Diputación del Reyno or Government of Navarre (similar to the Generalidad of Aragon and the Generalitats of Catalonia and Valencia).^[2]

References

See also

• Kingdom of Navarre
• Basque and Pyrenean fueros
• The Basque fueros during the Modern Period