The origin of human habitation in Andorra goes back to prehistory.
The inhabitants of the Valleys were first mentioned in a text by the Greek
historian Polybius (2nd century B.C.), who described Hannibal's crossing
of the Pyrenees and referred to the « andosin » tribes.
Life in the Valleys of Andorra was indirectly influenced by the Roman Empire,
the Visigoth monarchy, the Arabs and the Franks successively.
Under Frankish rule Charlemagne defined the border with Spain : the «Ularea»
circumscribed Andorran teritory.
Next, in the 9th century, the Emperor Charles the Bald handed over the Valley
of Andorra to Count Sunifred I of Cerdagne-Urgell.
In the Charter granted by Charles the Bald to Sunifred in 843 the territory
of Andorra was defined as a possession of the County of Urgell, and in the
Act of Consecration of the Cathedral of the See of Urgell, signed in 860,
it was made clear that the County was subject to the Church.
On 27 January 1133, Ermengol VI, Count of Urgell, donated all his possessions
in Andorra as a freehold to the
Bishop of Urgell, Pere Berenger, and asked the inhabitants of the Valleys
to do homage to the Bishop of Urgell as their Lord.
This transfer of powers was confirmed in 1186 and 1199 when the Andorrans
swore an oath of loyalty to the Bishop, thus recognising his sovereignty
over Andorra.
From the 11th century onwards the power of the Bishops of Urgell over Andorra
gradually increased.
But the shifting alliances among the Catalan nobility and the conflicts
between the Church and the feudal lords created a certain tension forcing
the Bishop of Urgell to look for powerful support elsewhere to help him
preserve his domain and his power.
On 19 July 1159 a treaty was signed between Arnaud de Caboet and Monseigneur
Bernard Sanç, Bishop of Urgell.
The text of the treaty confirmed the sovereignty of the Episcopal See over
the Valleys of Andorra and gave the Andorran territory in fief to the House
of Caboet.
The instability of this era, brought about by the activities of the cathars
in Occitania (in particular in Ariège and in Urgell) and the revolt
of the Catalan counts against the crown of Aragon, resulted in a conflict
between the two Lords.
The shifting alliances among the nobility caused the rights to Andorra to
pass first from the House of Caboet to the House of Castellbó in
1185 and then to the Counts of Foix in 1208, when Ermesenda de Castellbó
i Caboet married Count Roger Bernat II of Foix.
The discord and violent confrontations between the Bishops of Urgell and
the Counts of Foix ceased thanks to the efforts of King Peter II of Catalonia-Aragon
and some Catalan counts who were concerned about keeping their prerogatives.
Peace was restored following two judgments by a Court of Arbitration; these
judgments are known as the
« Paréages » ( 1278 and 1288).
These two judgments, marking the birth of the current political system,
were the most important constitutional documents of Andorra until the proclamation
of the Constitution in 1993. They were accepted by the Bishop of Urgell,
Pere d'Urg, in 1278 and by the Count of Foix, Roger Bernard lIl, in 1288.
The uniqueness of the two Paréages rests especially in the fact that
they remained in force for seven centuries and in the course of the years
proved to be adaptable to a variety of changes and developments.
Their longevity is due to the willingness of the two Lords to compromise
and to the tolerance of the Andorrans, who, though they were not consulted
about the texts that determined their destiny, adopted them as their first
basic law.
Following a series of marriages, the Co-Lordship of the Count of Foix passed
first to the Viscounts of Béarn and then to the French Head of State when Henry IV of Béarn, Count of Foix and Navarre, became King of
France. Henry IV was thus the first King of France also French Co-prince
of Andorra, titles he transmitted to his son, Louis XIII.
In 1419 the « Consell de la Terra » was established, a kind
of primitive Parliament that was the main representative body of Andorra
and preceded the current « General Council of the Valls » (http://www.consell.ad).
Its membership consisted of all the heads of the most prominent Andorran
families.
The political structure that emerged during the Middle Ages was consolidated
in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries : during that era the political and
economic power of the leading Andorran families was strengthened.
Andorran society, poor and without significant resources owing to the rigours
of the climate and the landscape, did not experience the population explosion
occurring elsewhere in the West from the 11th to the 13th century. Until
the end of the 17th century the population of Andorra was limited to approximately
3000 people.
At this time society was divided into two distinct social groups :
The
squires (focs), representing the Houses of the heads of the prominent
families, who included all the heirs (hereus) and heiresses (pubilles).
The
householders (Casalers), consisting of the common people and/or the
non-inheriting children of the squires (cabalers and/or cabaleres),
who had no right to the revenues from their father's or mother's
domain and were forced to leave to find a livelihood elsewhere.
At
this time the Andorrans survived thanks to the meagre trade made possible
by tax exemptions granted by France and Spain.
At the beginning of the 18th century Andorra was faced with economic and
institutional upheaval, mainly as a result of domestic conflicts in neighbouring
Spain.
Spain was dismantling the Catalan institutions and threatened to apply
the " nova planta" decree of 1714 to all third states exporting
goods to Spain, which meant that all products imported in Spain would
be subject to a tax equivalent to 10% of their value.
The decree introduced a new tax system in Spain and meant the end of the
tax exemptions granted to the Andorrans.
The economy of Andorra, totally dependent on its neighbours, was seriously
disrupted.
The Andorrans had to negotiate for several years to obtain a special agreement
: the "Sentència Manutenció" of 1738. This document
granted tax reductions on products from Andorra.
The 18th century saw an improvement in the economic and social conditions
of the people of the Principality. Progress was due to the effects of
the industrial revolution introduced in Andorra through the smithies.
The large-scale emigration of non-inheriting descendants ceased, which
in the 18th and 19th century resulted in the growth of the population,
in particular of the "Casalers" community.
This increase in the number of Casalers created, however, a major change
in the social structure of Andorra, as the number of Casalers increased
beyond that of the "squires", i.e. the leading families.
At the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century Andorra was
faced with a series of conflicts and upheavals and with social, economic
and even institutional instability.
The French Revolution led to the non-recognition of Co-Principality status
by the French revolutionary authorities.
The Qüèstia, a tribute paid by the Andorrans to the French
and the episcopal Co-Princes alternately as a token of allegiance was
regarded by the revolutionaries as a relic of feudal servitude, which
was contrary to everything the Revolution stood for.
For several years Andorra continued to survive precariously, with the
Bishop as its only ruler.
The country lost all the privileges granted by France, including tax exemptions.
Its judicial system lost its impartiality, and instability reigned in
foreign affairs and trade.
But in 1806, in response to a request by the Andorrans, Napoleon reestablished
the status quo, restoring all links, prerogatives, advantages, exchanges,
franchises and institutions that had united Andorra with the late King
of France.
From then onwards, the obligations of the French Co-Prince were assumed
by the highest authority in France, thus becoming a settled issue that
was never again questioned by the various successors to Napoleon, from
Louis XVIII to Jacques CHIRAC.
Relations with the Bishop deteriorated from the second half of the 19th
century.
The Bishop of the time, Mgr CAIXAL, could not accept the social, political
and even economic changes taking place in Europe and Andorra. His opposition
to every hint of reform was fierce, even though eventually he accepted
the "Nova Reforma" project the Andorrans submitted to him in
the person of the then Síndic, Guillem d'ARENY i PLANDOLIT.
The « New Reform » was signed by the Spanish Co-Prince in
1866 and two years later, in 1868, by the French Co-Prince, Napoleon III.
The reform brought about various political and administrative changes,
in particular the introduction of the right to vote for all Andorran heads
of families ( until then only the heads of the leading families had been
entitled to vote).
The successors to Bishop CAIXAL had difficulty in accepting this progressive
movement and strongly opposed any reforms in Andorra. The domestic conflicts
in Spain, where the Carlist wars were raging, only heightened the conflicts
in Andorra itself and those between the Andorrans and the Bishop.
In this period the Andorrans were often torn between the wishes of the
episcopal Co-Prince and those of the French Co-Prince, and domestic social
strife became an everyday occurrence. (Revolutions of 1866, 1881, etc.)
The 20th century saw a complete change of the traditional appearance of
the country, thanks to the introduction of communication links.
The building of a road link with Spain in 1913, and of another with France
in 1933, as well as the construction of roads in the valleys, the introduction
of electricity, the establishment of a postal service (Spanish and French),
the introduction of radio in 1935, the establishment of a ski station
in 1934 - all these were tangible proof of those changes.
Institution-wise, democracy took another step forward in 1933 when the
right to vote was given to all adult men. Women did not get the right
to vote until 1971, when the economic expansion and prosperity of Andorra
were already assured (boom of the 1960s).
A new institutional reform process was initiated towards the end of the
1970s, ending with the creation, in 1981, of an executive body (the Government)
and a legislative body (the General Council) http://www.consell.ad
More recent institutional developments have led to the adoption of the
first written Constitution of the Principality of Andorra on 14 March
1993. This event has resulted in the international recognition of the
country.
4) Andorra since the adoption of the Constitution Ç
The Constitution was the result of a conflict between the General Council
and the Co-Princes about various issues, but especially about the concept
of a constitutional State and the definition of a State in international
law.
The Constitution was the object of a plebiscite, and was approved by the
Andorran people om 14 March 1993 with a majority of 74.2% of all votes,
representing 75.7% of the 9,123 registered voters.
The Constitution entered in force on 4 May 1993 after it had been signed
by the two Co-Princes and the General Syndic.
The Constitution confers on Andorra the status of a constitutional State
and of a State under international law.
The characteristics of the State as defined by the Constitution are these
:
Constitutional
State : (Articles 3, 4, 6-1, and 13 and passim)
Independent
State : (Articles 3-1, 3-4 and passim)
Democratic
State : (Articles 1-1, 1-3, 51, 58-2, 76, 79-3, 80-3c and passim)
It
is a modern Constitution, closely linked to the social, political and
institutional reality of Andorra and the world. It takes into account
the difficulties associated with the development of international constitutional
law.
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