TERMS

Almugabar/almogàver: they were shock, espionage and guerrilla troops, originating in the
kingdom of Aragon, formed mainly by light infantry and especially known for the active role
they played. in the conquest of the Mediterranean by the Crown of Aragon between the 13th and
14th centuries, especially their Greek campaigns.

Battle of Covadonga: it took place in 718 or 722 between the army of Pelayo (a Visigoth
warrior) and the army of Al-Andalus. It ends with the victory of the Christian troops.

Battle of the Navas de Tolosa: this battle, that took place on 16th July 1212, was an important
turning point in the Reconquista because the forces of the medieval kingdoms (except León;
Alfonso VIII of Castile, Sancho VII of Navarre and Peter II of Aragón) joined together in order
to defeat the Muslims. The result was the triumph of the Christian kingdoms and their complete
dominance (direct and indirect) over the Muslim territory (southern part of the Iberian
Peninsula).

Battle of Muret: it was fought on 12th September 1213 near Muret, 25 km south of Toulouse,
and was the last major battle of the Albigensian Crusade and one of the most notable pitched
battles of the Middle Ages. The Papal-French troops commanded by Simón de Monfort, with the
excuse of a crusade, fought against the Aragonese army whose only aim was to protect its
vassals. The result was the assassination of King Peter II of Aragón, the loss of those territories
and the change of mentality, focusing from then on in the expansion towards southern Pyrenees
and throughout the Mediterranean.

Battle of the Salado: it was the last great battle of the period known as Reconquista and it was
fought in 1340 between the armies of King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of
Castile against those of the and Yusuf I of Granada. The consequence was the victory of the
Christian kingdoms and the Marinids failure in their attempt of reconquering Iberian territories.

Casa de Ganaderos: it is a Medieval institution that appears in order to protect shepherd’s

rights. It was settled in Zaragoza but involved nearly all Aragonese livestock. It first mention
was in 1218 like Cofradía de San Simón y San Judas and it had some very special privileges like
their own Justice and gallow. Its jurisdiction involves every single problem within livestock and
all the territory surrounding the Ebro river.

General Courts of Aragón: it was the union of the governments of all peninsular Aragonese
territories (Kingdom of Aragón, Kingdom of Valencia and Principality of Catalonia; sometimes
it also included the Kingdom of Mallorca), leaded by the King and composed by the nobility,
clergy and the representatives of the cities and its citizens. When the Crown of Aragón continue
its expansion, each new territory will create its own Parliament but they will not unite in
anything similar to this General Courts. The place of their meeting was an Aragonese city near
those three countries (mainly Monzón but also Fraga or Tortosa).

Fiefdom/Manor: it was a piece of land (or, sometimes, some exploitation rights) given from a
lord to a vassal in order to their service and promise of loyalty. It was the main element of
feudalism.
Charter (Fuero) / Aragonese Liberties: they were the different laws which can be applied in
the different Aragonese territories. The first one was the Fuero de Jaca which granted several
liberties to people who settled there. In 1247, the Courts of Aragón decided to unify all those
laws, and the bishop of Huesca, Vidal de Canellas, was the person selected to do that. He wrote
two different versions: one in Latin (Compilatio Minor) and another in Aragonese (Compilatio
Maior or Vidal Mayor).

Justice of Aragón: it is the name given to the greatest figure in importance of all the Kingdom
of Aragón, only after the King. His duty was to protect the people from the abuses of the
powerful ones and to rule the Kingdom during the King’s absence. Its origin is back with the
apparition of the Kingdom and its related with the Oath ‘Nos, que por separado valemos tanto
como Vos pero todos juntos mucho más que Vos, os nombramos Nuestro Señor y Rey si juráis
cumplir y hacer cumplir nuestros Fueros y Libertades; e si non, Non’. The last independent
Justice of Aragón (Chuan de Lanuza lo Choben) will be assassinated by the Castilians on the
invasion of 1591.

Ligallo: it is the name given to the cooperative of shepherds within the Aragonese borders. Its
function was to apply laws related to livestock and to provide the Kingdom with its knowledge.

Military Order: is a Christian religious society of knights whose main duty is to protect
pilgrims and Holy places. They appear in the Middle Ages, both in the Holy Land and in the
Iberian Peninsula.

Pactism: it is the political theory that is the basis of the Crown of Aragon as a democracy’s
precursor and that consist in the negotiation among political subjects (nobility, citizens, the
King…) in order to reach to an agreement that allows the ruling of the country. In other words, it
is the explicit or tacit pact between King and kingdom, which decisively limited Royal power.

Privilegios de la Unión: it is the name given to two different privileges granted by Alfonso III
of Aragón to the Aragonese Union (a union of different nobles that wanted to protect their
rights, and those of the Kingdom, against a possible Royal intervention) in 1287.

Sancho III ‘the Great’: he was the King of the Pamplonese from 1004 until his death in 1035.
Due to some inheritances and some conquests, he was also able to rule over the Counties of
Aragon, Sobrarbe, Ribagorza, Castile and León. He will ‘open’ the Iberian Peninsula to Europe
through the Camino de Santiago.

Sicilian Vespers:it is the name given to a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke
out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I, who had tyrannically ruled
the Kingdom of Sicily since 1266. Sicilian citizens overthrew Charles and turned to its legitim
heir, Peter III of Aragon, converting themselves in another Aragonese territory.
Kingdom of Asturias: this kingdom was the first christian territory to resist the muslim advance
over the Iberian Peninsula. Its first king, Pelayo, was able to unify all the northern part of the
peninsula, conquering Cangas de Onis and establishing there its capital city. After his death, the
next kings conquered Oviedo and Leon moving there the capital city and changing the name of
the kingdom to kingdom of Leon. Once they change your name, they expand their borders to the
Duero basin and to the east conquering the former county of Castilla, which would be its rebel
territory, gaining its independences and conquering Leon. This is the moment in which the
kingdom of Castilla appears in history.

Kingdom of Navarra: the kingdom of Navarra is the central kingdom in the northern part of the
peninsula. This location allows Navarra to control whatever happens in the southern part of
France, around the Pyinees and the travelers of the camino of Santiago. Under the ruled of
Sancho the third the great they controlled the territory between Santiago de Compostela and
Barcelona. His death separated the kingdoms of Castilla, Navarra, Aragon and its focus on the
southern territories of France.
Despite there separation, both kingdoms work together trying to spell (for example in the battle
of las Navas de Tolosa)