- History of Andorra
Andorra is the last independent survivor of theMarca Hispanica , thebuffer state s created byCharlemagne to keep theIslam icMoors from advancing into ChristianFrance . Tradition holds that Charlemagne granted a charter to the Andorran people in return for their fighting the Moors. In the800s , Charlemagne's grandson,Charles the Bald , named theCount of Urgell as overlord of Andorra. A descendant of the count later gave the lands to theDiocese of Urgell , headed byBishop of Urgell .In the
11th century , fearing military action by neighboring lords, the bishop placed himself under the protection of theLord of Caboet , a Catalannobleman . Later, theCount of Foix became heir to the Lord of Caboet through marriage, and a dispute arose between the French Count and the Catalan bishop over Andorra.In
1278 , the conflict was resolved by the signing of a pareage ("pariatges"), which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the Count of Foix and theBishop ofLa Seu d'Urgell (Catalonia ,Spain ). The pareage, a feudal institution recognizing the principle of equality of rights shared by two rulers, gave the small state its territory and political form. In return, Andorra pays an annual tribute or "questia" to the co-rulers consisting of fourham s, forty loaves ofbread , and somewine . As of the year 2006, Andorra's borders have remained unchanged since 1278 [http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/andorra-e.pdf] .Andorra was briefly annexed to the
Crown of Aragon twice, in 1396 and 1512.In 1472 the title passed to the kings of
Navarre , starting with François-Fébus, and then under the king of France Henry IV by an edict in1607 that established the head of the French state and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra.In the period 1812–13, the French Empire annexed
Catalonia and divided it in four departments. Andorra was also annexed and made part of the district ofPuigcerdà (département of Sègre).In 1933 France occupied Andorra as a result of social unrest before elections. On
July 12 ,1934 , an adventurer namedBoris Skossyreff issued a proclamation in Urgel, declaring himself Boris I, sovereign prince of Andorra, simultaneously declaring war on the bishop of Urgel. He was arrested by Spanish authorities onJuly 20 and ultimately expelled from Spain. From 1936 to 1940, a French detachment was garrisoned in Andorra to prevent influences of theSpanish Civil War andFranco's Spain .In
1943 Andorra carried out its first execution since the 19th century, that ofAntoni Arenis for double fratricide by firing squad (because a trained executioner was unavailable to operate the legal method -Garrote .During the
Second World War , Andorra remained neutral and was an important smuggling route betweenVichy France and Spain.In 1958 Andorra declared peace with
Germany , having been forgotten on theTreaty of Versailles that ended theFirst World War and, the conflict being extended by the lack of a peace treaty, remaining legally at war. ["World War I Ends in Andorra", UPI story in the "New York Times", Sep 25, 1958. p. 66]Andorra began as a modern state in its current form in 1993. Its status as a co-principality was reduced to symbolism, and modern parliamentary government was instituted.
Given its relative isolation, Andorra has existed outside the mainstream of European history, with few ties to countries other than
France andSpain . In recent times, however, its thrivingtourist industry along with developments intransport and communications have removed the country from its isolation."See also:
List of Co-Princes of Andorra "References
*factbook
*StateDeptExternal links
* [http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Andorra:_Primary_Documents History of Andorra: Primary Documents]
* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3164.htm Background Note: Andorra]
* [http://www.historyofnations.net/europe/andorra.html History of Andorra]
* [http://www.rulers.org/rula2.html#andorra]
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