The

Fuero (), (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ...

s of Navarre (, , meaning in English ''General Charter of Navarre'') were the laws of the

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...

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 regulated the social order and 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 such written document goes back to 1238. The next codifications are attested by modifications or amendments (''amejoramientos'') made by the

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of Navarre, Juan Martínez de Medrano, and his son, Álvaro Díaz de Medrano, commissioned in 1330 by King Philip III of Navarre to make the Fueros. The next modification or amendment was made in 1419. After 1512, Navarre was divided into two, with Upper Navarre a part of the nascent

Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Lower Navarre Lower Navarre (; Gascon/Bearnese: ''Navarra Baisha''; ; ) is a traditional region of the present-day French '' département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It corresponds to the northernmost ''region'' of the Kingdom of Navarre during the Middle A ...

an independent kingdom (incorporated into

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1620).

Upper Navarre

From 1515 until 1841, Upper 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. In 1528, the ''Cortes'' of Navarre sitting at Pamplona authorised a simplified law code known as the ''Fuero Reducido''. Although widely used, it was never confirmed by the king. 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 ''Generalitat'' of Aragon and the ''Generalitat''s of Catalonia and Valencia).

Lower Navarre

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

translation of the Navarrese ''fueros'' was made under the title ''Los Fors et Costumas deu Royaume de Navarre deça-ports''. It was approved by Henry III in 1608, then confirmed by Louis II in 1611 before Navarre was integrated into France in 1620. It was re-confirmed by Louis in 1622. It was not printed until 1644 and its last printing was in 1722. It was in effect until the French Revolution. A modern edition was published in 1968.Joaquín José Salcedo Izu, review
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References

Medieval legal codes Kingdom of Navarre Legal history of Spain 1230s in law 1238 establishments in Europe Political charters Medieval charters and cartularies {{Europe-law-stub

Upper Navarre

Lower Navarre

See also

References