Juan Ximénez (or Jiménez) Cerdán (''c''. 1355 – aft. 1435) was a fiscal and constitutional lawyer and legal theorist who served as the
''Justicia Mayor'' of the
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon (; ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Monarchy, kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain. It became a part of the larger ...
from 1390 until 1423. He was a son of
Domingo Ximénez Cerdán, also a ''Justicia'', and María Sanz de Aliaga. He married María Pérez del Sou. In his capacity as ''Justicia'' he presided over the important ''
Cortes
Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to:
People
* Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name
** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador
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* Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...
'' of 1398 (during the succession dispute between
Martin I of Sicily
Martin I of Sicily (c. 1374/1376 – 25 July 1409), called the Younger, was King of Sicily from his marriage to Maria, Queen of Sicily, Queen Maria in 1390 until his death in 1409.
Martin's father was the future King Martin I of Aragon, and hi ...
and
Matthew of Foix) and 1412 (in the leadup to the
Compromise of Caspe
The 1412 Compromise of Caspe (''Compromiso de Caspe'' in Spanish, ''Compromís de Casp'' in Catalan) was an act and resolution of parliamentary representatives of the constituent realms of the Crown of Aragon (the Kingdom of Aragon, Kingdom of V ...
, in which he supported
Ferdinand of Antequera
Ferdinand I (Spanish: ''Fernando I''; 27 November 1380 – 2 April 1416 in Igualada, Òdena) named Ferdinand of Antequera and also the Just (or the Honest) was king of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia and (nominal) Corsica and king of Sicil ...
). When he was eighty years old, at the request of
Martín Díez de Aux, Juan wrote a ''Carta'' or ''Letra intimada'' ("intimate letter") detailing the history of the office of the ''Justiciazgo''. It was later published in the final edition of the ''
Fueros y observancias de Aragón'' (1624) and was an important source for the legend of the
Laws of Sobrarbe. Here is his description of how the office of ''Justicia'' arose:
Certain peoples conquered from the Moors a certain part of the kingdom in the mountains of Sobrarbe, and since these were communities with neither governor nor alderman, and given that there were many disputes and debates among them, it was determined that, to avoid such problems and so that they might live in peace, they should elect a king to reign over them ... but that there should be a Judge between them and the king, who would hold the title of ''Justicia'' of Aragon. It is held by some that the ''Justicia'' was elected before the king, and that the king was elected under such conditions. Since then there has always been a ''Justicia'' of Aragon in the kingdom, cognisant of all procedures regarding the king, as much in petitioning as in defence.[Quoted and translated in Xavier Gil (2003), "Aragonese Constitutionalism and Habsburg Rule: The Varying Meanings of Liberty", in ''Spain, Europe and the Atlantic: Essays in Honour of John H. Elliott'', edited by Richard L. Kagan and Geoffrey Parker (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 164. The ''Letra intimada'' was published in ''Fueros y observancias de Aragón'' (Zaragoza: 1624), fos. 44–50. The excerpt is from fo. 44v.]
Notes
Sources
Ximénez Cerdán, Juan (2000) at the Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa
(2004) at Biografías y vidas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ximenez Cerdan, Juan
1350s births
1430s deaths
14th-century people from the Crown of Aragon
15th-century people from the Crown of Aragon