Parias
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In
medieval Spain Spain in the Middle Ages is a period in the history of Spain that began in the 5th century following the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ended with the beginning of the early modern period in 1492. The history of Spain is marked by waves o ...
, ''parias'' (from
medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the administrative language in the former Western Roman Empire, Roman Provinces of Mauretania, Numidi ...
''pariāre'', "to make equal n account, i.e. pay) were a form of
tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...
paid by the ''
taifa The taifas (from ''ṭā'ifa'', plural ''ṭawā'if'', meaning "party, band, faction") were the independent Muslim principalities and kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal and Spain), referred to by Muslims as al-Andalus, that em ...
s'' of
al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
to the Christian kingdoms of the north. ''Parias'' dominated relations between the Islamic and the Christian states in the years following the disintegration of the
Caliphate of Córdoba A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
(1031) until the reunification of Islamic Spain under the
Almoravid dynasty The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...
(beginning in 1086).Fletcher, 7–8. The ''parias'' were a form of
protection money A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from viol ...
established by treaty. The payee owed the tributary military protection against foes both Islamic and Christian. Usually the original exaction was forced, either by a large '' razzia'' or the threat of one, or as the cost of supporting one Islamic party against another. (The word "''taifa''" means "party ingdom and refers to the prevalence of factionalism in Islamic Spain during the ''taifas'' era.)


History

The earliest evidence of ''parias'' pertains to eastern Spain, to 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 ...
and the
County of Barcelona The County of Barcelona (, ) was a polity in northeastern Iberian Peninsula, originally located in the southern frontier region of the Carolingian Empire. In the 10th century, the Counts of Barcelona progressively achieved independence from F ...
, which exacted a very early one—called the ''vetus paria'' or "old paria"—from the ''taifa'' of Zaragoza. While ''parias'' may have been paid by the local Muslim leaders just west of the Llobregat after Raymond Borrel's '' razzia'' on Córdoba in 1010, the earliest ''paria'' that can be dated was collected by Raymond Berengar I of Barcelona from
Lleida Lleida (, ; ; '' see below'') is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià county, the Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It ...
and Zaragoza after his attack on those territories in 1045.Bisson, 23–25. In the 1060s he was still demanding ''parias'' from Lleida and Zaragoza, as well as the ''taifa'' of Tortosa. The Aragonese king Sancho Ramírez also took ''parias'' from the king of Zaragoza's underlings at
Huesca Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
and Tudela. In western Spain the first ruler to exact such tribute was Ferdinand I of León and Castile. From at least 1060, perhaps as early as 1055, Ferdinand had been exacting ''parias'' from the ''taifas'' of
Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
, Toledo, and Zaragoza, and possibly also
Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...
and
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
. In accordance with his testament, Ferdinand's ''parias'' were divided amongst his heirs along with his kingdom in December 1065: the eldest son, Sancho II, received Castile with the ''vetus paria''; the second son, Alfonso VI, received León with the ''parias'' of Toledo; and the third son, García II, received Galicia with the ''parias'' of Badajoz and Seville. Eventually all the tribute found its way into the hands of Alfonso VI, who also exacted ''parias'' from
Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
. Valencia fell into the hands of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1094), and upon recovery by the Muslims it was forced to briefly pay ''parias'' to Barcelona, payments which were later re-established by Raymond Berengar IV. These ''parias'' were still being collected in the reign of James I the Conqueror (1213–76), who put an end to them by conquering Valencia. Much of the wealth acquired through ''parias'' was distributed to
cathedrals A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
and
monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...
, while some found its way back to the
aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...
. Sometime between 1053 and 1065 Ferdinand of León pledged an annual census of 1,000 ''
aurei The ''aureus'' ( ''aurei'', 'golden') was the main gold coin of ancient Rome from the 1st century BC to the early 4th century AD, when it was replaced by the ''solidus (coin), solidus''. This type of coin was sporadically issued during the Roman ...
'' for the
Abbey of Cluny Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with ...
, a donation re-established by Alfonso VI in 1077 and then increased to 2,000 ''aurei'' in 1090 by this same monarch. This, known as the "Alfonsine census", was "the biggest donation that Cluny ever received from king or layman, and it was never to be surpassed". The large payments to Cluny, which financed
Hugh the Great Hugh the Great (16 June 956) was the duke of the Franks and count of Paris. He was the most powerful magnate in France. Son of King Robert I of France, Hugh was Margrave of Neustria. He played an active role in bringing King Louis IV of France ...
's construction of the massive third abbey church, undoubtedly helped publish the wealth of Spain throughout Europe. Unfortunately for Cluny, changing conditions in Spain caused the payments to cease in 1111, and this brought on a financial crisis during the abbacies of Pons of Melgueil (1109–22) and Peter the Venerable (1122–56). By 1100 the ''parias'' had decreased to a mere "trickle".Fletcher, 15. Only in 1246, when the Kingdom of Granada, the last remaining Islamic state in Spain, agreed to pay half its annual revenue in ''parias'' to Castile, did tribute again constitute a major portion of Christian Spain's wealth.Hillgarth, 321. The kingdom of Granada, bloated with Muslim refugees, was prosperous, due in large part to its valuable port at
Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
and its advanced irrigation techniques that kept the
Vega Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, and ...
fertile. The king was a
vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
of Castile and owed attendance at court as well as military aids, even against Islamic opponents, a grave offence to Islamic law.
Though the burden of these last ''parias'' was sometimes reduced to a quarter or a fifth of state revenue, the Grenadine kings were forced to tax their subjects far beyond what was permissible under
Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...
.


Amounts

''Parias'' were generally paid in gold coin (''
aurei The ''aureus'' ( ''aurei'', 'golden') was the main gold coin of ancient Rome from the 1st century BC to the early 4th century AD, when it was replaced by the ''solidus (coin), solidus''. This type of coin was sporadically issued during the Roman ...
'', "golden ones", or ''numos de auro'', "coins of gold", in Latin), usually Islamic ''
dinar The dinar () is the name of the principal currency unit in several countries near the Mediterranean Sea, with a more widespread historical use. The English word "dinar" is the transliteration of the Arabic دينار (''dīnār''), which was bor ...
s'' or '' mithqals'', accompanied by gifts of carpets, silks, ivories, plate, and other luxuries not produced widely in Christian Europe. They were extremely large sums for the times, though it is impossible to determine their precise value in modern terms. The ''vetus paria'' in about 1060, when it was being paid to Ferdinand of León, was worth around 10,000 ''aurei per annum''. This was raised to 12,000 ''numos de auro per annum'' when
Sancho IV of Navarre Sancho Garcés IV (; 1039 – 4 June 1076),Sancho IV, ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. nicknamed Sancho of Peñalén (, ) was King of Pamplona from 1054 until his death. He was the eldest son of García Sánchez III and his wife, Stephanie, and ...
acquired it. In 1075 Alfonso VI negotiated 30,000 ''mithqals'' from Granada, including two years' worth of arrears, putting the annual ''parias'' at around 10,000 ''mithqals'', comparable to the ''vetus paria''. The largest ''parias'' on record were those forced on the eastern ''taifas'' by Alfonso's vassal Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar in 1089–91, during which period he took in 146,000 ''dinars''. By comparison, a typical nobleman's ransom cost 500–1,000 ''aurei'' in contemporary Spain and in Córdoba 400 horses or seventy human slaves were worth about 10,000 ''mithqals'' in the 1060s. "From being among the poorest rulers in Europe," historian Richard Fletcher notes, " he Christian kings of Spainquickly became among the richest," and "the kingdom of León-Castile, in particular, acquired a reputation for inexhaustible wealth during the second half of the eleventh century," due in large part to the receipt of ''parias''.


Notes

{{reflist


Works cited

*Charles J. Bishko. 1980
''Studies in Medieval Spanish Frontier History''.
London: Variorum Reprints. *Brian A. Catlos. 2004. ''The Victors and the Vanquished''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Thomas N. Bisson. 1986. ''The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History''. Oxford: Clarendon Press. * Richard A. Fletcher. 1978
''The Episcopate in the Kingdom of León in the Twelfth Century''.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. *Jocelyn N. Hillgarth. 1976. ''The Spanish Kingdoms, 1250–1516'', volume 1. Oxford: Clarendon Press. *Adam J. Kosto. 2001. ''Making Agreements in Medieval Catalonia''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. *Bernard F. Reilly. 1982

Princeton: Princeton University Press. History of al-Andalus Taxation in Spain Economic history of Spain