Crown of Aragon: Map & History
The Crown of Aragon was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona and ended as a consequence of the War of the Spanish Succession.
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The Crown of Aragon was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona and ended as a consequence of the War of the Spanish Succession. At the height of its power in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Crown of Aragon was a thalassocracy controlling a large portion of present-day eastern Iberian Peninsula, parts of what is now southern France, and a Mediterranean empire which included the Balearic Islands, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta, Southern Italy, and parts of Greece.
Modern Countries Once Part of Crown of Aragon
At its mapped extent, Crown of Aragon covered territory in 6 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Andorra1236–1278 CE · nearly all
- Malta1285–1515 CE · nearly all
- Italy1285–1515 CE · a large part
- Greece1363–1458 CE · a small part
- Spain1236–1515 CE · a small part
- France1375–1449 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Crown of Aragon's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Crown of Aragon in Depth
History
The Crown of Aragon originated in 1137, when the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (along with the County of Provence, Girona, Cerdanya, Osona, and other territories) merged by dynastic union upon the marriage of Petronilla of Aragon and Raymond Berenguer IV of Barcelona; their individual titles combined in the person of their son Alfonso II of Aragon, who ascended to the throne in 1162. This union respected the existing institutions and parliaments of both territories. The combined state was initially known as Regno, Dominio et Corona Aragonum et Catalonie (only between 1286 and 1291), and later as Corona Regum Aragoniae, Corona Aragonum or simply Aragon.
Culture
During the Crown of Aragon, the Catalan culture and language underwent a vigorous expansion. During the period of trade, Occitan-Catalan contributions to Maltese occurred.
King Fernando II and Queen Isabella, as the Catholic Monarchs who began the Inquisition, were contrary to the more plural development that preceded in the Crown of Aragon. The previous religious background was described as "longstanding tradition of Mudejarism, the royal sanctioning and protection of subject Muslim populations within Christian realms." Aesthetic Mudéjar architecture of Aragon has been observed as demonstrating the influence of Andalusian and Arab culture in Aragon proper. Gothic architecture was also developed.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Crown of Aragon (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Crown of Aragon: Key Facts
| Official languages | Old Catalan, medieval Aragonese |
|---|---|
| Religions | Catholic Church, Sunni Islam, Judaism, Greek Orthodoxy |
| Form of government | composite monarchy, constitutional monarchy |
| Founded | 6 August 1162 |
| Dissolved | 1715 |
Preceded by
- Kingdom of Aragon
- County of Barcelona
Succeeded by
- Kingdom of Spain
- Council of Italy
- Kingdom of France
- Habsburg monarchy
- British Minorca
Facts from Wikidata Q204920 (CC0).
Crown of Aragon Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Crown of Aragon appears, with the other states of the time.
Crown of Aragon Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 243,504 km² in 1451 CE.
Crown of Aragon: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Crown of Aragon exist?
Crown of Aragon is dated to 1169 CE – 1515 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Crown of Aragon?
The capital of Crown of Aragon was See Capital below.
How large was Crown of Aragon at its peak?
At its peak in 1451 AD Crown of Aragon covered about 243,504 km².
How did the map of Crown of Aragon change over time?
Crown of Aragon appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1200 CE to 1500 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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