Furs e Ordinacions del Regne de Valencia

The so-called Furs de Valencia are a collection of laws which were in effect in the Kingdom of Valencia during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. The legal code was a compilation of numerous legislative contracts and can be compared with a modern constitution. The Furs are one of the few surviving documents in existence that is a source about the separation of power, the monarchy, and the system of rights in medieval Europe. The political and historical significance of this influential codex is immeasurable. Originally appearing in manuscript form, the historic legal document was first printed in the specimen at hand. The incunabulum, a book printed before 1501, was published in the Valencian dialect on April 4th, 1482 in the Valencian printing house of Lambert Palmart (b. 1440), who supposedly originated from Cologne. The text is beautifully printed in Gothic script, which is in turn adorned with intricately designed initials presented in red, black, blue, and violet inks as well as gold leaf. In this way, a historic text originating from the 13th century appears in the revolutionary form of an early printed book from the late–15th century.

A Document of Historical Significance

The laws contained in the Furs de Valencia are based on various legal norms, which had already manifested themselves in Catalonian society before the beginning of the Middle Ages. The most important foundation thereof was the so-called Customs of Barcelona, which recorded the basic laws and rights of the citizens of Catalonia. Also, the common law of Lleida and the laws of Aragon were included in the creation of the handwritten list of rights. The Furs were officially proclaimed in the year 1261 by the first King of Valencia, James I the Conqueror (1208–1276). In a solemn ceremony, he read the code of laws before the people and thereupon swore his oath of office as King of Valencia before the parliament that had been founded in the same year.

The Law of Catalonia

The Furs de Valencia regulated all aspects of political life in the Catalonian kingdom. It specified the succession to the throne, as well as regulating the separation of powers between the royal family, the nobility, the princes of the Catholic Church, and those in the legal field. This legal code remained in effect for more than four hundred years. In the year 1707, the Furs were finally replaced by the Decretos de Nueva Planta – literally translated as the ordinances for complete renewal – which were signed by Philip V of Castile (1683–1746). Only recently, in the course of the amended agreement concerning the autonomy of the community of Valencia in the year 2006, a few precepts of citizenship from the Furs have been made binding once again.