Co-Princes of Andorra
Encyclopedia
The Co-Princes of Andorra are the two rulers of the Principality of Andorra
, a tiny landlocked nation lying in the Pyrenees
mountains between France
and Spain
. Founded in 1278 through a treaty between the Spanish Bishop of Urgell and the French Count of Foix, this unique monarchial arrangement has persisted through medieval times to the present day. Currently, the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France serve as Andorra's co-princes, following the transfer of the Count of Foix's claims to the Crown of France, and thence to the French Republic.
The Andorran principality
has the unique distinction of being ruled by two non-Andorran sovereigns, one of whom (the French president) is the only monarch
in the world to be elected by the people—though not by the people of Andorra, but rather those of France. He is also the only monarch to be the head of state of a republic
at the same time.
granted a charter to the Andorran people in return for their fighting against the Moors
. The feudal overlord
of this territory was at first the Count of Urgell; however in 988 the count, Borrell II, gave Andorra to the Diocese of Urgell
in exchange for land in Cerdanya
. The Bishop of Urgell, based in Seu d'Urgell
, has ruled Andorra ever since.
Before 1095, Andorra did not have any type of military protection and since the Bishop of Urgell knew that the Count of Urgell wanted to reclaim the Andorran valleys, he asked for help from the Lord of Caboet. In 1095, the Lord and the Bishop signed a declaration of their co-sovereignty over Andorra. Arnalda, daughter of Arnau of Caboet, married the Viscount of Castellbò and both became Viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya. Their daughter, Ermessenda, married Roger Bernat II, the French
Count of Foix. They became Roger Bernat II and Ermessenda I, Counts of Foix, Viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya, and also co-sovereigns of Andorra (together with the Bishop of Urgell).
In the 11th century, a dispute arose between the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. The conflict mediated by Aragon
in 1278 and led to the signing of the first paréage
, which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the count and the bishop. This gave the principality
its territory and political form, and marked the formal commencement of Andorra's unique monarchial arrangement.
Over the years, the French co-title to Andorra passed from the Count of Foix to the kings of Navarre
. After King Henry III of Navarre became King Henry IV of France
, he issued an edict in 1607 establishing the King of France and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra. In 1812–13, the First French Empire
annexed Catalonia
and divided it into four départements, with Andorra forming part of the district of Puigcerdà
(département of Sègre
). Following the defeat of Napoleon I
, this annexation was reversed and Andorra reverted to its former independence and political state. French rulers—whether king, emperor or president—would continue to serve as co-princes of Andorra to the present day.
, who issued a proclamation in Urgel declaring himself "Boris I, King of Andorra". Though initially enjoying some support within Andorra's political establishment, he was ultimately arrested by Spanish authorities on July 20 of that year after declaring war on the Bishop of Urgell (who had refused to relinquish his own claim to the principality). Skossyfreff was expelled, and was never considered to have been the Andorran monarch in any legal sense.
Prior to 1993, Andorra had no written constitution
, and the exact prerogatives of the co-princes were not specifically defined in law. This changed in March of that year, when a constitution
was approved by a vote of the Andorran people and signed into law by the two co-princes at the time: President François Mitterrand
and Bishop Joan Martí Alanis
. It clarified the continuance of the unique Andorran monarchy, and also delineated the precise role and prerogatives of the two princes. Prior to adoption of the constitution, Andorra paid in odd-numbered years a tribute of approximately $460 to the French ruler, while on even-numbered years, it paid a tribute of approximately $12 to the Spanish bishop, plus six hams, six cheeses, and six live chickens, though this medieval custom was abandoned in 1993.
In 2009, French president Nicholas Sarkozy threatened to resign his title of Andorran co-prince if the principality did not change its banking laws to eliminate its longstanding status as a tax haven.
Powers the princes may exercise on their own include:
Powers the princes may exercize in conjunction with the head of government include:
Each prince is granted an annual allowance by the General Council, which they may dispose of as he or she sees fit. Each appoints a personal representative in Andorra, and in the case of incapacitation of one of them, the constitution provides for the other prince to govern in his or her absence, with the concurrence of the Andorran head of government and/or the General Council.
Certain treaties require the participation of the co-princes (or their designated representatives) in their negotiation process as well as their final approval; these are detailed in Articles 66 and 67 of the constitution.
The co-princes jointly retain the right to propose amendments to the constitution; this same right rests with the General Council. They have no veto power over legislation passed by the General Council, though they do retain a veto over certain international treaties, as described above.
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
, a tiny landlocked nation lying in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
mountains between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Founded in 1278 through a treaty between the Spanish Bishop of Urgell and the French Count of Foix, this unique monarchial arrangement has persisted through medieval times to the present day. Currently, the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France serve as Andorra's co-princes, following the transfer of the Count of Foix's claims to the Crown of France, and thence to the French Republic.
The Andorran principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
has the unique distinction of being ruled by two non-Andorran sovereigns, one of whom (the French president) is the only monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
in the world to be elected by the people—though not by the people of Andorra, but rather those of France. He is also the only monarch to be the head of state of a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
at the same time.
Origin and development of the co-principality
Tradition holds that CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
granted a charter to the Andorran people in return for their fighting against the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
. The feudal overlord
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
of this territory was at first the Count of Urgell; however in 988 the count, Borrell II, gave Andorra to the Diocese of Urgell
Diocese of Urgell
The Diocese of Urgell is a Roman Catholic diocese in Catalonia, Spain, with origins in the fifth century AD or possibly earlier. It is based in the region of the historical Catalan county of Urgell, though it has different borders...
in exchange for land in Cerdanya
Cerdanya
Cerdanya is a natural comarca and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain. Historically it has been one of the counties of Catalonia....
. The Bishop of Urgell, based in Seu d'Urgell
La Seu d'Urgell
La Seu d'Urgell is a town located in the Catalan Pyrenees in Spain. La Seu d'Urgell is also the capital of the comarca Alt Urgell, head of the judicial district of la Seu d'Urgell and the seat of Bishop of Urgell, one of the Andorra co-princes...
, has ruled Andorra ever since.
Before 1095, Andorra did not have any type of military protection and since the Bishop of Urgell knew that the Count of Urgell wanted to reclaim the Andorran valleys, he asked for help from the Lord of Caboet. In 1095, the Lord and the Bishop signed a declaration of their co-sovereignty over Andorra. Arnalda, daughter of Arnau of Caboet, married the Viscount of Castellbò and both became Viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya. Their daughter, Ermessenda, married Roger Bernat II, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Count of Foix. They became Roger Bernat II and Ermessenda I, Counts of Foix, Viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya, and also co-sovereigns of Andorra (together with the Bishop of Urgell).
In the 11th century, a dispute arose between the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. The conflict mediated by Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
in 1278 and led to the signing of the first paréage
Paréage of Andorra 1278
The first Paréage of Andorra was a feudal charter signed in Lleida on 8 September 1278. It codified a lay and ecclesiastical agreement between the Count of Foix, Roger-Bernard III, and the Bishop of Urgell, Pere d'Urtx, establishing their joint-sovereignty over the territory of Andorra...
, which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the count and the bishop. This gave the principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
its territory and political form, and marked the formal commencement of Andorra's unique monarchial arrangement.
Over the years, the French co-title to Andorra passed from the Count of Foix to the kings of Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
. After King Henry III of Navarre became King Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, he issued an edict in 1607 establishing the King of France and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra. In 1812–13, the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
annexed Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and divided it into four départements, with Andorra forming part of the district of Puigcerdà
Puigcerdà
Puigcerdà is the capital of the Catalan comarca of Cerdanya, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, northern Spain, near the river Segre and the border with France .- History :...
(département of Sègre
Segre
Segre may be* Beniamino Segre , Italian geometer* Corrado Segre , Italian geometer distantly related to Beniamino* Emilio Segrè , Italian American physicist* Segre River, a river in Catalonia...
). Following the defeat of Napoleon I
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, this annexation was reversed and Andorra reverted to its former independence and political state. French rulers—whether king, emperor or president—would continue to serve as co-princes of Andorra to the present day.
Recent history
On July 12, 1934, Andorra's monarchial system was challenged by an adventurer named Boris SkossyreffBoris Skossyreff
Boris Skossyreff was an adventurer who attempted to seize power in the European state of Andorra during the early 1930s...
, who issued a proclamation in Urgel declaring himself "Boris I, King of Andorra". Though initially enjoying some support within Andorra's political establishment, he was ultimately arrested by Spanish authorities on July 20 of that year after declaring war on the Bishop of Urgell (who had refused to relinquish his own claim to the principality). Skossyfreff was expelled, and was never considered to have been the Andorran monarch in any legal sense.
Prior to 1993, Andorra had no written constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, and the exact prerogatives of the co-princes were not specifically defined in law. This changed in March of that year, when a constitution
Constitution of Andorra
The Constitution of Andorra is the supreme law of the Principality of Andorra. It was adopted on 2 February 1993 and given assent by the Andorran people in a referendum on 14 March 1993...
was approved by a vote of the Andorran people and signed into law by the two co-princes at the time: President François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
and Bishop Joan Martí Alanis
Joan Martí Alanis
Joan Martí i Alanis was a former Bishop of Urgell and hence former co-Prince of Andorra. He was Bishop of Urgell from 1971 to 2003. He was a co-signatory, along with François Mitterrand, of Andorra's new constitution in 1993....
. It clarified the continuance of the unique Andorran monarchy, and also delineated the precise role and prerogatives of the two princes. Prior to adoption of the constitution, Andorra paid in odd-numbered years a tribute of approximately $460 to the French ruler, while on even-numbered years, it paid a tribute of approximately $12 to the Spanish bishop, plus six hams, six cheeses, and six live chickens, though this medieval custom was abandoned in 1993.
In 2009, French president Nicholas Sarkozy threatened to resign his title of Andorran co-prince if the principality did not change its banking laws to eliminate its longstanding status as a tax haven.
Contemporary political role
The Constitution of Andorra carefully defines the exact role and prerogatives of the co-princes of Andorra today. The constitution establishes Andorra as a "parliamentary coprincipat", providing for the President of France and Bishop of Urgell to serve together as the joint heads of state. The constitution distinguishes between which powers they may exercise on their own (Article 46), and which require the countersignature of the head of the Andorran government, or the approval of the Syndic General, the Andorran legislature (Article 45).Powers the princes may exercise on their own include:
- Joint exercise of the "prerogative of grace" (the power to pardon);
- Each co-prince may appoint one member of the Superior Council of Justice and one member of the Constitutional Tribunal;
- Establishment of such services as they deem necessary to fulfil their constitutional prerogatives, and appointment of individuals to fulfil these services;
- Requesting a preliminary judgment about the constitutionality of proposed laws, or of international treaties;
- Agreeing to the text of any international treaty, prior to submitting it for parliamentary approval;
- Bringing a case before the Constitutional Tribunal in the event of any conflict over the exercise of their constitutional prerogatives.
Powers the princes may exercize in conjunction with the head of government include:
- Calling for elections or referendums in accordance with constitutional provisions;
- Appointing the head of government in accordance with constitutional provisions;
- Dissolve the General Council (the Andorran legislature) prior to the expiration of its current term (but not until at least one year has passed since the prior election);
- Accrediting diplomatic representatives from Andorra to foreign states, and receive credentials of foreign representatives to Andorra;
- Appointing office-holders in accordance with appropriate constitutional provisions;
- Sanctioning and enacting laws in accordance with constitutional provisions;
- Granting formal consent to international treaties, once ratified by the General Council.
Each prince is granted an annual allowance by the General Council, which they may dispose of as he or she sees fit. Each appoints a personal representative in Andorra, and in the case of incapacitation of one of them, the constitution provides for the other prince to govern in his or her absence, with the concurrence of the Andorran head of government and/or the General Council.
Certain treaties require the participation of the co-princes (or their designated representatives) in their negotiation process as well as their final approval; these are detailed in Articles 66 and 67 of the constitution.
The co-princes jointly retain the right to propose amendments to the constitution; this same right rests with the General Council. They have no veto power over legislation passed by the General Council, though they do retain a veto over certain international treaties, as described above.