Province of Villafranca
Encyclopedia
The Province of Villafranca (also known as Province of Villafranca del Bierzo, Province of El Bierzo, or Province of El Vierzo) was a province
of Spain
created in the 1822 territorial division of Spain
(27 January 1822), during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823. Its population of 86,365 represented 0.7% of the total Spanish population of the time. Its capital was Villafranca del Bierzo
. With the restoration of absolutism
, this territorial division was revoked 1 October 1823. Although Javier de Burgos
's 1833 territorial division of Spain
was very close to that of 1833, the province of Villafranca was not recreated; the other two major changes were the omission of the provinces of Calatayud
and Játiva
.
of El Bierzo
in the Province of León, plus several other Leonese municipalities
and some other territories that now belong to the provinces of Lugo and Ourense.
Following the general pattern of the 1822 territorial division of Spain, the province was named after its capital city, Villafranca del Bierzo. However, the regionalists in this area have always favored the name El Bierzo or El Vierzo (El Bierzu in the local Bercian dialect
).
under the Repartimiento of 1591. Later, until the territorial division in the 1780s by Floridablanca
, it was habitually united with León and Asturias
, and referred to as either the Partido de Ponferrada
or the Provincia del Vierzo.
From 1789 to 1833 there were numerous efforts to reorganize the territory of Spain. El Bierzo was variously integrated into Province of León or the Prefecture of Astorga, or (in 1822) made a province in its own right. In this period, when conservatives and absolutists
favored a system of partidos and liberals favored a division reflecting the newly rationalized departments of France, there were Bercian regionalists on both sides of that divide, each wanting the recognition of the region within whichever system they advocated.
The liberal territorial division of 1822 seemed briefly to satisfy these ambitions; however, with the return to absolutism the following year, that decree was revoked, and the 1833 territorial division, which remains largely in effect down to the present day, although hewing closely to the 1822 plan, did not include a Bercian province.Real Decreto de 30 de noviembre de 1833 on the official web site of the government of the Canary Islands, accessed 2009-12-31.
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
of 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...
created in the 1822 territorial division of Spain
1822 territorial division of Spain
The 1822 territorial division of Spain was a rearrangement of the territory of Spain into various provinces, enacted briefly during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823...
(27 January 1822), during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823. Its population of 86,365 represented 0.7% of the total Spanish population of the time. Its capital was Villafranca del Bierzo
Villafranca del Bierzo
thumb|250px|Castle of Villafranca.Vilafranca del Bierzo is a village and municipality located in the comarca of El Bierzo, in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain.It is one of Galician speaking councils of Castilla y León....
. With the restoration of absolutism
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
, this territorial division was revoked 1 October 1823. Although Javier de Burgos
Javier de Burgos
Francisco Javier de Burgos y del Olmo was a Spanish jurist, politician, journalist, and translator.-Early life and career:...
's 1833 territorial division of Spain
1833 territorial division of Spain
The 1833 territorial division of Spain divided Spain into provinces, classified into "historic regions" . on the official web site of the government of the Canary Islands, accessed 2009-12-31...
was very close to that of 1833, the province of Villafranca was not recreated; the other two major changes were the omission of the provinces of Calatayud
Province of Calatayud
The Province of Calatayud was a province of Spain created in the 1822 territorial division of Spain , during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823...
and Játiva
Province of Játiva
The Province of Játiva was a province of Spain created in the 1822 territorial division of Spain , during the Trienio Liberal of 1820–1823. Its population of 164,795 represented 1.41% of the total Spanish population of the time. Its capital was Játiva...
.
Territories
The territories of the province of Villafranca included the present-day comarcaComarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of El Bierzo
El Bierzo
El Bierzo is a shire in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.- History :...
in the Province of León, plus several other Leonese municipalities
Municipalities of Spain
The municipalities of Spain In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. municipi.*Galician or , sing. municipio/bisbarra.*Basque , sing. udalerria. are the basic level of Spanish local government...
and some other territories that now belong to the provinces of Lugo and Ourense.
Following the general pattern of the 1822 territorial division of Spain, the province was named after its capital city, Villafranca del Bierzo. However, the regionalists in this area have always favored the name El Bierzo or El Vierzo (El Bierzu in the local Bercian dialect
Bercian dialect
Bercian is the generic name of the linguistic varieties spoken in El Bierzo region, in the province of León, Spain. They belong to the dialect continuum of Romance languages in northern Spain, linking the Galician and Leonese languages...
).
Background
There have been many Bercian administrative entities in the history of Spain. El Bierzo was one of the 40 provinces of the Crown of CastileCrown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
under the Repartimiento of 1591. Later, until the territorial division in the 1780s by Floridablanca
José Moñino y Redondo, conde de Floridablanca
José Moñino y Redondo, Count of Floridablanca , Spanish statesman. He was the reformist chief minister of King Charles III of Spain, and also served briefly under Charles IV. He was arguably Spain's most effective statesman in the eighteenth century...
, it was habitually united with León and Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, and referred to as either the Partido de Ponferrada
Ponferrada
Ponferrada is a city in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. It lies on the Sil River, a tributary of the river Miño, in the El Bierzo valley, completely surrounded by mountains. It is the last major town along the French route of the Way of St. James before it reaches its destination...
or the Provincia del Vierzo.
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
favored a system of partidos and liberals favored a division reflecting the newly rationalized departments of France, there were Bercian regionalists on both sides of that divide, each wanting the recognition of the region within whichever system they advocated.
The liberal territorial division of 1822 seemed briefly to satisfy these ambitions; however, with the return to absolutism the following year, that decree was revoked, and the 1833 territorial division, which remains largely in effect down to the present day, although hewing closely to the 1822 plan, did not include a Bercian province.Real Decreto de 30 de noviembre de 1833 on the official web site of the government of the Canary Islands, accessed 2009-12-31.