Fors de Bearn
Encyclopedia
The Fors de Bearn, or fueros of Béarn
, are a series of legal texts (privileges, rulings, judicial sentences, decrees, formularies) compiled over centuries (mostly the eleventh to thirteenth) in the Viscounty of Béarn. Together they formed the constitution of Béarn at the time of their first known complete version in the fifteenth century.
For is a Gascon
word derived from the Latin forum, specifically from the Forum Iudicium, which was the law of the Visigoths.
The first of the fors was a charter
promulgated around 1080 by Centule V
for the repopulation of the ancient town of Iluro (Oloron). This was the seed of the future For de Oloron, which granted the city a commune
. In 1102, Gaston IV
granted a privilege to his capital of Morlaas
, the nucleus of a similar future For de Morlaas. Finally, in 1188, Gaston VI
promulgated the For General, applicable throughout Béarn. This for included several dispensations which had accrued in the second half of the century.
In the first half of the thirteenth century, the viscounts William Raymond and Gaston VII
issued a series of fors for each of the Pyrenean
valleys:
In the sixteenth century, when Béarn was united with the Kingdom of Navarre
, monarchs Henry II
and Joanna III reorganised and improved the Fors. In 1620, Louis XIII incorporated Béarn into the French crown, but preserved the Fors, which continued to govern the viscounty until its abolition during the French Revolution
in 1789.
Béarn
Béarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
, are a series of legal texts (privileges, rulings, judicial sentences, decrees, formularies) compiled over centuries (mostly the eleventh to thirteenth) in the Viscounty of Béarn. Together they formed the constitution of Béarn at the time of their first known complete version in the fifteenth century.
For is a Gascon
Gascon language
Gascon is usually considered as a dialect of Occitan, even though some specialists regularly consider it a separate language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn in southwestern France and in the Aran Valley of Spain...
word derived from the Latin forum, specifically from the Forum Iudicium, which was the law of the Visigoths.
The first of the fors was a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
promulgated around 1080 by Centule V
Centule V of Béarn
Centule V , called the Young, was the Viscount of Béarn from 1058 to his death. Centule increased the autonomy of the viscounts of Béarn and distanced them from the dukes of Aquitaine, to whom they owed theoretical vassalage...
for the repopulation of the ancient town of Iluro (Oloron). This was the seed of the future For de Oloron, which granted the city a commune
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...
. In 1102, Gaston IV
Gaston IV of Béarn
Gaston IV was viscount of Béarn from 1090 to 1131. He was called "le Croisé" due to his participation in the First Crusade....
granted a privilege to his capital of Morlaas
Morlaàs
Morlaàs is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is the seat of a canton.After the Roman city of Benearnum was razed by the Vikings in 841, Morlaàs became the capital of the ancient province of Béarn. It remained the capital until the 12th century, when...
, the nucleus of a similar future For de Morlaas. Finally, in 1188, Gaston VI
Gaston VI of Béarn
Gaston VI , called the Good, was the Viscount of Béarn, Gabardan, and Brulhois from 1173. He was also Count of Bigorre and Viscount of Marsan through his marriage in 1196 to Petronilla of Bigorre, the daughter of Countess Stephanie of Bigorre....
promulgated the For General, applicable throughout Béarn. This for included several dispensations which had accrued in the second half of the century.
In the first half of the thirteenth century, the viscounts William Raymond and Gaston VII
Gaston VII of Béarn
Gaston VII de Montcada , called Froissard, was the twentieth Viscount of Béarn from 1229. He was the son and heir of William II Raymond and Garsenda, daughter of Alfonso II of Provence and Garsenda of Forcalquier...
issued a series of fors for each of the Pyrenean
Pyrenean
The term Pyrenean refers to things of or from the Pyrenees mountain range. See:*Pyrenees, the mountain range dividing France and Spain*Pyrenean Shepherd or Pyrenean Mountain Dog, dog breeds sometimes shortened to Pyrenean...
valleys:
- Baretous (1220)
- Ossau (1221)
- First charter of AspeAspeAspe is a town and municipality located in the comarca of Vinalopó Mitjà, in the province of Alicante, Spain.The town is located in the valley of the river Vinalopó, 25 km from Alicante city...
(1247) - Second charter of Aspe (1250)
In the sixteenth century, when Béarn was united with the Kingdom 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....
, monarchs Henry II
Henry II of Navarre
Henry II was the eldest son of John III of Navarre and Catherine I of Navarre, sister and heiress of Francis Phoebus, King of Navarre; he was born at Sangüesa.-King of Navarre:...
and Joanna III reorganised and improved the Fors. In 1620, Louis XIII incorporated Béarn into the French crown, but preserved the Fors, which continued to govern the viscounty until its abolition during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in 1789.
Sources
- Tucoo-Chala, Pierre. Quand l'Islam était aux portes des Pyrénées. J&D Editions: Biarritz, 1994. ISBN 2-84127-022-X.
- Omnes, Jean. Guide du curieux: Haut Béarn. Pyremonde, 2006. ISBN 2-84618-3031.