Vegueria of Tarragona
Encyclopedia
The Vegueria
of Tarragona was a historical territorial entity of Catalonia
(in what is now Spain
) that agglutinated the counties of Tarragona
. In all the moments of validity of this territorial division, the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona has been the city of Tarragona
. This city has been the genesis of all the territory.
constituted, since the republican period, a Roman site of first order on the territory as the capital of the Hispania
Citerior (the biggest province of all the Roman Empire
). The city accommodated the Concilium Provinciae, in imperial period integrated by the representatives of the seven conventi, or districts, that formed the province: Tarraco, Cartago Nova, Caesar Augusta, Clúnia, Astúrica Augusta, Lucus Augusta and Bràccara Augusta.
In 26-25 BC Augustus
moved in Tarragona to direct the war against the Cantabri
and the Astures. From the year 259 AD a Christian bishopric is documented in the city, and in 385 the Pope Siricius gave the metropolitan bishop of Tarragona authority over all the Hispanic provinces. At the beginning of the 5th century the commes hispaniarum resided in Tarragona
.
In the Middle Ages, due to archbishop of Tarragona Bernat Tort the territory was organized. Parishes were created in the current counties of the Tarragonès, Baix Camp, Alt Camp, Priorat, Conca de Barberà, Urgell and Garrigues that depended on the Tarragonese mitre.
Alfonso II of Aragon
(1162–96) named Tarragona the "capital of my kingdom". Since then, Tarragona has always been the capital of the Vegueria
in mediaeval and modern periods.
From 1716 the city was the capital of the corregimiento of Tarragona, and with the establishment of the territorial division in provinces, from 1822, Tarragona has always been the capital of the counties of Tarragona. In this last decision two essential reasons had a huge weight. On the one hand, the fierce defense that in 1811 the city of Tarragona against the French armies in the called War of Spanish Independence. Tarragona accommodated women and men of all the territory and protected them in its walls. The stairs of the cathedral were the last bastion of defense of the Tarragona territory and thousands of defenders died.
Vegueria
The vegueria was the feudal administrative territorial jurisdiction of the Principality of Catalonia during the Middle Ages and into the Modern Era until the Nueva Planta decrees of 1716...
of Tarragona was a historical territorial entity of 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...
(in what is now 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...
) that agglutinated the counties of Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
. In all the moments of validity of this territorial division, the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona has been the city of Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
. This city has been the genesis of all the territory.
History
TarracoTarraco
Tarraco is the ancient name of the current city of Tarragona . During the Roman Empire was one of the major cities of the Iberian Peninsula and capital of the Roman province called Hispania Citerior or Hispania Tarraconensis. The full name of the city at the time of the Roman Republic was Colonia...
constituted, since the republican period, a Roman site of first order on the territory as the capital of the Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
Citerior (the biggest province of all the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
). The city accommodated the Concilium Provinciae, in imperial period integrated by the representatives of the seven conventi, or districts, that formed the province: Tarraco, Cartago Nova, Caesar Augusta, Clúnia, Astúrica Augusta, Lucus Augusta and Bràccara Augusta.
In 26-25 BC Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
moved in Tarragona to direct the war against the Cantabri
Cantabri
The Cantabri were a pre-Roman Celtic people which lived in the northern Atlantic coastal region of ancient Hispania, from the 4th to late 1st centuries BC.-Origins:...
and the Astures. From the year 259 AD a Christian bishopric is documented in the city, and in 385 the Pope Siricius gave the metropolitan bishop of Tarragona authority over all the Hispanic provinces. At the beginning of the 5th century the commes hispaniarum resided in Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
.
In the Middle Ages, due to archbishop of Tarragona Bernat Tort the territory was organized. Parishes were created in the current counties of the Tarragonès, Baix Camp, Alt Camp, Priorat, Conca de Barberà, Urgell and Garrigues that depended on the Tarragonese mitre.
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
(1162–96) named Tarragona the "capital of my kingdom". Since then, Tarragona has always been the capital of the Vegueria
Vegueria
The vegueria was the feudal administrative territorial jurisdiction of the Principality of Catalonia during the Middle Ages and into the Modern Era until the Nueva Planta decrees of 1716...
in mediaeval and modern periods.
From 1716 the city was the capital of the corregimiento of Tarragona, and with the establishment of the territorial division in provinces, from 1822, Tarragona has always been the capital of the counties of Tarragona. In this last decision two essential reasons had a huge weight. On the one hand, the fierce defense that in 1811 the city of Tarragona against the French armies in the called War of Spanish Independence. Tarragona accommodated women and men of all the territory and protected them in its walls. The stairs of the cathedral were the last bastion of defense of the Tarragona territory and thousands of defenders died.