Origin and Development of The Co-principality
Tradition holds that Charlemagne 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.
Read more about this topic: Co-Princes Of Andorra
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