History of

The origin of the Principality of Andorra dates to the time of , the medieval ruler whose kingdom included most of western and central Europe. In AD 803,Charlemagne defeated the in what is present-day Andorra. According to tradition, Charlemagne then gave the land to the Andorrans as a reward for their support in the campaign. After Charlemagne’s death, his grandson Charles IImade ’s Count of Urgell the ruler of Andorra.

In 1133, the new Count of Urgell gave the land to the of Urgell, who in turn placed it under the protection of a Spanish nobleman, the Lord of Caboet. A French nobleman, the Count of Foix, then married into the Lord of Caboet’s family and inherited all the Spanish lord’s lands. A dispute over the status of Andorra then arose between the then Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. In 1278, the two men signed an agreement that gave and Spain joint sovereignty of Andorra. More than three hundred years later, in 1607, the French king Henry IV issued an edict stating that the French head of state and the Bishop of Urgell were co-princes of Andorra. The unique arrangement allowed Andorra to remain a separate principality, not incorporated into either France or Spain.

Andorra remained neutral during (1914–18).Then, during the (1936–39), it became a hub for smuggling goods from France into Spain and, during World War II (1939–45), a hub for smuggling goods from Spain into France. After the Second World War, smuggling was replaced by duty-free shopping, which became a mainstay of the Andorran economy.

The president of France and the Spanish bishop of Urgell continue to serve as Andorra’s co-heads of state, though the positions are now largely ceremonial. (In recognition of nominal French and Spanish sovereignty, Andorra for many years paid a tribute of four hams, forty loaves of bread, and some wine to France and then to Spain in alternating years.)In 1993, Andorrans voted to adopt their first constitution, which established Andorra as a parliamentary democracy under the two symbolic heads of state. The principality joined the in 1993 and the in 1994.

References:

“Principality of Andorra.” CultureGrams World Edition. 2008.

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