Aragonese Corts

The Aragonese Corts is the regional parliament for the Spanish autonomous community of Aragon. The Corts traces its history back to meetings summoned by the Kings of Aragon which began in 1162. Abolished in 1707, the Corts were revived in 1983 following the passing of a Statute of Autonomy.Early CortsThe King of Aragon was bound to summon the Corts at least once every five years, and, following the union with Catalonia, annually. The main business of the Corts was judicial: solving disputes between individuals or towns or dealing with complaints or grievances concerning the King's officers or Estates. The Corts also approved legislation and voted on tax issues. The Corts was organised into four Estates or branches: the clergy, the great nobles (Ricos hombres), the Knights and the towns.For the more important laws, unanimity was required between each of the Corts' four Estates ('nemine descriptante'). Each member could veto any law, in which case the decision would be recorded as 'unamiter excepto N.N.' which allowed for further debates and discussions, although these too often ended in stalemates with no agreement being reached. In such cases, the decision was referred to a permanent committee which consisted of two representatives of each Estate who would judge whether the existing majority will was sound or not. These Corts were the model for the parliaments of Sardinia and Sicily. The Corts survived until 1707 when Philip V issued the Nueva Planta decrees, centralising political power and abolishing the former regional assemblies of the Crown of Aragon.