Definition of New Plant Decrees (1707-1716)

At the beginning of the XVl century the Catholic Monarchs established the so-called Hispanic Monarchy and with it a Balance between the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon. The various Nueva Planta Decrees at the beginning of the 18th century represented the full integration territory of Spain, as well as its legal unit as nation.

The international conflict of the War of Succession was the preamble to the Nueva Planta Decrees

When the monarch Carlos II died in 1700, the Habsburg dynasty was left without a succession to the crown. In his will, he provided that the legitimate heir had to be Luis Felipe de Anjou, a descendant of the Bourbons. The new monarch, Felipe V, became the King of Spain in 1701, swearing allegiance to the Cortes of Castile. That same year the monarch was expected to swear allegiance to the Cortes of Aragon.

This situation caused misgivings among the English, Dutch and Austrians, since the crown of Spain was going to fall about a French Bourbon and this situation could eventually lead to a powerful alliance between France and Spain.

As is logical, this hypothetical circumstance generated suspicions in the set of European nations. In this way, the problem of the dynastic succession in Spain made the English and Austrians propose another king for the succession of the Hispanic Monarchy, the Austrian Archduke Carlos.

Thus began the War of Succession: the powers favorable to Charles of Austria against the powers in favor of Philip V. Initially the partisan troops of the Austria managed to control the territories of Catalonia and Valencia, but in 1707 the troops favorable to the Bourbon candidate defeated the troops austracists.

While the French dynasty symbolized political centralism, the Austrian dynasty represented everything. contrary and this circumstance was attractive for the defenders of the Aragonese, Valencian and Catalan.

The Nueva Planta Decrees

In 1707 the first of the decrees was promulgated. According to him, Felipe V annulled the right Valencian and Aragonese foral, since it was understood that its inhabitants had rebelled against the legitimate monarch. In other words, by the right of conquest the privileges of these territories were annulled.

Thus a new legal form was imposed that annulled laws, traditions and forms of organization politics. In a second decree in 1711 Felipe V partially reestablished the Aragonese foral law.

On the island of Mallorca the rebellion of the Austracists was put down in 1715 and as a consequence a new decree was promulgated (in it the Majorcan foral law was respected but the public Law until then in force).

In 1716 a last decree was applied in relation to Catalonia. The legal consequences of it were basically two: repeal of Catalan public law and the maintenance of regional law in relation to the private sphere.

Other consequences of the Nueva Planta decrees

The political institutions of the Crown of Aragon were dissolved and eventually unified with the Castilian institutions.

At the municipal level, the system of hereditary election of municipal offices was implemented in Aragon.

Finally, the Spanish language was imposed as the official language of the administration in all the territory national.

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