ARAGON, a captaincy general, or, as it is usually called by the Spaniards, a kingdom, of Spain, situated between lat. 40° and 42° 5Γ N., and between long. 2° 10' W. and l 0 45' E., is bounded on the N. by the Pyrenees, which separate it from France, E. by Catalonia and Valencia, S. by Valencia, and W. by Navarre and the two Castiles. It has an area of 14,726 English square miles, and a population of 925,773—calculated for 1867 on the basis of the census of 1860. It is divided by the river Ebro, which flows through it in a south-easterly direction, into two nearly equal parts, known as Trans-ibero and Cis-ibero. The north is occupied by a portion of the Pyrenees, which here attain in Monte Perdido, or as it is variously called Mont Perdu, Las Tres Sorores, almost their highest altitude (11,430 feet); and in the south and west are various sierras of considerable elevation. The whole surface, indeed, is very irregular. The large and fertile plain in the middle, bordering on the Ebro, is broken by offshoots from the north and south, while the mountain ranges, on the other hand, are interrupted by numerous valleys of great beauty. The central pass for carriages over the Pyrenees is on the line between Saragossa and Pau, and bears the name of Port de Confranc. The Ebro is the principal river, and receives from the north in its passage through the province, the Arba, the Gallego, and the united waters of the Cinca, the Essera, the No guera Ribagorzana, and the Noguera Pallaresa—the last two belonging to Catalonia; and from the south the Xalon and Xiloca and the Guadalupe. The Imperial Canal of Aragon, which was commenced by Charles V. in 1529, but remained unfinished for nearly two hundred years, extends from Tudela almost to Sastago, a distance of 80 miles; it has a ...depth of 9 feet, and an average breadth of 69, and is navigable for vessels of about 80 tons burthen. The Royal Canal of Tauste, which lies along the north side of the Ebro, was cut for purposes of irrigation, and gives fertility to the district. Two leagues N.N.E. of Albarracin is the remarkable fountain called Celia, 3700 feet above the sea, which forms the source of the Xiloca; and between this river and the Sierra Molina is an extensive lake called Gallo-canta, covering about 6000 acres. The climate of Aragon is, as might be supposed, of a very varied character, rigorous in the north and among the sierras, but mild and even oppressive in the south, especially towards the Mediterranean. Its vegetable products are necessarily affected by a similar variety. The hills are clothed in many places with oak, pine, and beech, which, if utilised, would furnish a good supply of timber. The flora is exceedingly rich, but has been slightly explored. Wheat, maize, rice, wine, oil, flax, and hemp, of fine quality, are grown in considerable quantities; as well as saffron, madder, liquorice, sumach, and a variety of fruits. Swine and sheep are reared in considerable numbers, the merino wool supplied by the latter being one of the chief productions of the province; but little attention is paid to other descriptions of cattle. The manufactures are comparatively insignificant, being in great measure supplementary to the agricultural and pastoral pursuits of the people. The silk manufacture has declined, and woollen and linen cloth is only produced in small quantities. The mineral resources of the country consist of iron, lead, copper, sulphur, cobalt, asphalt, lignite, alum, rocksalt, jet, marble, and jasper, which are all found in abundance, but they are very inadequately wrought. Aragon is divided into three provinces, Huesca, Teruel, and Saragossa, accounts of which will be found under these headings. The capital is Saragossa, and the other towns of importance are Jaca, Huesca, and Barbastro to the north of the Ebro, and Tara-zona, Calatayud, Daroca, Calamocha, Albarracin, Montalban, Teruel, and Alcaniz to the south. Saragossa is an archbishopric, and Huesca, Tarazona, Barbastro, Jaca, Teruel, and Albarracin are episcopal sees. In 1867 there were 2257 priests in the kingdom.
Previous to the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the political constitution of Aragon was the most liberal in Europe. Formally monarchical, its genius and maxims were purely republican. The kings, who were long elective, retained only the shadow of power; while the real exercise of it was in the hands of the Cortes, an assembly consisting of the nobility, the equestrian order, the representatives of the cities and towns, and the clergy. No law could pass without the assent of every member who had a right to vote. Without the permission of the Cortes, no tax could be imposed, war could not be declared, nor peace concluded. Besides these, and other extraordinary privileges enjoyed by the Cortes, the Aragonese possessed another safeguard against despotic power in the election of a Justicia, or supreme judge, who acted as the guardian of the people, and the controller of the prince. He was the supreme interpreter of the laws, and was accountable to the Cortes alone for the manner in which he discharged the duties of his office. See Robertson’s History of Charles V. vol i. § 3.
The history of Aragon before its union with Castile by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, when it was merged in the kingdom of Spain, will be found in the general history of that country. It had, before this epoch, a succession of twenty sovereigns, from the year 1035 to 1516. See Zurita, Annales de Aragon; Viaje de Ponz; Geografia de Don Isidoro de Antilion; Historia, de la Economia Politica de Aragon, por Don. Ignacio de Asso.
[960 words — estimated reading time: 6 minutes]