Historical Configuration Of The Province Of Granada
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The current configuration of the
province of Granada Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropical). ...
is the result of a long process of territorial organization that reached its culmination in 1833, by means of the decree of provincialization promulgated by Javier de Burgos, Ministry of Development of the government of the regent Maria Christina of Bourbon. Until that date, what now constitutes the province of Granada was integrated within the limits of the so-called Kingdom of Granada. It is necessary to go back to the Kūra of Elvira and the Zirid Taifa of Granada as the most significant precedents of what later became the
Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ) , common_languages = Official language:Classical ArabicOther languages: Andalusi Arabic, Mozarabic, Berber, Ladino , capital = Granada , religion = Majority religion:Sunni IslamMinority religions:Roman C ...
, assimilated by the
Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...
after the end of the Reconquest (1492). However, it was in the transition from the authoritarian monarchy of the
Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
to the absolutist monarchy of the Bourbons that the territorial organization of the State became a recurring theme of great political importance. The absolutist conception of the state encouraged the development of a series of projects, either of a liberalism or conservative nature, which would replace the old historical kingdoms of the Reconquest with the modern
Spanish provinces A province in Spain * es, provincias, ; sing. ''provincia'') * Basque (, sing. ''probintzia''. * Catalan (), sing. ''província''. * Galician (), sing. ''provincia''. is a territorial division defined as a collection of municipalities, ...
. The former Kingdom of Granada will be an important part of this process, given the imbalance of its superficial extension with respect to other provinces and its internal heterogeneity, which made its supervision and administration by the central state very difficult. Thus, already in 1799 the Maritime Province of Malaga was created, which grouped the districts of the western part of the kingdom around the clear capital of Malaga, with a population of some 50,000 inhabitants in those years. In the other provincializing projects, the capital of Malaga was a constant tonic. The size of the Kingdom of Granada was still quite disproportionate and in the constitutional project of Bauzá (1813) a dialogue began on the need to constitute a province in the easternmost part of the kingdom. On this occasion neither the capital nor the demarcation of both provinces could be as obvious a question as it had been in the case of Malaga. The options of Guadix and Baza as capitals of the new province were considered, but finally, in the provincialization of Cortes of 1822, the option of Almería was chosen and the border shifted to the east, thus including the high plateaus of Guadix and Baza-Huéscar in the province of Granada. Thus, the provincial division of 1822 was repealed by the restoration of absolutism in 1823, the territory of the former kingdom of Granada was divided into three provinces, leaving the province of Granada with its boundaries practically defined in its current state, only nuanced with the subsequent and final provincialization of Javier de Burgos from Motril (1833).


Background

Although there were earlier territorial circumscriptions, such as the Kūra of Elvira, which became the Taifa of Granada with the decomposition of the
Caliphate of Cordoba A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
in 1031, the birth of the
Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ) , common_languages = Official language:Classical ArabicOther languages: Andalusi Arabic, Mozarabic, Berber, Ladino , capital = Granada , religion = Majority religion:Sunni IslamMinority religions:Roman C ...
can be dated back to 1232, when Yusuf ben Nasri 'Alhamar' proclaimed himself
Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
of Granada. The area of the Kingdom was about 34,000 km2, somewhat larger than the 27,000 km2 that the Christian Kingdom of Granada would be configured after the Reconquest. The Emirate or
Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
ate of Granada extended over the entirety of the current provinces of
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
, Malaga and Almeria, in addition to border areas of the provinces of Jaen and Cadiz. The frontier between the Crown of Castile and the kingdom of Granada was formed by a complicated defensive-offensive system, established by the Pact of Jaén and characterized by the construction of fortifications parallel to the natural limit of the Baetic System, with the exception of the Sierra de Cazorla and Segura, where the '' Adelantamiento de Cazorla'' and the '' Encomienda de Segura de la santiaguista'' were located, respectively, which formed the outpost of the territories of the
Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...
. The extension of the Kingdom of Granada after the Reconquest was reduced to what today are the provinces of Malaga,
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
and Almeria, except for the district of
Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de Andalucía'') because of its central locat ...
and the current municipalities of
Sierra de Yeguas Sierra de Yeguas is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It belongs to the comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative div ...
, Alameda and
Cañete la Real Cañete la Real is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located on the northwest boundary of the province. The municipality is situated approximately 100 kilome ...
, which belonged to the old Kingdom of Seville, where the first two were included in the district of Estepa and the last one in the district of
Osuna Osuna () is a town and municipality in the province of Seville, southern Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. , it has a population of c. 17,800. It is the location of the Andalusian Social Economy School. Among famous people associa ...
. On the other hand, the towns of Puebla de Santa María ( El Bosque),
Setenil Setenil de las Bodegas is a town (pueblo) and municipality in the province of Cádiz, Spain, famous for its dwellings built into rock overhangs above the Río Guadalporcún. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 3,016 inhabitan ...
, Grazalema, Villaluenga del Rosario, Benaocaz, Ubrique and
Alcalá del Valle Alcalá del Valle is a city located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2006 census, the city has a population of 5,355. It is the last village along the Route of the White Villages, it serves as a bridge between the provinces of C ...
, today in the
province of Cádiz Cádiz is a Provinces of Spain, province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of conti ...
, and those of Sill plate and Bélmez de la Moraleda, which are currently integrated in the province of Jaén, were part of the Kingdom of Granada. This demarcation was only administrative and fiscal, since the kingdom of Granada, incorporated into the
Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accessi ...
, did not have any type of attribution over its limits or political capacity for autonomous action or decision, beyond municipal life and the vote in Cortes. The territory was divided into zones or ''partitions'' for the collection of rents and extraordinary rights for the Crown, in some cases based on the existing ecclesiastical circumscriptions. Thus, the following demarcation was carried out: # The city of Granada with the parties of the alcaicería, the major and minor rents, the cattle corral, the tithes and
Alquería An alquería (; ca-valencia, alqueria ; pt, alcaria ; from Arabic القرية ''al-qarīa'', "village, hamlet") in Al-Andalus made reference to small rural communities that were located near cities (medinas). Since the 15th century it makes r ...
, the '' Renta de la seda de Granada'', the rents of the Alpujarras, Almuñécar, Salobreña and Motril. # Judicial district of Baza. # Judicial district of Guadix. # Malaga and its bishopric # Almeria and its bishopric. Another form of collection of extraordinary tributes –destined to military expenses– were the ''brotherhoods'' that had an important development in the 16th century. The numerous enterprises that Charles I and later Philip II undertook provoked a slight attempt at territorial organization capitalized in the 17 cities that were represented in the Cortes. In 1591,The first known census was carried out between 1528 and 1536 and is known as the Census of the Pecheros, although the Kingdom of Granada was excluded from it. a compilation of goods was carried out –known as the Census of Tomás González–, where Granada appears as a city with representation in Cortes –it will be the 18th city– and it will centralize the "province"The term "province" was used in the census of Tomás González, although it has nothing to do with the current provinces. of the Kingdom of Granada in the collection of taxes among its different cities, villas, places and villages that conformed it. In the early
Modern Age The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...
, there was no single criterion for the determination of the regional entities within the Crown of Castile:
Lucio Marineo Sículo Lucio is an Italian and Spanish male given name derived from the Latin name '' Lucius''. In Portuguese, the given name is accented Lúcio. Lucio is also an Italian surname. Given name * Lúcio (Lucimar Ferreira da Silva) (born 1978), Brazi ...
Lucio Marineo Sículo in his (1500), when distinguishing the different Spanish provinces, followed the Roman provincialization, while Pedro de Medina (1548) made another classification, in which the Kingdom of Granada was differentiated from Andalusia. The creation of the Captaincy General of Granada and the definitive installation as the
Royal Chancellery of Granada The Royal Chancellery of Granada'' (Spanish - La Real Chancillería de Granada'' or ''Real Audiencia y Chancillería de Granada'') was a court established by Isabel I of Castile in 1505 when she moved the Royal Audience and Chancellery of Ciudad R ...
of the previous Royal Court and Chancellery of Ciudad Real (1505), whose jurisdiction included all the territory south of the Tagus River –to the north it was the jurisdiction of the Royal Court of Valladolid–, indicates that neither from the political-administrative point of view was there any intention of carrying out any type of regional integration –an anachronistic concept for the time– that specifically associated the Kingdom of Granada with the Andalusia of the Guadalquivir. In 1525 the ''
Real Audiencia de los Grados de Sevilla Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...
'' was created, with a lower level of jurisdiction.


Illustrated reforms

The
Bourbon dynasty The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...
established with the War of the Spanish Succession (1700–1715) was accompanied by a generalized reformist air throughout the 18th century, known as the
Enlightenment period The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...
. The complex organization of the territory inherited from the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
and the long medieval processes of reconquest and repopulation was archaic and irrational in many aspects, disproportionate and clearly insufficient for an absolute monarchy with increasing economic needs. Among the reforms undertaken was the realization of a statistical study that made it possible to quantify the country's resources and therefore facilitated their control and exploitation: the Catastro of Ensenada (1749), in which the 22 provinces of the Crown of Castile, including the Kingdom of Granada, were registered. In the same year, King Ferdinand VI reorganized the system of
intendant An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...
, assigning one to each province, together with the
corregidor Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
of the capital (positions that were separated again in 1766). Each intendant would be assisted by a ''subordinate lieutenant'' or '' Alcalde mayor'' for the exercise of judicial functions. The process of provincialization was also a tonic in this enlightened phase that will conclude with the project of Javier de Burgos in 1833. It is from this date, precisely when the provinces that will emerge from the former Kingdom of Granada will be conceived as part of a regional entity called ''Andalusia'', along with the provinces of the Guadalquivir. La lejanía a los centros políticos de la meseta castellana, las distantas formas de repoblación con respecto an ella y el origen de la repoblación del reino granadino, serían algunas de las causas de la inclusión del antiguo Reino de Granada en los límites territoriales de ese nuevo concepto geográfico; que, no obstante, se limitó a la agrupación nominal de las ocho provincias y a su asociación en los mapas, y no implicó la creación de ninguna institución común ni coordinación provincial, ambas cosas completamente ajenas al propósito de la división provincial.


Floridablanca Census (1789)

An example closer to the reformist period of the 19th century is the
Census of Floridablanca The census of Floridablanca is considered the first Spanish census of population prepared on modern statistics techniques. It was a census document produced in Spain under the direction of the count of Floridablanca, minister of Charles III, betwee ...
. The project was conceived by the
Count of Floridablanca Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
, who in 1785 asked each of the
intendant An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...
s for a list of data on the territorial and civil organization and the jurisdictional division of their respective districts. This information gave rise to the publications of ''Spain divided into Provinces and Intendencies'' and what we know as ''Floridablanca's Gazetteer'' in 1789. The new provincial configuration did not bring great modifications in the provincial demarcation, but it did provide a better knowledge of the territory that facilitated the future provincial divisions. The main shortcomings found were: the great contrasts in the extension of the provinces as well as their spatial discontinuity forming numerous enclaves and exclaves. In addition, there was great complexity in terms of internal subdivisions and denominations.Examples of subdivisions are: alcaldía, alcaldía mayor, community, county, corregimiento, district, state, merindad, partido, among many others. Spain was configured in 31 provinces or
intendant An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...
that could be grouped statistically in 5 large blocks according to their internal complexity. The province of Granada was a clear example of disproportionate surface area with respect to other provinces of much smaller size. It was included in Group BThe provinces were grouped into 4 groups – A, B, C and D –provinces with a single internal subdivision–, composed of 20 districts or partidos.


Maritime province of Malaga (1799)

By the Royal Decree of 25 September 1799 –ratified by Royal Order of 22 January 1801 under the reign of Charles IV–, six new maritime provinces were created: Cadiz, Malaga, Santander, Alicante, Cartagena and Asturias. To these must be added the ephemeral Province of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, which was created in 1804. These maritime provinces corresponded to coastal areas with a population center that had a port and that could provide a backbone for the adjacent territory and promote the development of the coastal areas of the peninsula. Another requirement was that the province from which they were separated should be extensive and also distant from the capital or separated by a mountainous feature. In the case of the Kingdom of Granada, these characteristics were clearly met by Malaga, which was instituted as a maritime province. Malaga had a population of around 50,000 inhabitants and its communication with Granada was quite difficult. Although it never had an
intendant An intendant (; pt, intendente ; es, intendente ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In ...
due to the pressures exerted from
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
, as was the case with the rest of the metropolitan centers and their maritime provinces. However, these will serve as the basis for future provincializations, in which Malaga –in almost all cases– will be considered the provincial capital.


Napoleonic Reforms: Llorente-Lanz Project (1809–1810)

A more profound restructuring process of the territory began in 1809, thanks to the political changes that arose in 1808 with the abdication of Charles IV and Ferdinand VII in favor of Joseph Bonaparte, turning Spain into a satellite state of the Napoleonic Empire. The territorial division in Spain at that time was unfeasible for the exploitation of the country by the Napoleonic administration, so it was thought of a new restructuring of the territory that would leave behind the historical conditions of the different territories and eliminate the divisions that hindered the administration such as enclaves and exclaves. Thus, in 1809, the Riojan clergyman and politician Juan Antonio Llorente undertook the task, based on geographical features, and designed a distribution in departments, following the French model, to which he gave a nomenclature of geographical features –rivers and capes–. Each department would be endowed with a university, an audience and a diocese. In the case of the kingdom of Granada, once again it was divided into two departments with the nomenclature of rivers: Salado –with its capital in Malaga– and Genil –with its capital in Granada–.Llorente's project was approved without problems with the changes made by José María de Lanz y Zaldíbar, who completed the project, taking Llorente's departmental division as a model and, by virtue of the Decree of 17 April 1810 –signed in the Real Alcázar of Seville–, established a number of 38
prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
s, this time giving priority in the nomenclature to the name of the capital and the subdivision into three sub-prefectures as a general rule.In the cases of Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Madrid and Toledo there were two sub-prefectures and in the case of Murcia there were four. Each prefecture consisted of a prefect, a Prefectural Council and a General Prefectural Board.Title II, Art. VIII, Decree 18 April 1810 In turn, the sub-prefectures were composed of the sub-prefect and the General Board of Sub-prefecture.TitleII, Art. I to VI, Decree 18 April 1810 The ''province of Granada'', thus defined, was part of the Prefecture of the same name, together with the current province of Almería, except for part of the district of BazaHuéscar,
Castril Castril, former Castril de la Peña, is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. Administration Castril includes the following communities (2006): *Almontaras *Castril * ...
,
Vélez Blanco Velez may refer to: Places * Vélez de Benaudalla, Spain * Vélez Sársfield (barrio), Buenos Aires, Argentina * Vélez-Blanco, Spain * Vélez-Málaga, Spain * Vélez-Rubio, Spain * Vélez, Santander, Colombia * Velež (Bosnia and Herzegovina), a m ...
and Vélez Rubio– and the extreme southeast –the border was located at the Almanzora River– which belonged to the ''Prefecture of Segura'' –currently Murcia–. The ''Prefecture of Granada'' extended over an area of 17,851 km2 and was in turn subdivided into the sub-prefectures of Granada, Baza and Almería. On the other hand, the current province of Malaga, previously part of the Kingdom of Granada, was part of the ''Prefecture of Salado''. Its delimitation included the district of
Osuna Osuna () is a town and municipality in the province of Seville, southern Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. , it has a population of c. 17,800. It is the location of the Andalusian Social Economy School. Among famous people associa ...
and did not include the district of Ronda, included in the ''Prefecture of Guadalete'' –current province of Cadiz–. This reform only existed on paper and after the French defeat at the end of the War of Independence it fell into oblivion and contempt.


Constitutional reforms

The Constitution drawn up by the Cortes de Cádiz (1812) mentions which were the Spanish territories and states the need to carry out a new and more convenient division of the same.Title II, chap.I Spanish Constitution of 1812 The Provincial Administration was based on more solid criteria. Until now, it was basically an instrument of control, but by means of article 335, the Provincial Deputation were to be given a series of competencies such as the distribution of contributions, the supervision of infractions of the Constitution, the provincial census and statistics, the establishment of the constitutional City Councils, etc. It was headed by a Superior Chief, appointed by the King. This new position, which also served as Government Delegate, assumed the competencies of public order and executive power and served as liaison between the Town Councils and the Deputation.Title VI, Chapter II Spanish Constitution of 1812 This was intended to eliminate the heterogeneous, unequal, unbalanced and unequal territorial structure of regional privileges that had existed until then.


Ranz-Espiga Project (1812)

The proposal on what should be the constitutional provinces was elaborated by Antonio Ranz and José de Espiga (1812), leaving the Spanish territory organized in 21 constitutional provinces. One of them was Granada, which kept the same boundaries as the Kingdom in 1789, against the trend of breaking the identity of the former great kingdoms. The proposal to carry out the new territorial reorganization of Granada was formulated by the Granada Provincial Council in agreement with the Royal Chancellery and was sent to the King on 7 July 1813. Although the provincial boundaries were again very similar to those that existed at the end of the 18th century, the most significant change was the incorporation of the districts of
Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de Andalucía'') because of its central locat ...
and
Archidona Archidona is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is the center of the comarca of Nororiental de Málaga and the head of the judicial district that bears its na ...
, whose borders followed the current boundary of the provinces of Malaga and Cordoba to
Fuente de Piedra Fuente de Piedra is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).sv ...
, excluding the towns of Teba and
Campillos Campillos is a municipality and town in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located northwest of the province in the comarca of Guadalteba and within the judicial district of Antequera. ...
, Alameda, Peñarrubia,
Sierra de Yeguas Sierra de Yeguas is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It belongs to the comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative div ...
, Ardales,
Almargen Almargen is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 105 kilometers from the capital, Málaga. It is 43.7 km from Ronda ...
and
Cañete la Real Cañete la Real is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located on the northwest boundary of the province. The municipality is situated approximately 100 kilome ...
. The internal division into partidos did vary significantly from the one in force in the middle of the 18th century, from 20 to 35.


Bauzá Project (1813): Guadix as a subaltern governorate

In June 1813, the Regency presided over by Don Luis de Borbón entrusted, through the Government, the preparation of the new division to
Felipe Bauzá Felipe Bauzá y Cañas (1764 in Palma de Mallorca – 1834 in London) was a Spanish naval officer, hydrographer, and cartographer. Biography He was born on 17 February 1764 in Palma de Mallorca. He studied at the nautical college of Cartagen ...
, who on 21 September 1813 established three types of provinces: # Provinces of the first order: those that included subaltern parties or governorates. One of them was Granada, which incorporated the party of Guadix. # Second order provinces: those that lacked internal subdivision. # Parties or governorates: these were each of the subdivisions of the first order provinces. Guadix was a partido of the first order province of Granada. Finally, the division was divided into 44 provinces, under criteria of historical tradition and equitable distribution of population: each province was intended to have at least 250,000 inhabitants. The province of Granada, then equivalent to the current provinces of Granada and Almería, was projected to be divided into two governorates: an upper one capitalized in
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
and a lower one centered in Guadix, setting its limits in the Fardes River, in the
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
and in the Adra River. Despite the eccentricity of the capital with respect to the territory, it was not a problem due to its strategic location at the confluence of the roads between Baza, Granada and Almeria. Although the Council of State reported favorably on the project and the Ministry of the Interior submitted it to the Cortes, the discussion process did not begin, as the restoration of Ferdinand VII (1814) soon derogation the Constitution and dissolved the Cortes.


Division of Cortes (1822): Almeria is born as a province

During the absolutist six-year period of Ferdinand VII (1814–1820), the liberal reformist current came to a standstill, returning to the conservatism of the
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
. After this period, during the Liberal Triennium (1820–1823), the question of the territorial organization of the Spanish state did not take long to return to the political arena. Once again,
Felipe Bauzá Felipe Bauzá y Cañas (1764 in Palma de Mallorca – 1834 in London) was a Spanish naval officer, hydrographer, and cartographer. Biography He was born on 17 February 1764 in Palma de Mallorca. He studied at the nautical college of Cartagen ...
from La Rioja was in charge of the technical work, on this occasion with the collaboration of José Agustín de Larramendi from Guipuzcoa. On 14 January 1822, the new provincial division of the state was established, concluding the parliamentary procedures of the project initiated in 1821. Spain was divided into 52 provinces in the face of protests from cities whose rank in the traditional organization was higher, such as Barcelona, Santiago and Granada. In the case of the province of Granada, segregation was once again chosen, based on criteria of population and territorial extension. The western part of the former Kingdom of Granada found a clear capital in Malaga, which had consolidated its position since 1799.The problem was in the eastern part. In the first instance, the Bauzá-Larramendi project contemplated Baza as the capital, comprising the province of Almería and the highlands of Guadix, Baza and Huéscar. Two problems arose in the face of this proposal: the outright refusal of the deputies from Granada and the opposition from Almería, which wanted to opt for the capital. Finally, the commission created by the Cortes agreed to the pressure from Granada, and an agreement was reached whereby the province of Granada would retain the highlands and Almería would acquire the rank of provincial capital, thanks to its coastal location, larger population and its distance from Granada. The dismemberment of the old Kingdom of Granada was a fact and the three separated provinces would never again be included within the same provincial boundaries. The province of Granada from then on would be configured with boundaries very similar to those it has today: * The limit with the province of Almería would be fixed in the Adra River, so the homonymous locality would be incorporated to the province of Granada. In the Alpujarra,
Válor Válor is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE), the town (pueblo) has a population of 736 inhabitants. It is famous for its yearly Moors and Christians performance held on 15 September as ...
is for Granada and
Ohanes Ohanes is a municipality of Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous c ...
for Almería. Further north are taken as limits the Sierra de Baza, Oria, Maria and Periate to reach the province of Murcia. * On the border with the province of Malaga, the municipalities of Zafarraya and
Ventas de Zafarraya Ventas de Zafarraya is a village in the municipality of Alhama de Granada, Granada, Spain. It is just north of a mountain pass between spurs of the Sierra de Alhama to the west and the Sierra de Tejeda to the east, on the main road from Vélez-Mál ...
were incorporated into the province of Malaga. * The main differences with the current province were in the north, where the border with the province of Jaén advanced considerably towards the south. Thus the municipalities of
Alamedilla Alamedilla is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadí ...
,
Alicún de Ortega Alicún de Ortega is a village located at the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional ...
,
Dehesas de Guadix Dehesas de Guadix is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacio ...
,
Fonelas Fonelas is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2006 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Est ...
,
Gobernador Gobernador is a municipality in the province of Granada, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Be ...
,
Guadahortuna Guadahortuna is a municipality of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. History Guadahortuna has been populated since prehistoric times. During Moorish Al-Andalus the municipality got its name, which means "R ...
,
Huélago Huélago is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2018 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Es ...
, Laborcillas, Moreda, Pedro Martínez and
Villanueva de las Torres Villanueva de las Torres is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto ...
were included in Jaén; on the contrary the municipality of
Pozo Alcón Pozo Alcón is a city located in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadíst ...
was included in Granada.


Bourbon Restoration

The definitive restoration of the
absolutist monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constitut ...
of Ferdinand VII put an end once again to the administrative demarcation approved during the Trienio Liberal. However, the territorial policy of provincial division was a fact and the new policy of the ministers of the monarchy would follow the line marked by the liberal period.


Calomarde Project (1829)

In 1825, Tadeo Calomarde-minister of justice–created a new ministerial commission to study the provincial judicial demarcation, minor courts and major mayor's offices, as well as the establishment of provincial boundaries.Detailed vision of the complex municipal aggregation and grouping into corregimientos Agustín de Larramendi was again in charge of directing the project. This time, the limits of the old kingdoms were respected, unlike his precedent. Before the approval of the project, Tadeo Calomarde wanted to consult the affected chanceries. On 31 March 1829, instructions were sent to the Royal Court and Chancellery of Granada for the drawing up, by the latter, of the territorial limits between the nine provinces of its district: Granada, Almería, Málaga, Jaén, Córdoba, Murcia, Cuenca, Albacete and La Mancha. The complex task required the participation of the local authorities; thus, the city councils of the nine provincial capitals would participate in the project. The delimitation criteria were to be based on population volume, geographic location, distances, natural divisions, mutual relations, among others.The Chancellery of Granada, on 30 September 1829, put on the table its work with the division of the nine provinces that corresponded to its jurisdiction. In its proposal, the province of Granada incorporated the following changes: * Incorporate the district of Laujar, belonging to the
province of Almería Almería (, also , ) is a province of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Granada, Murcia, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is the homonymous city of Almería. Almería has an area of . With 701, ...
, so that the Alpujarra would be entirely within a single province. * Adra would become part of Almería. * The area of Zafarraya, would remain within the party of Alhama and therefore of the province of Granada. * The municipality of Iznájar, belonging to Córdoba, would be incorporated into the district of
Algarinejo Algarinejo is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE), the city had a population of 4184 inhabitants. The city is located by the Pesquería River The Pesquería River, is a river of Mexico. It is a tr ...
. * On the border with Jaén, the municipalities of
Montejícar Montejícar is a municipality in the province of Granada, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further B ...
,
Guadahortuna Guadahortuna is a municipality of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. History Guadahortuna has been populated since prehistoric times. During Moorish Al-Andalus the municipality got its name, which means "R ...
, Pedro Martínez and
Fonelas Fonelas is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2006 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Est ...
, included in Jaén in the previous proposal, would pass again to the province of Granada (within the Partido de
Colomera Colomera is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2011 census (INE), the city has a population of 1507 inhabitants. Local agriculture includes almonds, olives and citrus. Textiles are also produced in a local ...
, where
Pozo Alcón Pozo Alcón is a city located in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadíst ...
(within the Partido de Baza) would also be maintained. The province of Granada, therefore, was divided into 16 partidos, subdivided in turn into 54 corregimientos or alcaldías mayores (between 2 and 4 per partido, although Granada was made up of 9). The province underwent some changes between the party boundaries to solve problems of cohesion between the different parties.


Project of De Burgos (1833): current province of Granada.

The death of Ferdinand VII in 1830 gave a new impulse to the projects of territorial organization of Spain. In the last action of 1829, emphasis was placed on localist aspects, losing in part a broader sense than that of mere provincialization. In 1833, Minister Javier de Burgos, by means of the Royal Decree of 30 November 1833, definitively culminated the process of provincial division. The boundaries of the provinces have remained practically unchanged since then. The project was based on the provincialization of the Cortes of 1822. The provincial division was accompanied by the judicial demarcation, carried out by the Royal Decree of 21 April 1834, based on the studies directed by Calomarde.


Evolution of the judicial districts

The judicial division soon became a basic element of state organization, since it became the frame of reference in the administration of justice. Proof of its success was the stability of its delimitation practically until the reform of 1965. The ''new administration of justice'' entailed important changes with respect to the legal process and the '' Real Audiencia''. Between the period of 1834 and 1841 some 1,200 claims were made for changes in their delimitation. In 1842 a new project of provincial delimitation was even chosen, where the province of Granada incorporated the party of Priego de Córdoba, however, stability was chosen and the project of Fermín Caballero did not succeed. Due to demographic changes and other consequences, there have been several modifications in the configuration of the judicial districts in the province of Granada: Changes between 1834 and 1965: * 1857:
Algarinejo Algarinejo is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE), the city had a population of 4184 inhabitants. The city is located by the Pesquería River The Pesquería River, is a river of Mexico. It is a tr ...
and Zafarraya were integrated into the '' Partido de Loja''. * 1877:
Cádiar Cádiar is a town located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE), the city has a population of 1601 inhabitants. It borders the municipalities of Lobras, Bérchules, Alpujarra de la Sierra, Ugíjar, Murtas and Albon ...
and Narila passed from
Albuñol Albuñol is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2007 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is use ...
to
Ugíjar Ugíjar is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE), the city has a population of 2524 inhabitants. Historically, it was a Moorish village. Populated places * Cherín * Jorairatar * Las Ca ...
. Changes as of Decree 3388 of 11 November 1965: * Integration of the district of Huéscar into the district of Baza. * Integration of the districts of
Iznalloz Iznalloz is a small town about 35 km north of Granada, Spain. The town is the main center of a region known as Los Montes Orientales, which comprises about 17 towns and villages spread over the north of the province of Granada. Encompassed ...
and Santa Fe into that of
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
. * Integration of the districts of
Montefrío Montefrio is a municipality in the province of Granada. The ruins of a Moorish castle sit near the highest point. Being built midway between the Sierra de Priego and Sierra Parapanda, and commanding the open valley between these ranges, it became ...
and Alhama into the judicial district of Loja. * Integration of the districts of
Albuñol Albuñol is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2007 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is use ...
and
Ugíjar Ugíjar is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE), the city has a population of 2524 inhabitants. Historically, it was a Moorish village. Populated places * Cherín * Jorairatar * Las Ca ...
into that of Órgiva. * At the municipal level,
El Padul El Padul is a municipality of south-eastern Spain, in the province of Granada, within the comarca of el Valle de Lecrín. The population on 2008 was 8.440 inhabitants. This town is situated 13 km at the south of the city of Granada. Its alti ...
was transferred from Órgiva to Granada. Thus, the judicial districts were reduced to those of Loja,
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
, Guadix, Baza, Órgiva and Motril. Changes as of Law 38/1988, of 28 December 1988, of Demarcation and Judicial Plant: * Recovery of those of Huéscar and Santa Fe although the territory of the latter was greatly reduced. * The coastal sector of the District of Órgiva was transferred to Motril and the
Valle de Lecrín The Lecrin Valley ( es, link=no, Valle de Lecrín, ) is a comarca in the center-south part of the province of Granada, Andalusia, southern Spain. This territory borders the Vega de Granada to the north, the Alpujarra Granadina to the east, the C ...
to
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
. Changes after Law 3/1992 of 21 March: * The Judicial district of Almuñécar is created, which is segregated from that of Motril. Therefore, the province of Granada is currently divided into 9
districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
: Loja, Santa Fe, Granada, Guadix, Baza, Huéscar, Almuñécar, Motril and Órgiva.


Municipal configuration

Based on the Dictionary of Pascual Madoz, the province of Granada was comprised in 1843 by 204 municipalities, which at present have been reduced to 174 in a very complex process of segregation and integration that we try to summarize in the following tables. It should be added that the municipal limits are practically configured in the illustrated period, so it is not very complex to go back in time and be able to follow the changes produced.


Municipal segregations

The creation of new municipalities usually corresponds to the segregation of parts of pre-existing municipalities. Most of the cases correspond to large municipalities that have population centers far from the municipal capital. These are the cases of Játar, Domingo Pérez de Granada,
Dehesas Viejas Dehesas Viejas is a municipality in the province of Granada, Spain. As of 2013, it had a population of 772 inhabitants. References External links * Municipalities in the Province of Granada {{Granada-geo-stub ...
, La Rábita,
Valderrubio Valderrubio is a municipality in the province of Granada, Spain. As of 2012, it had a population of 2,133 inhabitants. The poet Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) ...
, Zagra,
Deifontes Deifontes is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2006 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de E ...
,
Cuevas del Campo Cuevas del Campo is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2006 census (INE), the city has a population of 2073 inhabitants. In the north east corner of the Granada Province and at around 130 kilometres from ...
or
Píñar Píñar is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. It is located at 46 km from Granada, and 11 km from Iznalloz, capital of the Comarca of Los Montes Orientales. It is home to the ruins of a large castle (likely fo ...
. In other cases, these segregations were fleeting as they returned to their municipality of origin over the years. This process was preferably located in mountainous areas with small municipalities: Cherín, Lobras and
Ventas de Zafarraya Ventas de Zafarraya is a village in the municipality of Alhama de Granada, Granada, Spain. It is just north of a mountain pass between spurs of the Sierra de Alhama to the west and the Sierra de Tejeda to the east, on the main road from Vélez-Mál ...
.


Municipal aggregations

The disappearance of municipalities is mainly due to the assimilation of the disappeared municipalities by other pre-existing ones. The absorbed municipalities are usually sparsely populated and therefore have little capacity for political management. Practically all of the numerous cases are located in mountainous areas: Alpujarra, Sierra de Alhama and Montes de Granada. The receiving municipalities are usually county seats or important municipalities in their immediate surroundings. Examples of this fact are
Iznalloz Iznalloz is a small town about 35 km north of Granada, Spain. The town is the main center of a region known as Los Montes Orientales, which comprises about 17 towns and villages spread over the north of the province of Granada. Encompassed ...
, Órgiva, Pedro Martínez or Alhama de Granada.


Municipal mergers

Another phenomenon that also explains the creation of new municipalities is the merger between several pre-existing municipalities with similar population potential. Symptomatic was the case of the merger between Moreda and Laborcillas, giving rise to the term
Morelábor Morelábor is a municipality in the province of Granada, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Be ...
, toponym formed by the conjunction of the beginning of both localities. Once again, the mountainous areas are the most prone to this phenomenon, since in them –given the fragmented nature of the terrain– there is an abundance of municipalities of small size –both in extension and population– that are willing to merge with each other to have greater political and management capacity. The regions of the Alpujarra Granadina and the Lecrin Valley are the geographical area where these processes have been most frequent. Very significant examples are the creation of
Lecrín Lecrín is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Est ...
, Los Guájares,
Valle del Zalabí Valle del Zalabí is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadíst ...
, Alpujarra de la Sierra, among others.


Changes in municipal boundaries

Much less frequent are changes in the municipal boundaries between two bordering municipalities. These cases are usually of a vindictive nature and are based on the request of the population center in question to change its municipal boundary. The greater socio-economic relations with another municipality is the main reason for these boundary changes. An example of this is the case of the residents of Barrio del Camarate –known in the town as Barrio Guadix– who in 1945 asked the authorities and the municipality of Accitano for the segregation of the latter, to which they belonged, and the aggregation to the municipality of Benalúa. The file was successfully concluded in 1972. At present, towns such as La Herradura ( Almuñécar) continue to demand self-government and their establishment as municipalities. However, as of today, the province of Granada is made up of 174 municipalities integrated into 9 judicial districts.


See also

* Political divisions of Spain *
1833 territorial division of Spain The 1833 territorial division of Spain divided the country into provinces, in turn classified into "historic regions" ( es, link=no, regiones históricas).Provinces of Spain


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


Royal Decree of November 30, 1833
(in Spanish) {{coord missing, Spain Subdivisions of Andalusia Granada Province of Granada