I like maps a lot. In the National Library we find a Political Map of Spain dated in 1854. In it the two Spains are clearly delimited: “Uniform or Purely Constitutional Spain that includes these thirty-four Provinces of the crowns of Castile and León, equal in all economic branches judicial, military and civil. Incorporated or Assimilated Spain that includes the eleven provinces of the Crown of Aragon, still different in the way of contributing and in some points of private law.
That incorporated or assimilated Spain commemorated the sixth centenary of the Caspe Commitment a decade ago, publishing a joint institutional declaration of the four regional parliaments of the former Crown of Aragon “to strengthen, beyond good neighborly relations, the ties of fraternity and its institutional and political ties from parliamentary action”. In that institutional act that I now recall and in which I had the opportunity to appear, a key event in the common history of their territories was commemorated -the so-called ‘Caspe Commitment’ of 1412-, which had the virtue of channeling the serious succession struggle that had originated with the death of King Martín el Humano and, in this way, put an end to the “unstable and violent” period that the peoples of the Crown of Aragon experienced during the Interregnum (1410-1412).
This signed institutional declaration established the annual celebration, on a rotating basis, of this Conference of Presidents of parliaments of the former Crown of Aragon to improve mutual collaboration. But a decade later little or nothing will have changed. In addition, it was agreed to delve into all those aspects that these territories share, both in a historical past and “those that can contribute to configuring better relations of coexistence and cultural, social and economic development between the respective people and peoples.”
Thus, in Caspe 610 years ago, San Vicente Ferrer, who as Patron of the Kingdom of Valencia we celebrated two weeks ago, made public the agreement by which Fernando de Trastámara was elected King of Aragon due to the lack of descendants of King Martín, saving the stake the Crown of Aragon to be doomed to a possible conflict between applicants or even a civil war.
Well, these letters serve to record all this. That what is not known or remembered, is neither known nor valued. And we Valencians are unequaled in ignoring what is ours and in despising our identity. In that we are masters… Antonio Machado already said it: “Missable Castile, yesterday dominating; wrapped in her rags, she despises everything she ignores.” Assimilated and impure that we are and we are…
4
