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King Pere the Ceremonious dictates a ruling in the conflict between the fairs of Tàrrega and Vilagrassa, establishing that the fair of Vilagrassa begins with the festival of All Saints and lasts ten days, freeing during this period whoever brings goods from it and under penalty of 100 morabatins of gold to merchants who sell beyond this fair period of ten days.

Date
1361
Archive
Library of Catalonia
Document type
Textual
Reference code
CAT XXX BARCELONA, BIBLIOTECA DE CATALUNYA, Perg. C-9 (GF), Reg. 4457
Link to the online document
Description

The document of 1361 records the ruling of King Pere the Ceremonious in the conflict between the fairs of Tàrrega and Vilagrassa. It establishes that the Vilagrassa fair begins on All Saints Day and lasts ten days, with penalties for merchants who do not comply with the rule. This parchment, with a royal wax seal, exemplifies the role of royal power as the backbone of the territory, economic regulator and guarantor of social order. Preserved in the Library of Catalonia, it is part of an exceptional collection of royal documents. It is a valuable testimony of medieval Catalan governance and its contribution to the institutional and commercial configuration of pre-modern Europe.