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Grievances of Guitart Isarn de Caboet.

Date
1105 - 1106
Archive
Library of Catalonia
Document type
Textual
Reference code
CAT XXX BARCELONA, BIBLIOTECA DE CATALUNYA, Perg. 384, Reg. 1910
Link to the online document
Description

The Greuges de Guitart Isarn de Caboet, written between 1105 and 1106, are considered the first extensive text written in the Catalan language that is preserved. This judicial document collects the complaints of a feudal lord of the Pyrenees against abuses committed by his vassals, and constitutes a key source for understanding the social and political relations of the time. Beyond their legal content, the exceptional value of the Greuges lies in their use of Catalan as a written language at a time when Latin still dominated administration and culture. This fact marks a turning point in the configuration of the Catalan language as a tool for formal communication and identity. The document connects with the European tradition of writing letters of grievance and testifies to the progressive affirmation of vernacular languages ​​within the framework of a feudal and multilingual Europe.