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Passport issued by the Síndic Procurador de les Valls d’Andorra to a farmer to go to the Principality of Catalonia to fish his flock in 1831

Date
1831
Archive
County Archive of Alt Urgell
Document type
Textual
Reference code
CAT-ACAU-1048-0000001
Link to the archive
Description

Movement of people and passports in a Europe of borders in the swan song of the Old Regime. The General Superintendence of Police was created by a royal decree of January 8, 1824, which created in each province the position of Superintendent of Police and in each head of the judicial party that of Subdelegate of Police. Among the powers attributed to the Police, it is worth highlighting that of issuing and validating passports of national travelers both inside and outside the state, while validating and validating the passports of foreigners.

The chosen document is very relevant because it implies a de facto recognition of Andorra as an independent political entity, which at the time was called “Valleys of Andorra”, in a historical context in which Andorran sovereignty was questioned between Spain and France. On the other hand, the different stamps contained in the document make it possible to identify the route taken by the farmer holding the passport and exemplify the economic links between the two principalities: Andorra and Catalonia. At the same time, it is a testimony of transhumant cattle breeding, a secular activity that lasted despite the progressive strengthening of state borders.