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Privilege of King John I of 1395

Date
1395
Archive
Historical Archive of Protocols of Barcelona
Document type
Textual
Reference code
CAT-ACNC-1-1
Link to the archive
Description

In 1395, King Joan I granted a fundamental privilege to the notaries of Barcelona: the authorization to set up the city’s College of Notaries Public. This document marks a decisive moment in the professionalization and organization of the Catalan notary, recognizing the importance of this figure in the legal, economic and social life of the city. The privilege not only provided notaries with their own corporate structure, but also strengthened their authority and guaranteed the quality and security of public acts. This initiative is part of a European context of consolidation of the legal professions and the creation of professional associations as instruments of self-regulation and prestige. The document is a testament to the institutional maturity of late medieval Barcelona and its connection with the legal and administrative currents of the continent.