Principality of Andorra Principat D'Andorra - Co-Princes

Bishop of Urgell - President of France Andorra /ænˈdɒrə/ (help·info), officially the Principality of Andorra (Catalan: Principat d'Andorra), also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of 468 km2 (181 sq mi) and an estimated population of 83,888 in 2009. Its capital, Andorra la Vella, is the highest capital city in Europe, being at an elevation of 1023 metres. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, French, and Portuguese are also commonly spoken. The Principality was formed in 1278. The rôle of monarch is shared between the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell, Catalonia, Spain. It is a prosperous country mainly because of its tourism industry, which services an estimated 10.2 million visitors annually, and also because of its status as a tax haven. It is not a member of the European Union, but the euro is the de facto currency. The people of Andorra have the 2nd highest human life expectancy in the world - 82 years at birth. A Brief History of Andorra Andorra is the last independent of the buffer states (Marca Hispanica) that were created by Charlemagne (742-814) to keep the Moors from invading France. In the 9th century the counts of Urgell became overlordof Andorra. Later on they gave the land to the Diocese of Urgell. Andorra was in 1396 and 1512 briefly annexed by the Kingdom of Aragon. The Counts de Foix were co-prince from 1278 to 1517, the royal house of Navarre from 1517 to 1572. Afterwards the kings of France became co-prince. An edict of 1607 officially established the head of the French state and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra.Tradition holds that Charles the Great (Charlemagne) granted a charter to the Andorran people in return for fighting against the Moors. Overlordship of the territory was by the Count of Urgell and eventually by the bishop of the Diocese of Urgell. In 988, Borrell II, Count of Urgell, gave the Andorran valleys to the Diocese of Urgell in exchange for land in Cerdanya. Since then the Bishop of Urgell, based in Seu d'Urgell, has owned Andorra. Before 1095, Andorra did not have any type of military protection and the Bishop of Urgell, who knew that the Count of Urgell wanted to reclaim the Andorran valleys, asked for help and protection from the Lord of Caboet. In 1095, the Lord of Caboet and the Bishop of Urgell signed under oath a declaration of their co-sovereignty over Andorra. Arnalda, daughter of Arnau of Caboet, married the Viscount of Castellbò and both became Viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya. Years later their daughter, Ermessenda, married Roger Bernat II, the French Count of Foix. They became Roger Bernat II and Ermessenda I, Counts of Foix, Viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya, and also co-sovereigns of Andorra (shared with the Bishop of Urgell). In the 11th century, a dispute arose between the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. The conflict was resolved in 1278 with the mediation of Aragon by the signing of the first paréage which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the count of Foix (whose title would ultimately transfer to the French head of state) and the Bishop of Urgell, in Catalonia. This gave the principality its territory and political form. Over the years, the French co-title to Andorra passed to the kings of Navarre. After Henry of Navarre became King Henry IV of France, he issued an edict in 1607 that established the head of the French state and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra. In 1812-13, the First French Empire annexed Catalonia and divided it in four départements, with Andorra being made part of the district of Puigcerdà (département of Sègre). 20th Century Andorra Andorra declared war on Imperial Germany during World War I, but did not actually take part in the fighting. It remained in an official state of belligerency until 1957 as it was not included in the Treaty of Versailles. In 1933, France occupied Andorra as a result of social unrest before elections. On July 12, 1934, adventurer Boris Skossyreff issued a proclamation in Urgell, declaring himself "Boris I, King of Andorra", simultaneously declaring war on the Bishop of Urgell. He was arrested by Spanish authorities on July 20 and ultimately expelled from Spain. From 1936 to 1940, a French detachment was garrisoned in Andorra to prevent influences of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's Spain. Francoist troops reached the Andorran border in the later stages of the war. During World War II, Andorra remained neutral and was an important smuggling route between Vichy France and Spain. Given its relative isolation, Andorra has existed outside the mainstream of European history, with few ties to countries other than France and Spain. In recent times, however, its thriving tourist industry along with developments in transport and communications have removed the country from its isolation. Its political system was modernised in 1993, when it became a member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe. First Sovereign: Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, Bishop of Urgell (Barcelona, Spain, July 24th, 1949). Son of Francesc Vives y Pons and Cornèlia Sicília Ibáñez. Succeeds Joan Martí Alanis, who was co-prince from 1971 to 2003. Co-Prince since: 12 May 2003. Second Sovereign: Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarkozy (Paris, France, January 28th, 1955). Son of Pál Sárközy and Andrée Mallah. Succeeds Jacques Chirac, who was co-prince from 1995 to 2007. Co-Prince since: 16 May 2007. The List Co-Princes of Andorra The Principality of Andorra in the Pyrenees Mountains on the French-Spanish border, was established in 1278 by the Treaty of Joint Suzerainty between the Catalan Bishop of Urgell and the Occitan Count of Foix, whose descendants inherited Navarre in 1479 and then the French Monarchy in 1589. These Princely rights and the Dummvirate have been continued under the executive heads of the various monarchies in France, most recently under the French Republices. Hence even today, France's elected head of state also becomes the Co-Prince of Andorra, the other Co-Prince still being the Bishop of Urgell. Episcopal Co-Prince Reign French Co-Prince Reign Bishops of Urgell Counts of Foix House of Foix Pere d'Urtx 1278-1293 Roger-Bernard III 1278-1302 Guillem of Montcada 1295-1308 House of Foix-Béarn Gaston I 1302-1315 Ramon Trebaylla 1309-1326 Gaston II 1315-1343 Arnau de Llordà 1326-1341 Pere de Narbona 1341-1347 Gaston III Fébus 1343-1391 Nicolau Capoci 1348-1351 Hugó Desbach 1351-1361 Guillem Arnau de Patau 1362-1364 Pere de Luna 1365-1370 Berenguer d'Erill i de Pallars 1371-1388 Galcerand de Vilanova 1388-1396 Mathieu 1391-1396 First Annexation to Aragon

Andorra was briefly annexed to the Crown of Aragon in 1396. Bishops of Urgell (restored) Counts of Foix (restored) House of Foix-Béarn (restored) Galcerand de Vilanova (restored) 1396-1415 Mathieu (restored) 1396-1398 Isabelle 1398-1413 House of Foix-Grailly Jean I 1413-1436 Francesc de Tovia 1416-1436 Gaston IV 1436-1472 Arnau Roger de Pallars 1437-1461 Jaume de Cardona i de Gandia 1462-1466 Roderic de Borja i Escrivà 1467-1472 Pere de Cardona 1472-1512 Kings of Navarre François-Fébus 1472-1483 Catherine 1483-1512 Second Annexation to Aragon

Andorra was briefly annexed to the Crown of Aragon in 1512-1513. Bishops of Urgell (restored) Kings of Navarre (restored) House of Foix-Grailly (restored) Pere de Cardona (restored) 1513-1515 Catherine (restored) 1513-1517 Joan Despés 1515-1530 House of Albret Henry II 1517-1555 Pedro Jordà de Urríes 1532-1533 Francesc de Urríes 1534-1551 Miquel Despuig 1552-1556 Jeanne III 1555-1572 Joan Pérez García de Oliván 1556-1560 Pere de Castellet 1561-1571 Joan Dimas Loris 1572-1576 House of Bourbon Henry III

Henry IV of France 1572-1610 Miquel Jeroni Morell 1577-1579 Hugó Ambrós de Montcada 1580-1586 Andreu Capella 1587-1609 Bernat de Salbà i de Salbà 1610-1620 Louis II

Louis XIII of France 1610-1620 Luís Díes Aux de Armendáriz 1621-1627 Kings of France Louis XIII 1620-1643 Antoni Pérez 1627-1633 Pau Duran 1634-1651 Louis XIV 1643-1715 Joan Manuel de Espinosa 1655-1663 Melcior Palau i Boscà 1664-1670 Pere de Copons i de Teixidor 1671-1681 Joan Desbach Martorell 1682-1688 Oleguer de Montserrat Rufet 1689-1694 Julià Cano Thebar 1695-1714 Simeó de Guinda y Apeztegui 1714-1737 Louis XV 1715-1774 Jordi Curado y Torreblanca 1738-1747 Sebastià de Victoria Emparán y Loyola 1747-1756 Francesc Josep Catalán de Ocón 1757-1762 Francesc Fernández de Xátiva y Contreras 1763-1771 Joaquín de Santiyán y Valdivielso 1772-1779 Louis XVI 1774-1792 Juan de García y Montenegro 1780-1783 Josep de Boltas 1785-1795 French First Republic

France renounces the position of co-prince. Francesc Antoni de la Dueña y Cisneros 1797-1816 Emperors of the French House of Bonaparte Napoleon I 1806-1814 Kings of France (restored) House of Bourbon (restored) Louis XVIII 1814-1815 Emperors of the French (restored) House of Bonaparte (restored) Napoleon I (restored) 1815 Napoleon II 1815 Bernat Francés y Caballero 1817-1824 Kings of France (restored) House of Bourbon (restored) Louis XVIII (restored) 1815-1824 Bonifaci López y Pulido 1824-1827 Charles X 1824-1830 Simó de Guardiola y Hortoneda 1827-1851 House of Orléans Louis Philippe 1830-1848 Presidents of the French Second Republic Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte 1848-1852 Emperors of the French (restored) House of Bonaparte (restored) Napoleon III 1852-1870 Josep Caixal i Estradé 1853-1879 Presidents of the French Third Republic Louis-Adolphe Thiers 1871-1873 Patrice MacMahon 1873-1879 Salvador Casañas i Pagés 1879-1901 Jules Grévy 1879-1887 Sadi Carnot 1887-1894 Jean Casimir-Perier 1894-1895 Félix Faure 1895-1899 Émile Loubet 1899-1906 Ramon Riu i Cabanes 1901 Toribio Martín (acting) 1902 Joan Josep Laguarda i Fenollera 1902-1906 Josep Pujargimzú (acting) 1907 Clément Armand Fallières 1906-1913 Juan Benlloch y Vivó 1907-1919 Raymond Poincaré 1913-1920 Jaume Viladrich i Gaspa (acting) 1919-1920 Justí Guitart i Vilardebó 1920-1940 Paul Deschanel 1920 Alexandre Millerand 1920-1924 Gaston Doumergue 1924-1931 Paul Doumer 1931-1932 Albert Lebrun 1932-1940 Ricard Fornesa (acting) 1940-1943 Heads of the French State Henri Philippe Pétain 1940-1944 Ramon Iglesias i Navarri 1943-1969 Chairmen of the Provisional Government Charles de Gaulle 1944-1946 Félix Gouin 1946 Georges Bidault 1946-1947 Presidents of the French Fourth Republic Vincent Auriol 1947-1954 René Coty 1954-1959 Presidents of the French Fifth Republic Charles de Gaulle 1959-1969 Ramón Malla Call (acting) 1969-1971 Georges Pompidou 1969-1974 Joan Martí Alanis 1971-2003 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing 1974-1981 François Mitterrand 1981-1995 Jacques Chirac 1995-2007 Joan Enric Vives Sicília 2003- Nicolas Sarkozy 2007-