| Andorra History History of Andorra, Europe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andorra History It is thought that Andorra's history began at the hands of Charlemagne (742-814), the first Holy Roman Emperor. During his reign he ruled over the lands of the Franks, the Lombards, and the Saxons, roughly translating to modern day France, Italy, and Germany; though he held other territories including several Mediterranean islands. This geography of his empire as well as his allegiance to the Pope led him into direct conflict with the Moors who controlled much of modern day Spain. It is said that the people inhabiting the eastern Pyreneean lands assisted Charlemagne in his efforts to push back the Moors and as such he granted them a charter; thus founding Andorra. Andorra was governed by the Count of Urgell, though through gradual loss of power, control was passed over to the bishop of Urgell with whom power rested for quite some time. The 11th century brought a land dispute between the bishop of Urgell and his French neighbor. This was eventually settled in 1278 by the signing of a treaty which allowed for Andorra to be shared between the bishop and the Count of Foix, who ruled over an independent French county. Time would have it that the territories of Foix would pass to a unified French crown and in 1607 King Henry IV of France issued an edict establishing the French head of state and the bishop of Urgell (Urgell then being part of Spain) as co-princes of Andorra. These titles exist to this day with Joan Enric Vives Sicilia (bishop of Urgell) and Jacques Chirac (French president) currently acting as co-princes of Andorra (2006). Andorra was governed in this fashion until 1993 when the feudal system was modified into a more modern political structure. It's governing body was transformed into a parliamentary democracy with control over all aspects of Andorran policy. The co-princes kept their titles and do act as signatories with some official representation, though their role today is mainly ceremonial. Today Andorra is a prosperous state best known for it's ski resorts and to a lesser extent summer activity based holidays. Tourism accounts for 80% of it's income with over 10 million people visiting each year. It is also a tax haven with a resident population of around 70,000 people (2006). The native language in Andorra is Catalan Spanish, though Castilian Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also spoken. The form of currency used is the Euro and the state shares a special relationship with the European Union over trade. Andorra Tourist Office TEL +376 875702 FAX +376 860184
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