History of Andorra. Part 2
The bishops of Urgell asserted their authority over Andorra easily and quickly. But the dangerous political situation of the time made them fear losing their territory. Indeed, the Catalan lords were constantly changing their alliances and even more vigorously opposed to religious authority.
On the 19th of July 1159 the Bishop Bernard Sanç signed a treaty with Lord Arnau de Caboet, a Catalan nobleman. This treaty confirmed the bishop's sovereignty over Andorra, although at the same time the country belonged to the Caboet family. However, the two signatories did not support each other, especially because the Caboets were cathars.
In 1185 the suzerainty over Andorra passed to the Castellbò family, but several years later, in 1208, Ermessenda de Castellbò married the count of Foix, Roger-Bernard II, so they shared rule over Andorra with the bishop of Urgell.
However, time and alliances between the lords did not reduce the differences between the rights holders of Andorra and the bishops of Urgell, who were in confrontation with the Counts of Foix. After the coronation, The Catholic Peter II declared himself the arbiter of the conflict due to his power and superiority over the antagonists.
In 1278 the conflict was finally resolved by signing the paréage according to which the sovereignty of Andorra was shared between the count of Foix Roger-Bernard III and the Archbishop of Urgell Pere d ́Urg. They both were declared co-princes of Andorra. Paréage, a feudal institution that recognizes the principle of equal rights shared by two neighbors gave the country its territory and final political form. In exchange for the protection of two co-princes, the Andorrans had to pay a tax - quèstia. The tax consisted of a payment in kind, since the country was too poor to provide money; so every year the Andorrans offered the two sovereigns food, such as bread or milk.
Some time after the signing of the first paréage, the count Roger-Bernard III of Foix took advantage of the gaps in the text to build a castle on Puig de Sant Vicenç, from where he could control the bishop. Therefore the bishop proposed to sign an additional paréage, which was signed in 1288, and required the signatories to obtain the consent of each other for the construction of fortifications in Andorra. In 1419 the Andorrans appealed to the co-rulers for the right to create an assembly. This right was given, and the first meeting of the assembly took place on the 11th of February, 1419. This assembly was called the Consell de la Terra (the General Council), and confirmed the independence and identity of Andorra granting rights to the heads of large Andorran families, as they could choose their representatives. The General Council is often considered one of the oldest parliaments of Europe.
