The Deputation of the General of Catalonia: an overview of legal culture and institutional evolution

Abstract

The history of some key political and legal institutions of certain countries reflects the legal culture of those countries. Very often, the legal history of the nations of the Iberian Peninsula is analysed from an extremely homogeneous point of view, regardless of significant differences between their legal and political systems. Catalonia exemplified these differences, having a legal culture based on legal pactism and political iuscentrism. It also had a notable body of prominent jurists that described this legal framework in its entirety, in which an institution such as the Deputation of the General of Catalonia, the famous Generalitat, appears as one of the most significant manifestations of all Catalan political and legal heritage. The following essay provides a brief and concise analysis of the history of this institution which is indebted to the valuable work of some contemporary authors. It seeks to describe the main features and evolution of the Deputation by examining its institutional structures and legal tradition. It is also intended to serve as a general overview available for European historians, showing some special trends that allow a comparison with other medieval and modern institutions in Europe.