Foral

The Foral was the basis for municipal foundation, thus the most important event of a city or town's history.

It was critical to a successful land settling and an increase in crop yields, by giving more freedom and dignity, via a concession, to farmers, in an age when people were subject to near slave work, as servants of landlords.

As a result, the population would become directly and exclusively under the dominion and jurisdiction of the crown, excluding the Lord from the power hierarchy.

The Foral granted public lands to the collective use of the community, regulated taxes, tolls and fines and established protection rights and military duties within royal service.

The noun foral (European Portuguese: [fuˈɾal], plural: forais) is derived from the Portuguese word foro, ultimately from Latin forum, and is cognate with Spanish fuero, Galician foro, Catalan fur and Basque foru.