Andorra claims it is the last independent survivor of the Marca Hispanica, a military buffer zone made up of counties, created by Charlemagne to keep the Islamic Moors from advancing into the Christian Frankish empire.
[2] In 1278, the conflict was resolved by the signing of a pareage (pariatges), which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the Count of Foix and the Bishop of La Seu d'Urgell (Catalonia).
[2] The pareage, a feudal institution recognizing the principle of equality of rights shared by two rulers, gave the small state its territory and political form.
[citation needed] Andorra did not officially participate in World War I,[4] although there were three Andorran volunteers who fought: Valentí Naudi, Josep Estany and René Huguet.
Long an impoverished land with little contact with any nations other than adjoining France and Spain, Andorra, after World War II, achieved considerable prosperity through a developing tourist industry.
That development, abetted by improvements in transport and communications, has tended to break down Andorra's isolation and to bring Andorrans into the mainstream of European history.