Usages of Barcelona

The Usages of Barcelona (Catalan: Usatges de Barcelona, IPA: [uˈzadʒəz ðə βəɾsəˈlonə]; Latin: Usatici Barchinonae) were the customs that form the basis for the Catalan Constitutions.

They are the fundamental laws and basic rights of Catalonia, dating back to their codification in the twelfth century.

The Usages combined fragments of Roman and Visigothic law with the resolutions of the comital court of Barcelona and the religious canons of ecclesiastic synods.

The first Usages were compiled and codified by Ramon Berenguer I, Count of Barcelona (1035–1076), to repair the deficiencies of Gothic law.

The Nueva Planta decrees superseded them with the central legislation of the Bourbons, though continued to have some force.

Manuscript of the Usages of Barcelona from circa 1173 . In Latin (used for official documents during the Middle Ages): Usatici Barchinone
Depiction from 13th c., representing Ramón Berenguer I (1023–1076), Count of Barcelona receiving a vassal to his Court
The usages printed in the Catalan language in 1413 : Usatges de Barcelona