Documenting Reconquest and Reform: The Growth of Archives in the Medieval Crown of Aragon

Abstract

A burst of intensive documentation activity related to the formation of the Crown of Aragon in northeastern Spain and the extension of the Reconquest south into Valencia during the twelfth century is explored to reveal the dramatic growth of medieval archives; archival management systems and records centers; the development of sophisticated methodologies such as simultaneous registration and formalized document production; indexing, tagging, heading, and classification techniques; rudimentary records management and conservation programs; and experimentation in codification, supraregional standardization, format control, multimedia, and improved communications through courier service, addressing, notarization, posting, and proclamation. The institutionalization of increasingly specialized archives distinct from libraries and other scribal enterprises is illustrated by early formation of the Archivo de la Corona de Aragón in Barcelona, and the transition between information technologies is shown in the famous royal cartulary, the Liber Feudorum Maior. Conclusions are drawn from this medieval information revolution about lasting contributions to Western information programs and documentation systems.