History

 History: 

With over a thousand years of history, Andorra has a great deal to tell you – how the country was founded, who its rulers and their subjects were.

From prehistoric times to the pre-Roman period, the first inhabitants of Andorra settled in local areas such as La Balma de la Margineda, El Cedre in Santa Coloma and El Antuix in Escaldes-Engordany, leaving behind a testimony to their presence.

Legend has it that Charlemagne founded Andorra in the year 805 in recognition of the help provided by local people in their struggle against the Saracens.
However, the first document that mentions the country is the act of consecration of the Cathedral of Santa María d’Urgell in the middle of the 9th century, which appointed the parishes of Andorra as the fiefdom of the Counts of Urgell.
After years of intense struggles between the local Counts and the Church to achieve sovereignty over Andorra, hostilities were brought to an end by the signing of two treaties called the Pareatges. They were signed in 1278 and 1288 by the Archbishop of Urgell, Pere d'Urg, and the Count of Foix, Roger Bernat III. The Pareatges established shared sovereignty between the two lords of these lands and thus the Principality of Andorra was born.
Over the course of time, the figure of Co-Prince of Andorra passed from the Count of Foix to the crown of France and, with the advent of the Republic, to the country's President. The Archbishop of Urgell, however, has retained his title of Co-Prince of Andorra to the present day.