Mutual Oath

Jurament mutu

The mutual oath is an important tradition in the Mediterranean Crown that is performed in every coronation. It has its origins in the first General Courts that King Rafael I "the Rebel" summoned and is the symbol of the political system of the Crown, known as "pactism". In short, during the coronation ceremony, the government of each constituent country pledges their loyalty to their new monarch. Then, the new monarch pledges their loyalty to each country's government respectively.

History and significance

In the General Courts summoned by Rafael I after the Treaty of Aran in 1714, the representatives of the then-Spanish territories agreed to recognize his authority as monarch as long as he kept the pactist tradition of the Crown of Aragon. With this political system, both the monarch and the local governments can propose new laws, but none of them can be approved without an agreement between both parts. To settle this issue, Rafael I and his interim royal council (which, at the time, was still the Council of a HundredConsell de Cent) drafted a law to establish the oath.
Once the law was approved and the bases of the political system defined, the first Mutual Oaths were performed. Ever since then, the Oaths have been sworn by every monarch during the coronation, as well as whenever the Crown gets new constituents (such as during the Mediterranean Expansion Campaign). The Mutual Oath is a symbol of the freedoms and political independence that constituent countries hold.

Formula

Oath to the monarch

The first oath is always from the government to the monarch, and is performed by standing in front of the monarch, who is also standing up, with a hand on the Bible and the other on the chest. As governments change more often than monarchs, the first oath is repeated every time a new government is elected or appointed. If the monarch can't attend the swearing of the oath, the new government swears it to the royal lieutenant with slight alterations in its phrasing. The following is the oath from the president of the Principality of Catalonia at the time to the current monarch, Rafael III of Barcelona:

I, Clara Amigó i Basset, as the lawful representative of the Principality of Catalonia, pledge the loyalty of my nation to you, Rafael III, Count of Barcelona, as well as your heir. I swear to protect you, your family, and the Crown, and shall never use my privilege to disavow or abandon your authority. I will hear and consider your word for the good of my country and not for personal gain. I pledge this oath sincerely and without reservation, and I shall uphold it so long as you abide by the constitutions, usages, and freedoms granted to us by your forebears.Jo, Clara Amigó i Basset, com a representat legítima del Principat de Catalunya, juro la lleialtat de la meva nació a vós, Rafael III, comte de Barcelona, així com al vostre hereu. Juro protegir-vos a vós, la vostra família i la Corona, així com no utilitzar mai el meu privilegi per abandonar o renegar de la vostra autoritat. Escoltaré i consideraré la vostra paraula pel bé del meu país i no pel guany personal. Pronuncio aquest jurament amb sinceritat i sense reserves, i el mantindré sempre i quan compliu les constitucions, usatges i llibertats que els vostres avantpassats ens van concedir.

Oath from the monarch

Then, the monarch adopts the same position (one hand on the Bible, the other on their heart), and responds with their oath. This oath is understood to apply to any subsequent governments, so the monarch only has to swear it when they begins their rule. This oath can't be sworn by a royal lieutenant in place of the monarch. This is the oath Rafael III used as an answer to Clara Amigó:

I, Rafael III, Count of Barcelona and monarch of the Mediterranean Crown, pledge my loyalty to the Principality of Catalonia and its lawful government. I swear to use my authority to defend your territory and institutions, and I shall never use it to unlawfully overrule the authority of your government. I will hear and consider your word for the good of your nation and the Crown, and not for personal gain. I, as well as my heir, shall abide by the constitutions, usages, and freedoms granted to you by my forebears. I pledge this oath sincerely and without reservation for the good of the Crown.Jo, Rafael III, comte de Barcelona i monarca de la Corona Mediterrània, juro la meva lleialtat al Principat de Catalunya i al seu govern legítim. Juro utilitzar la meva autoritat per defensar el vostre territori i institucions, i mai l'utilitzaré per rebutjar il·legítimament l'autoritat del vostre govern. Escoltaré i consideraré la vostra paraula pel bé de la vostra nació i la Corona, i no pel bé personal. Jo, així com el meu hereu, respectarem les constitucions, usatges i llibertats que els meus avantpassats us van concedir. Pronuncio aquest jurament amb sinceritat i sense reserves pel bé de la Corona.

Note that the titles used in the oaths will change depending on who is involved in the Mutual Oath. For example, if it were the turn of the Kingdom of Aragon, the monarch would be treated as King of Aragon rather than Count of Barcelona. However, tradition (albeit not law) dictates that "Count of Barcelona" be added to the titles of the monarch regardless of context.

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