Merindad

Merindad (Spanish pronunciation: [meɾinˈdað]) is a Mediaeval Spanish administrative term for a country subdivision smaller than a province but larger than a municipality.^[1] The officer in charge of a merindad was called a merino, roughly equivalent to the English count or bailiff.^[2][3]

It was used in the kingdoms of Castile and Navarre. Connected to the birth of Castile, the Merindades, standing for a northernmost comarca of the province of Burgos, was part of the creation of the administrative division by King Peter.^[2]

Currently, the Foral Community of Navarre is still divided into five merindades standing for different judicial districts.^[2] The historic Merindad de Ultrapuertos lying to the north of the Pyrenees is nowadays Lower Navarre.^[4][5]

Administratively, they have been substituted by the partido judicial. In Biscay, the mancomunidades comarcales keep the place of the old merindades, such as Duranguesado.

See also

• Partidos of Buenos Aires, a second-level administrative subdivision
• Partidos of Chile in Colonial Chile, a second-level administrative subdivision

References

1. "MERINDAD - Spanish open dictionary". amp.wordmeaning.org. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
2. "MERINO - Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia". aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
3. https://en.bab.la/dictionary/spanish/merindad^{[bare URL]}
4. "Gran Enciclopedia de Navarra | BAJA NAVARRA". Retrieved 2024-04-14.
5. "Gran Enciclopedia de Navarra | ULTRAPUERTOS". Retrieved 2024-04-15.