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PAMPLONA: THE PRIVILEGE OF THE UNION
Pamplona
The Privilege of the Union
A city that never forgets its origin
Words: Rosario Alonso Photos: Pamplona Tourisme
There are dates that sha-
pe entire communities and
pacts that endure far beyond
the passing of centuries. In
the heart of Pamplona, the city pre-
serves one of those milestones that
not only transformed its urban layout
but also its way of understanding itself
as a community: the Privilegio de la
Unión. That decree, signed on 8 Sep-
tember 1423 by King Charles III the
Noble, brought an end to nearly three
centuries of conflict between the three
boroughs that once made up the city.
Today, more than six hundred years
later, that gesture of concord is com-
memorated each year with pride and
with a celebration that returns to the
streets the spirit of unity, craftsmans-
hip and shared identity that shaped
modern Pamplona
Three Boroughs, One
Divided City
During the Middle Ages, Pamplona
was not a single city, but three. The
borough of San Cernin, of French ori-
gin; that of San Nicolás, made up of
local traders and craftsmen; and the
Navarrería, the oldest quarter, home
to the clergy and much of the native
population. Between them existed ri-
valries that were not only economic or
cultural, but true disputes over politi-
cal control and commercial privileges,
deeply rooted tensions that shaped
entire generations.
Often, the walls served not only to
defend against external enemies but
also to mark the boundary between
neighbouring factions.
The conflict reached its most critical
point in 1276, with the so-called “War
of the Navarrería”, a devastating epi-
sode that destroyed much of the city.
That confrontation, which left both
physical and social scars, remained
alive for almost a century and a half,
until Carlos III decided to end the divi-
sions with an exemplary solution: the
unification of the three boroughs un-
der a single council, one shared flag
and a common bell.
The Seal of Carlos III
the Noble
The Privilege of the Union was not me-
rely a political document; it was a sym-
bol of reconciliation. The monarch gran-
ted Pamplona its current coat of arms
—the chains of Navarre crowned with
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