Editing Province of León (section)

==History==
The province of León was established in 1833 with the [[1833 territorial division of Spain|new Spanish administrative organisation]] of regions and provinces to replace former kingdoms. The greater [[León (historical region)|Leonese Region]] was composed of the provinces of León, [[Province of Salamanca|Salamanca]], [[Province of Valladolid|Valladolid]], [[Procince of Palencia|Palencia]] and [[Province of Zamora|Zamora]].

The Kingdom of León was founded in 910 A.D. when the Christian princes of [[Kingdom of Asturias|Asturias]] along the [[Bay of Biscay|northern coast of the Iberian peninsula]] shifted their main seat from [[Oviedo]] to the city of [[León, Spain|León]]. The eastern, inland part of the kingdom was joined dynastically to the [[Kingdom of Castile]], first in 1037–1065, then in 1077–1109 and again in 1126–1157, 1230–1296 and from 1301 onward (see: [[Castile and León#Historic union of the Kingdoms of Castile and León|historic union of the Kingdoms of Castile and León]]). The western and Atlantic provinces became the [[Kingdom of Portugal]] in 1139.

The independently administered [[Kingdom of León]], situated in the northwestern region of the [[Iberian Peninsula]], retained the status of a [[monarchy|kingdom]] until 1833, although [[dynastic union]] had brought it into the [[Crown of Castile]]. The Kingdom was composed of ''Adelantamientos Mayores'', where the Leonese ''Adelantamientos'' consisted of the territories between the ''[[Picos de Europa]]'' and the [[Duero River]]. The political and military chiefs of these territories were referred to as [[Adelantado|''Adelantados'']]; those chiefs began to convene as an assembly in the early 12th century, while the crown appointed the ''Merinos'' as minor and appellate judges.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Los Adelantados y Merinos Mayores de León (siglos XIII-XV)|last=Jular Pérez-Alfaro|first=Cristina|date=1990|publisher=Universidad de León|isbn=84-7719-225-1|location=León, Spain}}</ref>

According to UNESCO, in 1188 the Kingdom of León developed the first Parliament in Europe, the [[Cortes of León of 1188|''Cortes de León'']], which included the elected representatives of towns and cities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.unesco.org/memoryoftheworld/registry/251|title=The Decreta of León of 1188 - The oldest documentary manifestation of the European parliamentary system {{!}} United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|website=www.unesco.org|language=en|access-date=2023-07-07}}</ref> In 1202, that Parliament approved economic legislation to regulate trade and guilds.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Democracy|last=Keane|first=John|date=2016-01-31|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231539500|location=New York Chichester, West Sussex|doi = 10.7312/blau17412-110|chapter = 91. The Life and Death of Democracy}}</ref>