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ThePrimacy of the Spains (Portuguese:Primaz das Espanhas;Spanish:Primado de las Españas,Catalan:Primat de les Espanyes) is theprimacy of theIberian Peninsula, historically known asHispania or in the plural as the Spains. TheArchbishop of Braga, inPortugal, has claimed this primacy over the whole Iberian Peninsula since the middle ages, however today his primacy is only recognized in Portugal. TheArchbishop of Toledo inSpain has claimed thePrimacy of Spain, as the primate above all other episcopal sees in Spain. In addition, theArchbishop of Tarragona inCatalonia also makes use of the title. The Archbishops in Braga, Toledo and Tarragona, if raised to the rank ofcardinal, are known asCardinal-Primates.
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TheArchbishop of Braga has claimed the title ofPrimate of the Spains (Portuguese:Primaz das Espanhas) both for being the oldest diocese on theIberian Peninsula and for its role in thechristianization of theSuebi Kingdom.[1] Bishop Balconius (440-446) was the first to claim the title after being elevated toArchbishop for converting KingRechiar. For the newly createdKingdom of Portugal, Braga, capital of the formerKingdom of the Suebi and of theCounty of Portucale (that more immediately preceded the Kingdom) was the biggest religious site and fundamentally resisted by its jurisdiction over the dioceses ofCoimbra andZamora. Bishops such asJoão Peculiar andEstêvão Soares da Silva protest before the Pope, andHonorius III left the matter unresolved (papal bulls of January 19, 1218).
In 1364, the bishop of BragaJoão de Cardaillac decided to bear the title of Primate of the Spains. The prelation conflicts that took place during theCouncil of Trent (with Bishop FriarBartolomeu dos Martyrs) produced a papal resolution to take into account the date of elevation of each bishop, with only protocolary consequences. In the brief «Reddite nobis» (January 10, 1562) he insists the maintenance of the traditional rights of Braga.
However, during the 14th century, the dioceses ofGalicia andLeon ceased giving precedence to the Archbishop-Primate of Braga.
Despite this, the Archbishop-Primate of Braga still holds rank above all other archbishops inPortugal, except for thePatriarch of Lisbon ever since the latter was created in 1716.
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Originally, after the provincial division byDiocletian in the 3rd century, the city of Toletum (now Toledo) was within the Roman province ofCarthaginensis, whose capital was Carthago Nova (nowCartagena). Hispania's division into ecclesiastical dioceses was based on the Roman provincial divisions, so that the episcopal seat atToledo was originally a dependent of the seat at Cartagena.
The problem arose in the mid 6th century when the Byzantine emperorJustinian seized control of an important strip of Hispania, including diocesan seats as important asCartagena (renamed Carthago Spartaria by Justinian),Corduba,Begastri andIllici. The metropolitan seat and provincial capital were in the territory occupied by the Byzantines and so, shortly after taking the throne, theVisigoth kingGundemar promoted the holding of a synod in Toledo. That synod agreed that Toledo was the metropolitan of the whole province, seizing that title from the episcopal seat at Cartagena - that agreement was then endorsed by the king in a decree of 23 October 610.
The Islamic invasion in 711 left Toledo as a city underIslamic rule for the next 350 years, first way away from the frontier by the geographic boulder of theDuero river in the northern high plains, and later by the Central Sierras, as the frontier itselfTaifa realm for another 80 years where contacts with the Christian kingdoms north would resume closer. That position left the See under Islamic suzerainty, tolerated as aheretic church of Allah but subject asDhimmi or client as Jews were too, what would make it be respected but seen by Christian kings and their bishops with suspicion on its policies, influenced by the policies of Cordoba. After the re-conquest Toledo was held or contested by theKingdom of Castille and theKingdom of León and sometimes asInfantazgo by semi-independent queens of the royal house. During theReconquista, the alliance between the monarchs and the church concentrated on the distinct privileges that one offered the other. Soon afterAlfonso VI's conquest of Toledo, thepope issued thebullaCunctis Sanctorum in 1088/1089, recognising the holders of the diocese of Toledo as "primates" and "metropolitans" as they had been during the Visigothic era, and dubiously and unofficially under Islamic rule.