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 countorbailiff.[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.
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Spanish terms for administrative divisions
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| National, Federal |
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| Regional, Metropolitan |
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| Urban, Rural |
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