Cyclopædia of Political Science, Political Economy, and the Political History of the United States
CORTES is the name given in Spain and Portugal to the parliament, which is composed of two chambers. The history of the cortes is very interesting. This assembly, or rather these assemblies, for there was one in Castile, one in Aragon and one in Navarre, exercised great power and effectually limited the power of the king, as long as the feudal system flourished. For its remarkable details we must refer our readers to the history of Spain. But upon the dissolution of the feudal system and the establishment of standing armies, the cortes lost their power, though not without a struggle. They have regained it only after many centuries of obscurity and humiliation. Their actual organization is based upon the principles in force in all modern constitutional states.
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