No field of Jewish life in the territories of the Crown of Aragon underwent a more radical change in this period than the system of government in the Jewish community. The traditional regime in the aljama was that of aristocratic oligarchy allied with scholars who often belonged to the same class. This coalition ran the affairs of the Jewish communities of Catalonia and Aragon until late in the thirteenth century and also controlled the communities in Majorca and Valencia, newly conquered from the Muslims by Jaime I. Until then, we hear very little of complaints against the system by the lower classes; the only signs of conflict came from rival families and individuals among the aristocracy. Admittedly the sources at our disposal originated in the same aristocratic circles, and therefore we can hardly interpret their silence as definite proof that there was no unrest in the Jewish communities, where a large majority of members had no say in communal affairs. Nor can we expect to find political self-criticism, for that matter. Latin sources until the second half of the century are scarce and, in any case, they too reflect exclusively aspects of Jewish life of the upper classes.

The scarcity of documentation would have rendered impossible a detailed description of the Jewish system of communal government, were it not for the rich sources available from the beginning of the fourteenth century which deal with the changes and reforms of the system. As a full description of these changes appears below, it is sufficient here to note the general characteristics of the communal regime.

THE TRADITION OF OLIGARCHY

The oligarchy of the wealthy and educated in communal government continued almost undisturbed until nearly the end of the thirteenth century. Members of rich and well-established aristocratic families retained power through a system that perpetuated itself. Each family considered it correct and prestigious to be represented in the governing body of the aljama. Until the reforms of Jaime II's reign, the number of leaders in a community depended primarily on the number of wealthy families. ‘Often', says Adret, ‘the large number of ne'emanim is purely for honorific purposes, since all the families in town wish to see one of their sons nominated only for the glory of the family.’