2026 Declared the Year of Jaume I in the Comunidad Valenciana
A year-long programme will mark the 750th anniversary of the death of the founder of the Kingdom of Valencia.
The regional government of the Comunitat Valenciana has agreed to declare 2026 the year marking the 750th anniversary of the death of Jaume I, a pivotal figure in the historical, political and legal shaping of the region.
Through this declaration, the Consell lends its institutional backing to the anniversary and will promote a wide-ranging programme of outreach and commemorative activities throughout the year in honour of the founder of the Kingdom of Valencia.
The initiative formally recognises the importance of the anniversary of Jaume I’s death, which occurred on 27 July 1276, and sets out the Consell’s intention to organise and coordinate a variety of commemorative events during 2026, while encouraging the active involvement of Valencian society as a whole.
Jaume I, born in Montpellier in 1208, was King of Aragon, Valencia and Mallorca and presided over a decisive period of Mediterranean expansion for the Crown of Aragon. Among his most significant achievements were the conquest of Mallorca in 1229 and, most notably, the capture of the city of Valencia in 1238, an event that led to the creation of the Kingdom of Valencia.
This historical legacy also extends to towns such as Jávea/Xàbia, which became part of the Kingdom of Valencia during Jaume I’s reign. Following the conquest of Valencia and the subsequent advance into what is now the province of Alicante, the Marina Alta region was incorporated into the new Christian territory. Xàbia was formally reorganised under this process, with its Carta Pobla granted in 1244, traditionally attributed to Jaume I, marking the town’s integration into the Kingdom of Valencia and its submission to the Furs of Valencia.
His legacy is central to the emergence of the Valencian people, particularly through the promulgation of the Furs of Valencia, which endowed the territory with its own legal system and a distinct form of juridical sovereignty within the Crown of Aragon.
Jaume I’s life and reign were recorded in the Llibre dels Fets, one of the most important chronicles of the medieval period, and a lasting testament to his role in shaping Valencian history.
