Merindad

Merindad (Spanish pronunciation: [meɾinˈdað]) is a Mediaeval Spanish administrative term that refers to a country subdivision smaller than a province but larger than a municipality. It was roughly approximate to the English count or bailiff. The officer in charge of a merindad was called a merino.

It was used in the kingdoms of Castile and Navarre. Connected to the birth of Castile, the Merindades of the province of Burgos were part of the creation of the administrative division by King Pedro I and still use this term. Currently, the Foral Community of Navarre keeps the merindad as a historical division, and the northernmost comarca of Burgos province is called Merindades.

Administratively, they have been substituted by the partido judicial. In Biscay, the mancomunidades comarcales keep the place of the old merindades, such as Duranguesado.

See also

• Partidos of Buenos Aires, a second-level administrative subdivision
• Partidos of Chile in Colonial Chile, a second-level administrative subdivision