G is for Generalitat. It is a word you often see in the news and it is the name given to the systems of regional government of two of the Spanish autonomous regions, these being Cataluña and the Valencian Community.
In English it translates simply as ‘Generality’ and refers to all three branches of government, not just the executive.
The name Generalitat dates back to the 13th century and the medieval courts of the ancient Principality of Cataluña and the Kingdom of Valencia.
The term is also used in connection with the government of the semi-autonomous district (comarca) of Val d’Aran, the Generalitat a l’Aran, which was created by the 2006 modification to the Statute of Autonomy of Cataluña
The Catalan and Valencian Generalitats were abolished by Philip V of Spain at the start of the eighteenth century and only reinstated after the death of Franco in 1975.