Editing Alcalde (section)

== Medieval origins ==
The office of the ''alcalde'' evolved during the [[Reconquista]] as new lands were settled by the expanding kingdoms of [[Kingdom of León|León]] and [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]]. As fortified settlements in the area between the [[Douro]] and [[Tagus]] rivers became true urban centers, they gained, from their [[Feudalism|feudal lords]] or the kings of Leon and Castile, the right to have councils. Among the rights that these councils had was to elect a municipal judge (''iudex'' in [[Medieval Latin|Latin]] and ''juez'' in Spanish). These judges were assisted in their duties by various assistant judges, called ''alcaldes'', whose number depended on the number of parishes the town had.<ref>O'Callaghan, ''A History of Medieval Spain'', 269-271.</ref> The title ''alcalde'' was [[Loanword|borrowed]] from the Arabic ''[[Arabic definite article|al]] [[qadi|qaḍi]]'' (قاضي), meaning "the judge."<ref>The second L in ''alcalde'' evolved from the [[Spanish language|Castilian]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] attempts at pronouncing the [[emphatic consonant]] [[ḍād]]. The old Portuguese [[cognate]] ''alcalde'' was never applied to the presiding municipal officer and retained its original meaning of "judge." "Alcalde" in Corominas, ''Diccionario crítico'', Vol. A-CA (1), 127.</ref>

The word ''alcalde'' originally was used for simple judges, as in [[Andalusian Arabic]]. Only later was it applied to the presiding municipal magistrate.<ref>Corominas, "Alcalde", 127.</ref> This early use continued to be reflected in its other uses, such as ''alcaldes del crimen'', the judges in the ''[[Audiencia Real|audiencia]]s''; ''Alcaldes de la Casa y Corte de Su Majestad'', who formed the highest tribunal in Castile and also managed the royal court; ''alcaldes mayores'', a synonym for [[Corregidor (position)|corregidor]]; and ''alcaldes de barrio'', who were roughly the equivalent of British [[parish constable]]s.  Because of this, the municipal ''alcalde'' was often referred to as an ''alcalde ordinario''.