During the thirteenth century, the principal governing bodies of Catalonia were established: the Corts (legislative council) and the Generalitat. These institutions remained in existence until the Decree of the Nueva Planta (New Plan) in 1716. The tendency towards royal authoritarianism was effectively checked by the practice and institutionalisation of the pact. This principle meant that the monarchs were unable to indulge in a despotic exercise of power but had to use consensus and dialogue with the various estates through the representatives of the land: the Church estate; the military or noble estate; the people's estate, or the cities, towns and free places.

The peasantry, by far the largest part of the population, had no direct representation but were represented by their seigneurs. The Corts were the forum for consensus, which was formalised in constitutions or laws. The estates' permanent representative body, the Diputació del General or Generalitat, supervised the implementation of the accords.