Aragon is one of the historical nations of Spain, once a powerful medieval kingdom that ruled territories across the Mediterranean. Its political identity stems from the Crown of Aragon (1137–1716), which united Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearics into a major maritime empire extending into Italy and Greece.

This legacy shaped a distinctive regional culture and institutions, including Aragonese law and a parliamentary tradition.  After absorption into a centralised Spain in the 18th century, Aragonese identity receded into the background, though cultural revival movements re-emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Aragonese Regionalist Union (1918) and later federalist thinkers promoted recognition of Aragon as a historical nationality within a plurinational Spain. Under the Franco dictatorship (1939–1975), regional expression was repressed, but the democratic transition restored autonomy, with Aragon gaining its Statute of Autonomy in 1982. 

Modern Aragonese nationalism is generally autonomist, prioritising language protection and historical visibility rather than full secession. Aragonese (a Romance language) has been classified as endangered and is central to identity campaigns. Independence support is small and fragmented, but the region’s long sovereign heritage continues to influence debates over decentralisation in Spain.