The abbots of Poblet came to exercise an immense jurisdictional power that not only covered their own monasteries and properties, but also acted as vicars general of the Cistercians in the kingdoms of Aragon and Navarre. In the Courts of Catalonia they enjoyed a relevant role and even reached the position of deputy of the Generality.

King Peter IV the Ceremonious granted the abbots -or, failing that, the designated monks- the privilege of being royal almoners at Court, allowing them to accompany the monarch in his campaigns and battles of conquest, and frequently acted as his advisors or ambassadors. In addition, Peter II endowed the monk in charge of the archive with the title of Royal Notary. Both the abbot and his monks were exempt from taking an oath in lawsuits and trials, under the premise that their word had a higher value than that of an oath, a concession they received from Alfonso II.

Likewise, a mandate from James I in 1222 established that in each of the properties of the monastery of Poblet the royal insignia could be hoisted, as a symbol of being under the protection of the king.