Cartagena - History Lab

Pasquines threatening the Governor of Cartagena over the price of bread (1766)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:11 +0000

The increase in prices in Cartagena in the middle of the 18th century provoked unrest among the population. Some people sent a letter to the Governor of the city asking him to reduce the price of foodstuffs, on pain of being “burnt and fried in boiling oil”. The document then continues with the news that the following day bread was sold for eight quarters, made of water and flour; there would be enough for everyone.

The post Pasquines threatening the Governor of Cartagena over the price of bread (1766) first appeared on History Lab.

Map of the cordon sanitaire in Orihuela for the plague of 1676

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:18 +0000

The plague was one of the diseases that most decimated the Spanish population. The XVII century was the worst hit in demographic terms in Orihuela, Alicante: with the plague of 1647-1652 the population was reduced from 12,200 inhabitants to around 7,000. Against this background, the new outbreak recorded in 1676 in the surrounding towns was met with greater sanitary prevention. The city of Orihuela was isolated to avoid contagion and the accumulation of grain and foodstuffs was encouraged in order to deal with the possible epidemic. The danger for this city was in the market gardens, as many farmers crossed the municipal boundaries in the direction of Murcia or Elche to illegally supply produce. Faced with the danger of them becoming infected and returning with the disease, the Board of Health ordered quarantines to be imposed on those people who had been in areas at risk. Finally, a more effective cordon sanitaire was imposed, with 4 lines, linking Orihuela with Alicante: the first 2 lines were intended to isolate the outbreaks in Murcia and Cartagena, passing through the Segura River, the third line isolated the municipality of Elche, while the fourth was aimed at cutting off the outbreaks coming from La Mancha. Between the 19 leagues of the cordon sanitaire, 56 surveillance posts were set up with more than 100 operatives and men on horseback, who were permanently patrolling the containment lines.

The post Map of the cordon sanitaire in Orihuela for the plague of 1676 first appeared on History Lab.

Epidemics of plague in Spain: 16th and 17th centuries

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:12 +0000

The plague epidemic had an early manifestation in Spain. There is evidence of outbreaks of plague along the Mediterranean strip of the peninsula as early as the 6th-8th centuries. During the 14th century, the Black Death appeared in Europe, an epidemic which, interspersed with others such as influenza and typhus, reappeared in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1596 the plague reached the peninsula via Santander, a port area. It spread virulently through the territories of Extremadura and the two Castiles, especially the area around Madrid. The Cantabrian coast and Andalusia were also affected, as well as the area between Alicante and Valencia. It was in the latter city that another plague epidemic broke out years later, in 1647. From Valencia it spread to the northern part of the Crown of Aragon: Catalonia and the Aragonese territories themselves were affected. Andalusia was also hit again, with the city of Seville suffering significant human losses, where it is estimated that 45% of the population died. It was in Seville that another epidemic appeared in 1676. With no time to recover, cities such as Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Cadiz and Jaen were the protagonists of the horror. They were joined by Cartagena, in the Kingdom of Murcia. These were the last large-scale epidemics to occur in the peninsular territories of the Hispanic Monarchy. Once the epidemic, demographic and food crises of the 17th century were overcome, the 18th century ushered in a period of generalised growth.

The post Epidemics of plague in Spain: 16th and 17th centuries first appeared on History Lab.

City and frontier between the Mediterranean and the Hapsburg Atlantic

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:11 +0000

This audio explains the main characteristics of walled cities in the Hapsburg period and the cities that were the maritime frontier of Spanish possessions in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Caribbean. Firstly, the subject is approached from an architectural and construction point of view, making a comparison between the different port cities. Secondly, the importance of fortification goes beyond the simple defensive wall, they are also frontiers of power, with a strong symbolic character, where the city itself acts as a political, economic and military centre, especially in coastal cities. These are the gateways to maritime trade, in short, to the connection between continents.

The post City and frontier between the Mediterranean and the Hapsburg Atlantic first appeared on History Lab.