Ciudades - History Lab

Map of the Kingdom of Navarre. “Regni Navarrae”

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:25 +0000

Map of the kingdom of Navarre in 1690 that includes towns, cities, municipalities, merindades (which he calls “MAIORINATU”), roads, rivers and orographic features. It has a different orientation with the west at the top of the map and the east at the bottom. It also includes the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Navarre at the top.

The post Map of the Kingdom of Navarre. “Regni Navarrae” first appeared on History Lab.

Plan of the city of Almeria in 1709

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:41 +0000

The Provincial Archive of Almería contains an excellent collection of maps and cartographic documentation. In this case, we are looking at a map of the city of Almería drawn by the Marquis of Canales (1709). In it we can perfectly appreciate elements such as the city wall, the Alcazaba, the network of narrow streets and, curiously, a fortress is drawn, with artillery, which must have disappeared at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession.

The post Plan of the city of Almeria in 1709 first appeared on History Lab.

View of Seville from the west bank of the river

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

After the conquest of Granada (1492), Andalusia was fully incorporated into the Habsburg monarchy, and the population increased throughout the 16th century. This increase in population was particularly significant in the city of Seville, which in the 16th century had more than 100,000 inhabitants thanks to the economic development brought about by trade with America. In fact, the port of Seville exercised a monopoly on American trade by establishing the Casa de Contratación (1503) in the city. As a result, it became one of the most important European cities, as it was the gateway for goods from the New World that would later be traded, via various routes, throughout Europe. The increase in Seville’s mercantile and financial activity attracted many Castilians and foreigners who flocked to the city, some to settle there and enjoy its riches, others to embark for the New World in search of new opportunities.

The post View of Seville from the west bank of the river first appeared on History Lab.

Indies Fleet

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:33 +0000

The image shows a work attributed to Alonso Sánchez Coello and dated around 1576, showing a view of the city of Seville from the Triana district. It shows the arrival of the Flota de Indias, a fleet of galleons that connected the city with the American viceroyalties, across the River Guadalquivir. The Fleet of the Indies, also known as the Spanish Treasure Fleet, was the backbone of the Race of the Indies, as it enabled Spain’s trade and navigation with its colonies, and allowed the Spanish trade monopoly with America. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the fleets of the Indies brought the wealth and products of the Spanish viceroyalties in America to the Crown of Castile, some of the most important being silver, gold, gems and spices, and cocoa, among others. The galleons left from the city of Veracruz, in the Gulf of Mexico, and arrived in Seville on the Guadalquivir and later in Cadiz, from 1717. From 1520 onwards, due to the increase in English and French piracy, the security of transport increased, and convoy systems consisting of galleons armed with cannons were established. Trade with the Spanish colonies was tightly controlled, and only the port of Seville had a monopoly on this until 1717, when the Casa de la Contratación passed to Cadiz. Spain enjoyed this monopoly for more than two centuries, even though powers such as England, France and the Netherlands tried to take it away. Thanks to overseas trade, Spain became the richest country in Europe, which allowed it to finance various wars to expand its power.

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Charles III handing over land to settlers in Sierra Morena

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:09 +0000

The Enlightenment project of the New Populations, begun around 1767, was drawn up by Campomanes and entrusted to Pablo de Olavide, both Enlightenment ministers, with the aim of populating large unpopulated areas, such as the deserts of Sierra Morena, La Parrilla (from Ecija to Cordoba) or La Monclova (from Ecija to Carmona), in order to make these transit territories more secure. Central European populations, mostly Germans and Flemish, arrived in these areas and were soon to be harassed by the inhabitants of nearby towns, who did not want to lose the wastelands where their livestock grazed. Soon the clashes led Charles III to decree a Royal Decree imposing severe punishments on those who coerced the settlers. As time went by, the situation of the new inhabitants improved, thus achieving a certain success of the initial project. In the centre of the picture is the monarch Charles III, crowned with laurel and wearing the armour and toga of a Roman emperor, accompanied by the Beneficence and Agriculture, handing over land in the Sierra Morena to settlers of various castes to populate and cultivate. These settlers, who kneel as he passes, are depicted with farming implements. In the distance, on the right-hand side, an allegory can be seen of how in the darkness, thieves and outlaws leave this site. Campomanes and Olavide are also depicted in the picture. Both are in the background next to the monarch. The chariot of the Sun also appears in the scene, preceded by Fame.

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View of Granada (1572)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:03 +0000

The resource shows a panoramic view of the city of Granada around 1572. It shows some of the most emblematic and representative places in the city, such as the Albaicín, Sierra Nevada, the Royal Hospital, the Alhambra and the Generalife. It is an image that also allows us to work on questions of the social, political and cultural life of the time. In the lower part of the image, the clothing worn by the figures depicted shows the different social groups that lived together in the city at that time: the Old Christians and the Moors. Four Moorish women are depicted wearing the almalafa, the large tunic that covers the head and face. It should be noted that from the beginning of the 16th century, decrees and provisions were issued listing Moorish practices that were to be eradicated. However, resistance was strong and by 1560 the situation was very tense. The policy of acculturation did not produce the expected results and the vast majority of the Moors, especially the women, continued to speak Arabic and wore forbidden clothes, as shown in these engravings from the Civitates orbis terrarum series, which date from precisely these years. The political and social tension finally led to the uprising of the Moors in the kingdom of Granada on Christmas Eve 1568, under the command of the Moorish nobleman Fernando de Córdoba y Valor, also known as Abén Humeya.

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Socio-professional representation in the Pamplona Regiment (18th c.)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:03 +0000

In their aim to hold the positions of local administration in Navarre, the nobility designed and established a process through which members of the aristocracy could gain access to a political career during Modernity. Education from early childhood became one more tool for overcoming the rest of the population, and government and administration posts were reserved for them when they reached sufficient age and ability.
As early as the Catholic Monarchs in Navarre, people of trust were placed in positions of local government, promoting institutional and social processes in which they had to be reviewed in their posts. But as the years went by, the council posts in Pamplona were occupied almost entirely by the urban aristocracy, reaching their peak in the 18th century.
As for the city’s aldermen, most of them were nobles, the rest falling to certain socio-professional groups that barely accounted for 1% of the total urban population, being lawyers, notaries, solicitors and merchants. On the other hand, a large proportion of Navarrese (35% of the total) were excluded from local public office for almost the whole of Modernity. As a result, the autonomy of power in the smaller towns was more lax, with the main Navarrese graduates focusing on occupying positions of higher political and social status, leaving the concern in these rural areas in the hands of the lower and middle nobility.

The post Socio-professional representation in the Pamplona Regiment (18th c.) first appeared on History Lab.

View of the Royal Chancery of Granada

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:03 +0000

The Royal Chancery of Granada was a judicial body established by the Catholic Monarchs in 1500, which became effective on the death of the Queen in 1505. This new institution inherited the powers of the previous Royal Court and Chancery of Ciudad Real, which had been established in that city in 1494. Its transfer to Granada had two main causes: the symbolic role that this city played in the reign and the monarchs’ intention to dominate this area politically. Its judicial powers extended to the territory south of the Tagus River, while the northern territories would be under the supervision of the Royal Court and Chancery of Valladolid. In 1531 King Charles I ordered the construction of the Palace of the Chancery, today located in Plaza Nueva, which was completed in 1587. The project was designed by the architect Francisco del Castillo el Mozo and the stonemasons Martín Díaz de Navarrete and Pedro Marín, and the sculptural work was carried out by Alonso Hernández. The courtyard has been attributed to the design of Diego de Siloé. During the 18th century, this institution gradually lost power and competences with the creation of the figure of the intendant. It finally disappeared in 1834 with the definitive establishment of liberalism in Spain

The post View of the Royal Chancery of Granada first appeared on History Lab.

Drawing map of the New Towns of Sierra Morena

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:03 +0000

The Nuevas Poblaciones de Andalucía y Sierra Morena project began around 1767, during the reign of Charles III. It was an Enlightenment project drawn up by Campomanes and entrusted to Pablo de Olavide, which sought to populate certain fairly extensive areas that had been depopulated. These lands were located along the Royal Road of Andalusia that connected these lands with the plateau (central peninsular), and included the desert of Sierra Morena or La Peñuela (Jaén); the desert of La Parrilla, between Córdoba and Écija; and the desert of La Monclova, between Écija and Carmona. The idea of populating these lands had the intention of improving the safety of the people and goods that moved through them, which were mainly threatened by banditry. To bring the project to life, Catholic settlers from central Europe, mainly Germans, Flemish and Swiss, were attracted and provided with land to promote agriculture and industry. These new settlements were known collectively as the “Nuevas Poblaciones” (New Towns), and had their capital at La Carolina and La Carlota.

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Receivers of loans in Segovia (1503-1508)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:25 +0000

Using the case of Segovia, the author aims to shed light on this urban centre at the beginning of the 16th century, trying to explain rationally why this Castilian city (like many others) grew around 1500 and underwent profound social transformations. The thesis of the article proposes that from the mid-15th century until the end of the 16th century, the Castilian nobility of the cities invested part of their profits in favour of merchants and artisans, seeking to obtain a near return in exchange. The main source of wealth for the nobility – the social group that lent the most – was the rent from land
Thanks to the first notarial protocols preserved in Segovia, it is possible to verify the credit at the beginning of the 16th century and the operations that were carried out. It is striking how little monetary attention was paid to the rural sector, as these neighbours managed to receive only 7.3% of the total money lent, despite the fact that they outstripped the city’s neighbours in terms of operations. Urban merchants, on the other hand, were the group that received the largest amount, close to 40% of the total.

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