Corona - History Lab

Corsican Patent granted by Charles III

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

The privateering patent was a document issued by the authorities of a territory to the owners of a ship, giving them permission to attack ships or populations of enemy nations. In this way the owner, who had to have significant economic power to be able to arm a ship, became part of the navy of the issuing country or city. Privateer’s patents were widely used in the Modern Age when nations could not afford their own navies or when they were not large enough. Privateering was, therefore, a legal activity regulated by the Spanish authorities, which was organised on the basis of successive Royal Ordinances. Thanks to privateering, many private individuals made it their way of life, many others amassed fortunes and others carved out a career in the Royal Navy that would otherwise have been more difficult. During the modern period, privateers, always under the obligatory “privateering patent”, acted as a war fleet at the service of the Crown, and were also essential as coastguards, since, in certain territories, such as the Peninsula, it was materially impossible to have a Royal Navy squadron that could protect so many nautical miles of coastline, or that could guard all the maritime routes. The privateer would take advantage of all this, as he would obtain part of the booty, as would the Crown of Spain, which, without investing money, had a war fleet, also obtaining part of the booty.

The post Corsican Patent granted by Charles III first appeared on History Lab.

Quicksilver mines in New Spain

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000

Quicksilver, or mercury, is a metal obtained from the mineral known as cinnabar, which was decisive in the processing of silver, and was therefore of vital importance to the miners of New Spain. The extraction of quicksilver was a monopoly of the Crown and was mainly supplied from the Peninsula, which sometimes caused shortages and difficulties, mainly due to wars and complications in maritime transport. It was in the 16th century when Bartolomé de Medina introduced the method of amalgamation with quicksilver, a method that was very successful and which revolutionised American metallurgy. This technique spread to all the mining centres in the Americas until the 19th century. The mines from which the Crown mainly supplied this metal were Almadén, in Spain, and Huancavelica, in Peru. During the 17th century in New Spain, despite some difficulties in the exploitation of the mercury mines existing in this viceroyalty, such as the lack of manpower, the scarcity of knowledge and metallurgical preparation or the lack of capital to cover the costs, some of them were exploited.

The post Quicksilver mines in New Spain first appeared on History Lab.

Quicksilver mines in Almadén

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:14 +0000

Quicksilver, or mercury, is a metal obtained from the mineral called cinnabar, which was decisive for the processing of silver, and was therefore of vital importance for the production of this metal. It was in the 16th century when Bartolomé de Medina unveiled the method of amalgamation with quicksilver, a method which was very successful and which brought about a revolution in metallurgy. The Spanish Crown obtained most of its supplies of quicksilver from the mines of Almadén in Spain and Huancavelica in Peru. Almadén’s cinnabar reserves had been exploited since ancient times. In modern times, from the beginning of the 16th century, the mines were perpetually incorporated into the Crown of Castile. Until the mid-17th century, the mines were exploited by private individuals who obtained a right granted by the Crown of Castile. From 1645 onwards, the mine returned to the hands of the State, and a process of slow reforms and the appointment of superintendents began. The upper part of the selected resource depicts the furnaces used to separate the quicksilver. From one of them starts a row of aludels (terracotta pipes) used for the condensation of the mercury vapour that ends in the condensation chamber. The lower part of the print shows the tools and implements for working and processing the quicksilver, such as a balance, pieces of metal, hammer and chisel, cart, wood for holding the baskets, a bag of badana, aludeles, earthenware vessel for storing the mercury, basket and mould for shaping. The drawing is a copy by José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez, published by Antoine de Jussieu. Antoine de Jussieu was sent to Spain by the Duke of Orleans to collect plant species for the gardens of Paris. Together with his brother Bernard, he visited the Almadén mines in 1717 and 1719, and presented a Memoir to the Academy of Sciences in Paris. The translation of this Memoir was made by José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez, who also copied the prints that were published in it, under the title “Observations on what is practised in Almadén in Spain to extract quicksilver and on the nature of the illnesses of those who work by Mr. Jussieu, on 15 November 1778”.

The post Quicksilver mines in Almadén first appeared on History Lab.

Viceroyalty cities of the Hispanic monarchy in the 16th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:06 +0000

This programme deals with the foundation of viceroyal cities during the 16th century and the capacity for control and expansion by the monarchical institution in those colonies of the New World. Aspects of the position of the viceroy and his involvement in the different regions of Italy and the Indies are explained in detail. In addition, urban transformations are analysed, such as the structure of streets and water supply in the capitals of the viceroyalties, often linked to the direct action of the Spanish viceroys who had to deal with the local powers. Different examples are cited, such as the Italian viceroyalties, with Naples and Palermo as other cases in Europe, and the American viceroyalties, comparing the cases of Lima and Mexico.

The post Viceroyalty cities of the Hispanic monarchy in the 16th century first appeared on History Lab.

Blas de Lezo, the hero of Cartagena

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:06 +0000

A 15-minute video about Blas de Lezo, a Spanish admiral known for the unique appearance of his numerous war wounds (one-eyed, one arm immobilised and one leg torn off), considered one of the best strategists in the history of the Spanish Navy and known for leading, together with Viceroy Sebastián de Eslava, the successful defence of Cartagena de Indias during the British siege of 1741.

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