Monarquía hispánica - History Lab

Letter signed by Cardinal Alberoni, to the Marquis of Villena, regretting his banishment from Court

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

Giulio Alberoni was an Italian cardinal, chief advisor to King Philip V of Spain, who arrived in Spain in 1711, where he developed a political career that ended in 1719 following an expulsion order by King Philip V. In the court context, Alberoni promoted a policy of economic and social reform. His actions, framed after the War of the Spanish Succession, sought to reduce the powers of the Grandes de España, abolished internal customs within the Crown (except for Navarre and the Basque provinces), stimulated trade with America by transferring the Casa de Contratación to Cadiz.

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Statutes of the Real Sociedad Bascongada de los Amigos del País

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:30 +0000

Document containing the founding statutes of the Real Sociedad Bascongada de los Amigos del país, the first Economic Society founded in the Hispanic Monarchy in 1765. Under the impetus of Xavier María de Munibe, Count of Peñaflorida, the Bascongada was created with the aim of promoting development, science and culture. The headquarters of the institution were established in the Insausti Palace in Azkoitia, and the list of members included important personalities of the society such as Valentín de Foronda, Pablo de Olavide and Félix María Samaniego.

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Hispanic ports under foreign jurisdiction at the end of the 17th century

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

During the second half of the 17th century, the Spanish crown established a series of strategies to control the actions of the foreign consuls who settled in Spanish ports at the end of the century. The actions were not only related to the activities of these posts, but also to the appointments themselves.
In addition to facilitating relations between countries and with large merchants in order to favour the economy, the consul’s objective was to watch over the interests of the king and to denounce those who did not do so. This was carried out by means of a network of confidants in all the ports of importance for this chronology, mainly in the Mediterranean.
By the end of the 17th century, nine distinct zones have been documented – seven in the Mediterranean and two in the Atlantic – in which the Hispanic Monarchy, through the government in Madrid, appointed consuls to represent these communities. This does not prevent the coexistence within each of these communities of consuls associated with each individual port. The nine designated zones were not fixed, as some consuls were in charge of several ports included in different zones, forming a much more elaborate and complex system to administer.

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Philip II on horseback

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

Philip II, known by the nickname of “the Prudent”, was Spanish monarch from 15 January 1556 until his death in 1598. His reign was characterised by territorial expansion across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and for being the first time that an empire integrated territories from all inhabited continents. During his reign, the Spanish monarchy became the leading power in Europe and the Spanish Empire reached its peak. Since his death, he has been haunted by a black legend that portrays him as fanatical and despotic, but he has also been depicted as an archetype of virtue. Under his rule he faced various international wars with France, the Netherlands, England and the Ottoman Empire, among others, and he also had to fight uprisings within Spain itself, such as the rebellion of the Alpujarras (1568-1571), which had important consequences for the Moorish population. In this portrait Rubens is inspired by Titian’s 1551 portrait of Charles V, the father of Philip II. The monarch is depicted on horseback, holding the baton of commander of the armies. In the background is a scene of the battle of Saint Quentin, an important Spanish victory over the French that took place on Saint Lawrence’s Day in 1557. Above the king is a winged Victory crowning the monarch with laurel. This portrait would precede numerous other equestrian portraits of successive monarchs of the Spanish Crown, in a similar pose.

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Fleet of Naples during the 16th century

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

The expansion of the existing frontiers in medieval times meant that a growing slave labour force entered into many of the labour transactions during the modern period. Naples and Valencia were two major enclaves in Europe during the 16th century where the Catholic Monarchy fixed its slave trade. During this time Naples was engaged in reinforcing its fleet in preparation for a Turkish offensive, relying on slave labour to cover many of the needs that would progressively arise.
In the Neapolitan fleet, forced labourers accounted for 74.6% of the oarsmen, slaves for 15.4% and volunteers for only 10%. The cost of the workers obliged to provide their services in different ways was determined by successive negotiation phases in which a representative of the viceroy, another of the asentista and the captain general Juan de Cardona had to reach an agreement in order to achieve a synthesis between the different parties and proposals.

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Irish in Bizkaia between 1150-1850 through the sacramental certificates

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:36 +0000

The good trade relations between Ireland and Biscay, based on fishing activity, meant that Irish immigration to Biscay began to gain importance from 1600 onwards. The connection between the two territories was reinforced decades later when the Hispanic Monarchy supported the Irish cause against England; this dynamic led to the settlement of Irish exiles in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Thus, in the mid-17th century, there was an increase in the number of Irish baptisms registered in Biscay caused, according to the author, by the English army’s occupation of Ireland between 1649 and 1653. Many Irish nobles were stripped of their property and expelled from their lands due to their Catholic religious status and sought to settle in the commercial ports of their usual networks. At the end of the 17th century, the level of births and marriages fell due to the policy of appeasement shown by James II. After the loss of the throne of the last English Catholic monarch, the 18th century saw the great Irish migration to Biscay.

The post Irish in Bizkaia between 1150-1850 through the sacramental certificates first appeared on History Lab.

Royal confessors in 16th and 17th century Spain

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

The Order of Preachers had a marked presence at the court of the Habsburgs, enjoying full hegemony as royal confessors in the 17th century. This position of great social prestige was the goal of so many years dedicated to the ecclesiastical career, even exceeding, when it was held, the goals of their ecclesiastical work, acquiring in many cases an enormous political weight that should be outside all their legal attributions.
The post of confessor to the king represented one of the most influential positions, since, compared to other members of the court, one had full access to the sovereign. At that time, there were doubts about the way in which the services rendered to the monarch were to be recognised, which was also linked to the role of the royal valides and the consideration that was held between the two positions.
Although the Order of Preachers was present in a wide variety of important positions within the court of the Habsburgs, in the 17th century they occupied almost exclusively the position of confessor to the king. It was during the reigns of Philip III and Charles II when these attributions became an element of friction between the great power groups of the court, essentially due to the continuous dismissal and promotion of confessors, thus affecting broad groups of power.

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Amount of the services in money granted to the Hispanic Monarchy by the Courts of Valencia, Aragon and Catalonia (1510-1604) -in Valencian, Jaquesan and Barcelonese pounds, respectively (in brackets, the conversion of Valencian and Jaquesan pounds, to Barcelonese pounds)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:20 +0000

During the modern age, and specifically during the Hapsburg period, the collection of state taxes was carried out through the court service. In the Crown of Castile, Spanish monarchs had an easier time obtaining the revenue they needed. This was made possible by the corregimental system implemented by the Catholic Monarchs, which allowed the arms of the state to be extended in Castilian cities and towns through the figure of the corregidor. However, the particularity of the legislation of the Crown of Aragon (with the specificity of each kingdom) complicated the granting of services. To this end, the Monarchy deployed a whole mechanism of pacts in each of the territories, such as Valencia, Aragon and Catalonia. It can be seen how the costs gradually increased with the worsening of the situation of the empire in its European wars. With the exhaustion of the Hispanic Monarchy (1580-1610), the problem of Castile’s excessive involvement in imperial expenditure was raised, and so, from the arbitrarian point of view, it was advised to involve the territories of the Crown of Aragon to a greater extent. This was achieved by increasing the costs of the services that the different kingdoms would have to pay to the monarchy.

The post Amount of the services in money granted to the Hispanic Monarchy by the Courts of Valencia, Aragon and Catalonia (1510-1604) -in Valencian, Jaquesan and Barcelonese pounds, respectively (in brackets, the conversion of Valencian and Jaquesan pounds, to Barcelonese pounds) first appeared on History Lab.

List and period of activity od the successive governors of the Kingdom of Aragon (16th-17th centuries)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:20 +0000

The governor of the Kingdom of Aragon was an extremely important political post. He was appointed for life and could delegate his functions. His jurisdiction extended over the whole kingdom and he was responsible, among other things, for public order, the guarantee of royal rights and royalties. It became increasingly important, especially after the court moved to Castile following the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs. The election of the governor had to include his membership of the nobility (cloak and dagger). The end of this political office came with the dismantling of the foral system with the arrival of the Bourbons. The support of a large part of the Crown of Aragon for the Austracist pretender led Philip V to put an end to this type of institution on the basis of a legitimate right of conquest.

The post List and period of activity od the successive governors of the Kingdom of Aragon (16th-17th centuries) first appeared on History Lab.

Distribution of military expenditure (1606-1642) (%)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:20 +0000

In the Hispanic monarchy, armies were raised for different purposes, either to send to a front or to defend coastal settlements. Tax collection to support the military apparatus in Galicia was initially a state initiative. However, as we move into the 17th century, an attempt was made to ensure that the burden of expenditure also fell on the locals. Two aspects are important to highlight in this picture: The first is that army maintenance costs were high during the Pax Hispanica, which contrasts with the period of peace ushered in by the various truces and peace agreements concluded by the monarchy. Philip III’s decision to maintain the armies at a time when it was time to recover would be too costly for the monarchy when the Thirty Years’ War broke out. For while the adversaries had grown stronger, the Hispanic Monarchy had not managed to overcome the exhaustion that became apparent at the end of Philip II’s reign. The second point is the lack of investment in the fortifications, which, according to María del Carmen Saavedra Vázquez, is what explains the constant complaints about their poor state, precisely at a time when they needed to be remodelled.

The post Distribution of military expenditure (1606-1642) (%) first appeared on History Lab.