Real Hacienda - History Lab

Exhibition of playing cards from the Royal Factory of Macharaviaya

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

The Real Fábrica de Naipes was a factory that operated at the end of the 18th century in Macharaviaya (Málaga, Spain), between 1776 and 1815. It was José de Gálvez who, once appointed Minister of the Indies by Charles III and after his return from America in 1772, planned to set up a playing card factory in his native town. Its production was to be destined for the exclusive use of the American colonies. It was thought that the Royal Treasury would benefit greatly from the creation of the factory and Gálvez was very excited about the repercussions that this enterprise would have on his town. However, he did not take into account the lack of raw materials in the area, the lack of infrastructure or the few residents who lived in the village, most of whom were day labourers in the fields and, therefore, without any training to develop this economic activity. At that time, Macharaviaya was also one of the villages in Axarquia with the worst communications with the capital of the province, with scarce labour and little experience in manufacturing work. Without considering these disadvantages, and convinced of the economic benefits for his town, on 12 August 1776 a Royal Decree approved the establishment of the playing card factory. Felix Solecio, a native of Genoa, was appointed director of the factory. The State signed a ten-year contract with him, in which he undertook to use his own capital to pay for the cost of machinery, labour and the premises where the factory was to be established, in exchange for the Crown taking charge of all production. The Royal Decree stated the need to open paper mills in places where there was abundant wood, and this fact contributed decisively to the birth of the town of Arroyo de la Miel. About 60 families came to the village, the majority of whom were Italians, including draftsmen and craftsmen. However, some time later, poor distribution, lack of knowledge of the market and high prices, among other reasons, meant that the factory had to close. The Royal Order of 1815 abolished the tobacco stamp and liberalised the trade in playing cards. This fact and the loss of the American colonies led to the closure of the factory and its sale at public auction for 60,000 reales. The old building of the Real Fábrica de Naipes still stands today, and is occupied by private dwellings.

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Revenues of the Holy Brotherhood between 1478 and 1498

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

Shortly after the accession of Ferdinand and Isabella to the Castilian throne in 1474, a process of restructuring and reform of the institutional structures of the State began, especially those dedicated to taxation and tax practice in order to cope with the new expenses that the crown would have to bear. The Royal Treasury had to face these circumstances by creating and establishing the “extraordinary” revenue as an additional tax category.
The establishment of the General Brotherhood in 1476 was justified as a means of restoring peace throughout the kingdom, but the intention of creating an army under the direct authority of the throne without putting too much strain on the weak Royal Treasury, which was in the process of reconstruction, could not be concealed for long.
This movement was prompted by the need for large sums of money in a short space of time, as a result of pressing needs such as the war in Granada at the end of the 15th century or the wars in Naples between 1494 and 1504. Revenues, therefore, were calculated in accordance with expected expenditure and not the other way round, denying the redistributive nature of the taxation practice that has presided over most tax systems.
The key to understanding the extraordinary revenues of the crown were the loans, understood at this time as the issuing of a small debt in exchange for financing. Since it was not considered as just another tax on the population, all subjects were eligible to pay loans without being limited by the directives of the General Brotherhood.

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Actual evolution of the recorded arrival of precious metals in Spain, 1621-1675 (ducats)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:41 +0000

The controversy surrounding the quantification of precious metals has always revolved around attempts to provide accurate figures for the stock of metals arriving in the fleets. However, the controversy is still open due to the impossibility of agreeing on the figures arrived for private individuals due to the increase in fraud during the 17th century. The interest in more rigorously specifying this type of figures is due to the fact that these funds contributed very directly to the financing of the Crown’s policy. It should be noted that, although precious metals were not the only source of credit for the monarchy, American remittances were attractive to large international bankers. These remittances have highlighted the limitations of official sources in providing real figures. However, from 1649 onwards, as a result of the decline in money arriving for the Royal Treasury, it was impossible to continue to maintain a policy of respect, and private funds definitively abandoned the fleet system. As for public funds, they increased between 1626 and 1640 until a sharp decline between 1641 and 1645, which contributed to the Treasury Council having to issue a new decree of bankruptcy in 1647, accentuating the financial crisis of the reign. From 1656-60, however, the Royal Treasury’s revenues became more stable. The decline in the arrival of public funds was much milder than has traditionally been noted, allowing us to understand the role of American remittances in the financial system of the Hispanic Monarchy. The Crown continued to have very large amounts of precious metals during the 17th century, comparable to those of the 16th century, but instead of using them in Spain, it did so beforehand or, instead of being recorded as such in the fleets, they were hidden under another name. Whatever the case, the money belonged to the Royal Treasury and was used for its benefit. In order to know the funds of the Monarchy in the 17th century, we started by knowing the funds recorded in the formations, the disposition made in America, the money obtained as a result of exchanges of silver for fleece, the pardons, the condemnations, the private seizures and the contributions of the Consulate.

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Expenditure of the Royal Household of Philip III in 1601

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:13 +0000

On 13 September 1598 Philip III, son of Philip II, acceded to the throne of the Hispanic Monarchy. As an institution within the monarchy, the Royal House had an economic allocation, more or less variable due to the lack of stable sources of funding. And where there is funding there is expenditure. The resource deals with what and how much the Royal House of Philip III spent in 1601; expenditure controlled and agreed with the Cortes of Castile. The data, reflected in maravedíes, show that the main item was ordinary and extraordinary expenditure, ranging from maintaining part of the troops to promoting the Crusade. 40,500,000 maravedis were used to pay the expenses (salaries) of the chapel and guard, plus a further 24,500,000 maravedis for the expenses of the royal houses. The sum of the items shows that the greatest economic expenditure was for the payment of troops, guards, stewards and servants, leaving 36,000 ducats a year for carriages; 13,500,000 maravedis.

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Type of funds recorded as “particulares” on the quicksilver ships arriving in 1655 (maravedíes)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

The controversy surrounding the quantification of precious metals has always revolved around attempts to provide accurate figures for the stock of metals arriving in the fleets. However, the controversy is still open due to the impossibility of agreeing on the figures arrived for private individuals due to the increase in fraud during the 17th century. The interest in more rigorously specifying this type of figures is due to the fact that these funds contributed very directly to the financing of the Crown’s policy. It should be noted that, although precious metals were not the only source of credit for the monarchy, American remittances were attractive to large international bankers. These remittances have highlighted the limitations of official sources in providing real figures. Funds whose origin did not fit into any of the public concepts were recorded in the fleets as “particulares”. These items have been considered as the remittances of emigrants and the savings of passengers returning to Spain, although the majority came from Spanish trade with America – although this definition is only valid for the 16th century. Some of the merchants recorded the money obtained from selling their products and sent it to the Peninsula in fleets, but this became anachronistic from 1650 onwards when the pressure increased. Part of these funds belonged to the Royal Treasury, but in the case of private funds they were far from being the return of the profits from trade. This clarification raises two issues: the loss of the term “private” and the upward modification of the values given to the remittances sent to the Royal Treasury. Of the two fleets from New Spain that arrived in Cadiz in 1636, the king ordered 94% of the amounts to be added for different tax exchanges. In 1655, according to the summary reports, the Council made a series of corrections to the amounts registered on the azogues ships to obtain 26.6% of the arrival. Although this was insufficient, the king ordered further additions, placing 67% at the disposal of the Royal Treasury. The explanation for this variation lies in the funds of “particulares”. According to the Treasury Council, the amount of private money was 24,612,134 maravedíes, including the value of goods.

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The Enlightenment in Cantabria

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:27:59 +0000

This documentary delves into the economic and commercial features of 18th century Cantabria. In this context, the emerging prominence of the bourgeoisie, the importance of maritime connections, the opening up of trade with the breaking of the mercantile monopoly with America and the economic growth favoured by the road transport network via the Reinosa road, will be dynamic elements of a historical period in which a whole series of themes related to the process of modernisation in the region of Cantabria at the end of the Ancien Régime are raised and suggested to the viewer. The technological evolution of agriculture, mainly with the improvement of the flour industry, is taken as a guiding thread in the narration of the episode. However, the documentary also argues how the fiscal intentions of the State and the strategic location of the seaport of Santander in the European mercantilist networks would lead to the beginning of a process of industrialisation which would take centre stage well into the 19th century. The chapter also shows in great detail how the flour mills worked and the milling process, detailing the complex machinery used to separate and produce the grain.

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