Reino de Valencia - History Lab

The ports of the Kingdom of Valencia (circa 1250-1520)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:14 +0000

The map shows the Valencian port line with more than 40 ports between 1250 and 1520. The seaways and ports contributed to the economic development of the region. There were 9 important ports: Valencia, Alicante, Denia, Gandía, Gandía, Cullera, Sagunto, Burriana, Castellón and Peñíscola; and smaller ports oriented to the proximity of the rural or semi-urban world. From the latter, products were shipped in kind to the city of Valencia to supply the market, or beyond the borders of the Kingdom. The maritime connection between Valencia and the towns by sea was extremely important during the second half of the 15th century, and there is evidence of the arrival of numerous cargoes in light sailing ships.

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Trade and crafts in northern Valencia at the end of the Middle Ages (13th-15th centuries)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:14 +0000

During the late Middle Ages, or Late Middle Ages (13th-15th centuries), the predominance of the agricultural economy everywhere coexisted with the rise of mercantile and craft activities, in both absolute and relative terms. This development took place in the large cities of the period, but also in those areas that maintained a clearly rural or, at most, semi-urban physiognomy. In the Iberian Peninsula, for example, this is the case of the northern regions of the old kingdom of Valencia, which make up the present-day province of Castellón. They were the site of medium-sized or small population centres for the size of the time: the so-called “places” or villas. The largest agglomerations were in Castellón (on the coast) and Morella (inland), with population levels that in the 15th century exceeded 500 “fuegos” or tax households. In both towns, and in other smaller ones, a large number and variety of craft and mercantile trades were defined. The former were essentially grouped around the textile, leather and pottery sectors. The latter found their maximum expression through the buying and selling activities carried out in the markets and fairs that were gradually created from the 13th century onwards, but also in the coastal ports (carregadors or cargaderos) that allowed the area to be included in maritime import and export itineraries. The attached map illustrates all these issues and reproduces what could be a kind of economic geography of northern Valencia at the end of the Middle Ages, thanks also to the establishment of different overland communication and transport routes. The most important ones were in the south (around the rivers Palancia and Mijares or Millars), in the far north (between Lower Aragon and the coast, connected even with Tortosa) and along the entire Mediterranean coast (largely following the route of the ancient Roman Via Augusta).

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Evolution of the merchant navy of: Denia, Jávea, Calpe, Altea, Villajoyosa, Alicante and La Mata between 1626 and 1650

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

This table shows the evolution of the merchant navies of five towns located in the Kingdom of Valencia: Denia, Jávea, Calpe, Altea, Villajoyosa, Alicante and La Mata. Through the archive documentation, it has been possible to trace the type of merchandise, its volume and origin. With this data, statistical studies can be carried out to make individualised or overall comparisons of the commercial activity in one or several areas. The table highlights the strength of Alicante’s trade, whose volume of merchant ships was not only maintained, but managed to increase during the difficult years of the Thirty Years’ Conflict (1638-1645), when there was a general economic recession from which Alicante emerged less damaged.

The post Evolution of the merchant navy of: Denia, Jávea, Calpe, Altea, Villajoyosa, Alicante and La Mata between 1626 and 1650 first appeared on History Lab.

Silver coin issues in the Crown of Aragon (1480-1598)

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

The discovery of America by the Hispanic Monarchy led to the use of Castilian reales in the Crown of Aragon due to the remittances of silver received by Castile. Ferdinand the Catholic sought to increase the legal value of the silver coins of the Aragonese crown so that they would not be annulled, nominally devaluing the vellon to facilitate conversion with the Castilian reales. The monarch refused to reduce the weight of the silver coins during his reign in order to prevent their export. why were the Valencian dieciochenos exported? Their weight in silver exceeded the nominal value which the law recognised. During the reign of Charles V between 1480 and 1598, the weight of the silver coinage in the Crown of Aragon tended to be reduced in the Kingdom of Valencia, without any loss of value. Thus, the weight of the Valencian dieciocheno was reduced by 25.25% in 1522 and by 29% in 1547. Compared to the Valencian money market, the Catalan one was more stable. In fact, the weight of the Catalan croat remained constant at 3.23 grams throughout the 17th century.

The post Silver coin issues in the Crown of Aragon (1480-1598) first appeared on History Lab.

Silver coin issues in the Crown of Aragon (1601-1700)

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

For the Crown of Aragon, made up of the kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia and the principality of Catalonia, the issue of silver coins was one of the main concerns of the monetary economy. If during the 16th century the weight of the Valencian dieciocheno had to be reduced so as not to exceed its legal tender value and thus avoid its export, the 17th century saw similar measures for the Catalan “croat” and real and the Valencian dieciocheno itself. In the first case, the 3.12 grams that the croat had weighed since 1493 was reduced in 1619 to 3.04 grams, reaching 2.81 grams in 1653. The Catalan real fell from 2.5 grams to 2.04 between 1674 and 1698. For its part, the Valencian silver coin ended the century at 1.87 grams, almost half the 3 grams it weighed in 1480. However, the Aragonese real remained at a fixed weight of 3.42 for more than a century: from 1519 to 1652. All these adjustments were carried out as reforms aimed at readjusting the silver to the fleece.

The post Silver coin issues in the Crown of Aragon (1601-1700) first appeared on History Lab.

Leases of monopoly rights in Valencia during the 17th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

During the Ancien Régime, monopoly rights constituted one of the fundamental pillars of the seigniorial regime. The author shows how monopolies were produced in two Valencian manors, Alfara and Burjasot. The most common places where this right was applied were in the mill, oven, butcher’s shop and orchard. Lease contracts were usually short term; between 4 and 10 years at their longest. In turn, payment was stipulated in annual instalments, although depending on the leased property, these payments could be paid in different numbers: from monthly payments for some mills, to single payments for butcheries, orchards or shops. With monopoly rights, tenants were assured of fixed rents, although this had a negative impact on the development of productive forces as the feudal organisation of production stagnated.

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Evolution of the irrigated surface area in the Kingdom of Valencia, 13th-19th centuries

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

During the Modern Age, the Kingdom of Valencia experienced strong agricultural growth. Agricultural intensification was a more important technique than the mere increase in the cultivated area. It was based on the expansion of irrigation and, consequently, crop substitution. Fallow land was eliminated and a combination of tree crops on the margins of plots and cereal and vegetable rotations were introduced. In short, the area under irrigation increased threefold during the Ancien Régime. Of the Valencian areas, the Ribera del Júcar grew from 1,250 hectares in the 13th century to 29,900 hectares in the 19th century. The reason for this was the greater technical complexity: the rickety and disjointed irrigation system of the first half of the 13th century was replaced by the construction of irrigation channels in the second half of the century, which allowed the irrigated area to increase, formulas which continued to be applied during the beginning of the Valencian modernity and which were subsequently increased in both capacity and extension, leading to a strong irrigation culture. With this improvement in the system, the crop that required a large amount of water was increased: Valencian rice.

The post Evolution of the irrigated surface area in the Kingdom of Valencia, 13th-19th centuries first appeared on History Lab.

Evolution between Andalusian and feudal hydraulics in Valencia, 8th-18th centuries

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

Obtaining water for cultivation has always been one of the social and economic concerns of farmers. From the late medieval water systems to the end of the Ancien Régime, the techniques and forms of irrigated agriculture evolved fruitfully. The resource shows the evolution of “Andalusian” and “feudal” approaches, giving them a distinct chronological space for both (13th-13th centuries for the former, and 13th-18th centuries for the latter). It was not only technological progress that had an influence; also the administration of irrigated land, the morphology of the market gardens, the mechanical priorities, the social use of water and hydraulic management favoured the development of the extension of irrigated cultivation in the Valencian countryside. With the increase and improvement of soil irrigation, horticultural crops and Valencian rice were able to expand.

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Infant mortality in Spain (per thousand children born), 18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:33 +0000

In general terms, infant mortality in Ancien Régime Spain obeyed high-pressure demographic dynamics. However, there was a regional variability that can be traced well into the contemporary period. These trends favoured the Spanish periphery to the detriment of the interior: Catalonia, Valencia, Aragon, Galicia, Cantabria, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country and Navarre were found to have between 209 and 251 deceased children per 1,000 born in the first half of the 18th century, a range of 42, while by the second half of the century this range had decreased to 17. Inland Spain, on the other hand, infant mortality went from 303 to 320, an increase of 17 between the first and second half of the century. The data on the evolution of the Spanish territories also show a contrast between them; while the average for peripheral Spain is 203, the average for inland Spain is 320. What were the possible causes of regional variability? In addition to family trends and socio-economic structure, there were health (epidemics), climatic (bad harvests) and environmental aspects.

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The post Infant mortality in Spain (per thousand children born), 18th century first appeared on History Lab.