Valladolid - History Lab

Distribution of foreign textiles through the port of Bilbao between 1710-1714

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:12 +0000

The resource deals with the distribution of foreign fabrics imported from the port of Bilbao during 1710 and 1714, the years in which the War of the Spanish Succession took place. Fabrics destined for Madrid and Toledo paid customs duties in Valmaseda, Orduña, while those bound for the Cantabrian mountain range did so in Vitoria. Taxes were directly proportional to the quality of the fabric: the higher the quality, the higher the tax. From the port of Bilbao they were distributed to wide areas of the peninsular monarchy: the Upper Ebro Valley, the Duero Valley, the Iberian System, Logroño, Soria and Toledo as its extreme points. Where did most of the textiles come from? In the years prior to the war, Holland and England were the two largest exporters (90% of the linen came from Holland). The Royal Order of 3 December 1710 prohibited the importation of Dutch fabrics, thus favouring the British. In the distribution network, Madrid, Toledo, Segovia and Valladolid were the provinces with the highest import ratio, followed by Ávila, Burgos, Palencia, Soria and Logroño. The authors warn us that, due to the war situation, the distribution could have altered with respect to previous years. The Royal Treasury tried to reduce some costs by suspending the payment of pensions, subsidies and other benefits, or by delaying the payment of bureaucratic salaries; this meant that certain privileged groups saw their incomes reduced. At the same time, in Castilian territory, the tax burden on the population was increased. The high taxes and reduced purchasing power led to a lower demand for foreign fabrics.

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The powers of a corregidor: the case of Ramírez de Villaescusa, 1492-1501

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:56 +0000

As royal officials, the corregidores were responsible for justice, mediation and government. They were one of the most important figures in the defence of the interests of the monarchy in the large towns. The case presented by the author is the attributions of the corregidor of Valladolid, Alonso Ramírez de Villaescusa, between 1492 and 1501. A compilation of 60 systematised documents gives evidence of his actions: the majority were executions in acts of concord or justice (28% of cases), followed by acting as mediator (25%), management of the office (18%), taxation (13%), or information and enquiries (7%). He was answerable to the Crown, and it was he who looked after the interests of the Crown in the city of Valladolid, although he also used privileged information and legal means to his advantage: he denounced Enrique de Dueñas, who was condemned for usury as a possible Jewish convert; however, the lawsuit did not prosper in favour of the corregidor and Enrique was acquitted. However, the corregidor’s aim was not to strip the accused of his property and defenestrate him socially, but to obtain part of the penalties imposed and to improve his own wealth.

The post The powers of a corregidor: the case of Ramírez de Villaescusa, 1492-1501 first appeared on History Lab.

Typology and value of the pieces in the domestic interiors of Cigales (1749-1758)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:07 +0000

Thanks to research into the interior of the Castilian home in rural areas, it is possible to examine the qualitative values of this information, both in terms of the use of space with the arrangement of the different objects and the personal relationships established between the different inhabitants of the house, their degree of sociability and intimacy.
An analysis of the Ensenada Cadastre shows that in the town of Cigales in the mid-18th century, the houses were characterised by being distributed in two-storey buildings with well-defined outbuildings, and the precise data on the interior of the houses, their outbuildings and the valuation and description of the objects they contained can be documented through the bodies of property and inventories of available goods.
As can be seen in the table, the furnishings are essentially functional, such as benches, chairs, tables, beds, etc. These records are varied in their typology and size, but show a high degree of multifunctionality in the different rooms of the house. There are also pieces intended to provide light and warmth, such as candelabras, candlesticks, candlesticks and candlesticks. However, the main source of heat was provided by the fire in the kitchen, which was distributed throughout the rest of the rooms by means of braziers and heaters for the beds.

The post Typology and value of the pieces in the domestic interiors of Cigales (1749-1758) first appeared on History Lab.

Appointment of guardians and curators in wills. Valladolid, 18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:07 +0000

During the Modern Age, testamentary mandates emerged as strategies of social reproduction aimed at improving the family lineage. Sometimes, the deceased testator bequeathed to his children, minors, the movable and immovable property that he had in his power and administration. However, these assets were placed under the guardianship of an adult, usually close to the family, to administer them until the offspring reached maturity. The choice of the administrators of the inheritance was not a minor matter, but was a major concern of the testator in view of the possible perversion of the person chosen. In Valladolid, 77.8% of those appointed guardians were the spouses of the deceased, followed at a great distance by other relatives (9.3%), siblings (2.9%), children and parents (both with 2.3%), and “others” (5.4%), a concept which brings together numerous categories of individuals related to the family through neighbourhood or spiritual kinship. The city of Valladolid marked the general trend more sharply; in contrast, the nuances of the rural world attenuated the divergent criteria. Differentiated by sex, women chose other relatives (35.8%) rather than their husbands (21.1%) to be the administrators of their children’s inheritance.

The post Appointment of guardians and curators in wills. Valladolid, 18th century first appeared on History Lab.

Number of merchants detected in several Castilian cities between the second half of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:27 +0000

The economy experienced growth in the Crown of Castile during the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age. The statistics and merchant trajectories of its four main cities (Burgos, Valladolid, Toledo and Seville) reflect this. Burgos, despite having a population of 10,000 inhabitants, its geopolitical and economic power meant that its merchants were the most powerful in the whole of Castile. These merchant families perpetuated themselves in the trade and predominated in finance and business. They took advantage of their influence to assert themselves in the organs of local power and became part of the dominant oligarchy. They also developed marriage policies to reproduce themselves socially and maintain their privileges. The merchants of other cities such as Toledo or Seville followed similar dynamics to gain access to the local oligarchies, although on most occasions they found themselves unable to gain access to power and were left in a situation of subordination. Another causality in the actions of the merchants can be found in Valladolid. Although it had a population of 30,000 and considerable economic activity, its merchants were not able to gain access to local power so easily, as the oligarchy was more determined to avoid the interference of external agents who could displace them, directing their influence to other parts of the Peninsula.

The post Number of merchants detected in several Castilian cities between the second half of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century first appeared on History Lab.