Cuadernos del CEMYR

In memoriam. Denis Menjot

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Introduction. The participation of Small and Medium-Sized Agents in the Fiscal Business in the Hispanic Kingdoms at the End of the Middle Ages

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This dossier analyzes the role of small and medium-sized administrators in the fiscal management of the Hispanic kingdoms at the end of the Middle Ages through five studies. These works examine how these actors, using various mechanisms such as tax farming and collaborative networks, participated in tax collection and administration. Their role was crucial to the stability of the fiscal system, as they enabled greater social and territorial penetration and improved efficiency in resource distribution. The five case studies cover different territories, including Seville, the Canary Islands, and the Crown of Aragon, highlighting the diversity of fiscal models.

Small and medium tax agents in the sevillian council treasury in the first half of the XV Century

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In last years, the study of fiscal agents has emerged as one of the most prominent lines of research in the field of Late Medieval and Early Modern Fiscal History. However, researchers have generally been focusing on major financiers, forgetting the considerable number of small investors who participated in the tax systems of this period. In this article we will analyze the role of these individuals through the study of the municipal taxation of the city of Seville in the first half of the fifteenth century. There, in one of the richest and most dynamic cities of the Crown of Castile, we will observe how many residents found in tax lease a formula to revitalize their incomes. Only thanks to this social participation the consolidation of the Seville hacienda was possible.

The tithing rents market and its agents.

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This study analyzes the tithing rents market and its agents in the last years of the 15th century. To do this, the fiscal map of the archbishopric of Seville is addressed, the profile of the agents involved in the leasing of the tithe and the way in which they participated in the system. At the same time, the economic characteristics of the period and the relationship they have with the tithe rent are considered. For this purpose, the data contained in the so-called «libros de las rentas de los diezmos del vino y del aceite» preserved in the Archivo Catedral de Sevilla will be used, as these are suitable for our objective, as well as because they are the only complete lists of lessees for the medieval period. All of this has allowed us to verify the local and «minimalist» profile of the agents involved in the tithe, the atomization of the tithing rents market and the relationship between this tax and the dense web of small economic transactions that interweaved and supplied the medieval markets.

The implementation of the Royal Treasury in the Canarian Archipelago:

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This work aims to synthesize how the fiscal regime that had evolved in the Kingdom of Castile since at least the 13th century was implemented in the Canary Islands. Although the islands benefited from similar situations to other territories incorporated into the Crown during the late Middle Ages, the archipelago enjoyed certain circumstances that set it apart from other regions. Lower custom tariffs, fewer taxes, and a rapid increase in revenue characterized a fiscal administration carried out by small and large leaseholders alike. The work is complemented by tables and graphs that enhance our understanding of the fiscal system developed in the Islands between the late 15th and early decades of the 16th century.

Collecting taxes in times of plague:

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The aim of this paper is to offer a general approach, based on significant examples, to the circumstances under which the public powers and local agents of the Crown of Castile ma- naged the collection of royal and urban taxes on consumption and commerce in epidemic contexts, for a chronology that extends between 1467 and the great plague epidemic of 1507-1508. The following aspects will be addressed: the chronology and extension of the plague cycles of the period; the economic disruption factors caused by epidemics, or by the measures adopted to contain their spread; its consequences on trade and consumption taxes; the mechanisms articulated by public powers and tax collectors to mitigate or repair economic damage, based on forms of negotiation aimed at facilitating or making payments more flexible. With this, it will be possible to observe to what extent the public powers and tax collectors reacted to those adverse situations, proposing solutions to compensate for the problems caused by the plague and limit its effects on the «financial fabric».

The role played by the 'porteros reales' in the royal finance of the Crown of Aragon during the 14th Century

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This article provides an overview of the involvement of royal porters in economic and fi- nancial matters related to the royal treasury. Through the study of these agents, situated at the basis of the revenue and management systems, it allows us to observe the different ways in which they operated and the competences exercised. Specifically, emphasis is placed on porters who managed multiple royal incomes and audited their accounts before the Maestre Racional during periods of severe financial difficulties. This contributes to our understanding of revenue collection and management systems in the Crown of Aragon during the pivotal 14th century and sheds light on the modus operandi of agents who have received little atten- tion from historiography, despite their presence in all activities carried out by the monarchy.

The representation of the second-born sons in the Espejo de príncipes y caballeros cycle

2025-03-21T11:14:13+00:00

In sixteenth-century Castilian romances of chivalry, the protagonists are always first-born children of noble blood. As in nobility outside of fiction, first-born sons eventually inherited their parents’ estates, while younger sons enjoyed fewer benefits. In the cycle of Espejo de príncipes y caballeros, however, the second-born children have a peculiarity: they are twins, born only a few moments after the first-born child. This trait highlights the potential and qualities of younger siblings. To show this, the case of the character Rosicler is presented throughout the three parts of the cycle, since each one was written by a different author, in different years, which allows us to review a wide range of positions on the subject and compare them with historical data.

The Impact of the Mongol Empire on the Development of Latin Geographical Imagination

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The title of this article is intended to draw attention to the rapid transformation of Latin geographical thought that took place during the Mongol moment. We will mention its imprint on cartographic science, geostrategic thinking, ecumenical notions of mission and evangelism, and on long-distance trade. However, we will focus on its impact on two key figures in Latin mythology, King David and Prester John. We will look for the origin of this process in the creation by the Mongols of an immense political continuum over most of Eurasia and its effects on an even larger scale on practically the whole of the medieval ecumene. Such a vast empire was built on peculiar notions of circulation and movement directly related to shamanism and the economy of nomadic pastoral peoples. The aim of this paper is to show the transformation of some of the main landmarks of the late medieval Latin geographical imagination as a form of adaptation to this vast and peculiar form of rule achieved by the Mongols.

The Geographical spaces and their perception in early medieval England:

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In this paper I intend to shed light on how geographical space was perceived and arranged in Anglo-Saxon England, particularly in the eleventh century, through a couple of key texts from MS Cotton Tiberius B.v/1 at the British Library in London. The manuscript is a miscellany with two documents of geographical interest: versions in Latin and Old English of The Wonders of the East (ff. 78v-97v) and a mappa mundi (f. 56v). From the first text we learn how remote lands were perceived, mainly by means of the creatures that inhabited them: marvellous (mirabilia) and legendary beings. The Wonders of the East also makes reference to specific placenames, many of them made up, and focuses on luxurious descriptions of buildings and natural features. In contrast, the mappa mundi focuses on the known world (oecumene), whose rivers, seas, moun- tains and main towns are systematically labelled. In this way, the Cotton map yields a first-hand knowledge of geographical space in eleventh century England. In this context, the relevance of northern Germania, Scandinavia and, especially, Great Britain and Ireland must be highlighted.

Il dossier agiografico di Lorenzo vescovo di Siponto:

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Este trabajo tiene en cuenta el florecimiento del dosier hagiográfico de Lorenzo, obispo de Siponto, que se enriquece con nuevas anécdotas a partir de la segunda mitad del siglo xvii. La acción pastoral del obispo y su carisma son utilizados con éxito por las instituciones civi- les y eclesiásticas locales. Solo muy tarde, la efigie de la Virgen de Siponto, considerada un producto de la época apostólica, fue atribuida a un regalo de Lorenzo, hecho a favor de su diócesis. En sentido, analizamos las cuestiones políticas implícitas en la evocación del santo y los múltiples problemas vinculados al intento de revisión histórica realizada por las entidades en los alrededores de Siponto y Manfredonia.

The Libro del conocimiento de todos los reinos, twenty five years on (1999-2024)

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The article reviews the main contributions on the The Book of Knowledge of All Kingdoms from 1999, when it was reissued simultaneously in two editions, to the present day, with special attention to the Canary Islands and Le Canarien. In contrast to 19th-century criticism, the current bibliography is less concerned with the authenticity of the narration and the iden- tity of the author, although erroneous information is sometimes repeated. Today, critics are more interested in the conception of space, the relationship with other travel books and the perception of the Orient. Finally, the work focuses on the illustrated book Le frère mendiant, which includes extracts from The Book of Knowledge and drawings by Pablo Picasso.

O ataque de Nuno Fernandes de Ataíde, capitão de Safim, ao castelo do “mouro sancto”

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Conhecido pelos seus contemporâneos como nunca esta quedo, o capitão de Safim Nuno Fernandes de Ataíde foi uma figura da Expansão Portuguesa temida e respeitada por cristãos, judeus e muçulmanos. Responsável pela constituição de um protectorado de mouros de pazes no sul marroquino, a sua capitania, entre 1510 e 1516, correspondeu ao apogeu da presença militar portuguesa no Norte de África, quando numa série de campanhas vitoriosas conduziu as armas lusas até às portas de Marraquexe e ao Grande Atlas. É nesse sentido que, utilizando uma metodologia de trabalho baseada no confronto das informações facultadas pela cronística e pela bibliografia contemporânea, o presente artigo pretende abordar uma expedição militar nunca antes sujeita a apreciação crítica: o ataque ao castelo do mouro sancto, ocorrido em 1510.

The Reception of Thomas More’s Utopia in 16th Century Treatises:

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More than thirty unknown or very little-known references to the Utopia of Thomas More in texts from the 16th century are brought together, accompanied by some brief notes for their contextualization. Most citations come either from mentions of classical or humanist authors or questions of a legal-political or political-theological nature and serve as an incentive for new research.

Al-Andalus in the Imaginary Geography of Persa Al-Qazwīnī (13th c.)

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The Persian scholar al-Qazwīnī authored the Kitāb āṯār al-bilād wa ajbār al-ʿibād in the 13th century, an encyclopedic work that pays special attention to the Andalusian territory. Al-Qazwīnī explored this region from an Eastern perspective, drawing on accounts from earlier authors and describing more than thirty cities. In his depiction, he notably employed the genre dedicated to the representation of wonders or ʿajāʾib. This study examines the cultural and literary context of his work, the genre that defines it, and the marvelous stories that shape his narrative. It presents an imaginative geography centered on a land of cities abundant in water, natural wealth, and landscapes of exceptional productivity and beauty.

The architectural paintings of Santa María de la Oliva de Lebrija in the transit from the Meddle Ages to the Modern

2025-02-25T08:38:16+00:00

An important construction work was carried out in the Church of Santa María de la Oliva in Lebrija (Seville) between 1475 and 1521. This intervention added cloisters and a new apse to the building, though the apse was later transformed into its current form. At this juncture, an ambitious set of architectural paintings was deployed inside the Church, a set which is poorly preserved but richly documented by unpublished documents. The analysis of both sources will allow for the retrieval of the original temple’s image, as well as the recreation of the practice of fresco painters and gilders in the Kingdom of Seville. Even though these professionals followed the Hispano-Muslim artistic principles, they were receptive to incorporating late Gothic and early Renaissance repertoires.

Geographies of the Quest:

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In the present work we propose a reflection on the way in which space is constructed within the narrative, more particularly within the framework of one of its key structuring schemes, the quest. We will illustrate our purpose through two works that correspond to two key moments in the development of narrative in France, in which we propose to identify a kind of symbolic geography. The first of them is The Tale of the Grail, created by Chrétien de Troyes at the end of the 12th century: Perceval, locked in an isolated land –wasteland–, undertakes a quest in which he does not seem able to escape its negative influence, until finally encountering its beneficial and restorative face. In a second moment we will move to the 16th century, to focus on Rabelais and the founding action of his heroes, shown through his dialogue with different spaces that the giant rescues from his sterility. However, in his last works, The Fourth Book, in which Pantagruel and his people set out in search of answers to Panurge’s doubts, they appear only as spectators of a succession of deformed territories without being able to regenerate them.

Arias Guillén, Fernando, Las cruzadas. La guerra santa cristiana.

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Review of Arias Guillén, Fernando, Las cruzadas. La guerra santa cristiana. Madrid, Catarata, 2024, 176 pp. ISBN: 978-84-1352-902-8.

Baydal Sala, Vicent y Esquilache Martí, Ferrán (eds.), La herencia reconstruida. Crecimiento agrario y transformaciones del paisaje tras las con- quistas de al-Ándalus (siglos XII-XVI).

2025-02-25T08:38:10+00:00

Review of Baydal Sala, Vicent y Esquilache Martí, Ferrán (eds.), La herencia reconstruida. Crecimiento agrario y transformaciones del paisaje tras las con- quistas de al-Ándalus (siglos xii-xvi). Castelló de la Plana, Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I, 2023, 352 pp. ISBN: 978-84-19647-03-0.

Cabezuelo Pliego, José Vicente, Formación y declive del estado señorial de Bernat de Sarrià en el Reino de Valencia (finales del siglo XIII-1335).

2025-02-25T08:38:11+00:00

Review of Cabezuelo Pliego, José Vicente, Formación y declive del estado señorial de Bernat de Sarrià en el Reino de Valencia (finales del siglo XIII-1335). Ane- jos del Anuario de Estudios Medievales. Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 2023, 328 pp. ISBN 978-84-00-11171-7.

Forbus, Jason R., Vikingos. Entre la historia y la leyenda.

2025-02-25T08:38:12+00:00

Review of Forbus, Jason R., Vikingos. Entre la historia y la leyenda. Gaeta, Ventus Press, 2024, 89 pp. ISBN 979-12-5633-048-5.

González Rolán, Tomás y López Fonseca, Antonio, Sobre la igualdad de los judeoconversos. Estudio, edición crítica y traducción del Defensorium unitatis christianae de Alfonso de Cartagena.

2025-02-25T08:38:13+00:00

Review of González Rolán, Tomás y López Fonseca, Antonio, Sobre la igualdad de los judeoconversos. Estudio, edición crítica y traducción del Defenso- rium unitatis christianae de Alfonso de Cartagena. Madrid, Guillermo Escolar Editor, 2023, 677 pp. ISBN 978-84-19782-35-9.

De Estridón, Jerónimo, Tres vidas en el desierto (Silvia Acerbi, trad.).

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Review of De Estridón, Jerónimo, Tres vidas en el desierto (Silvia Acerbi, trad.). Madrid, Editorial Trotta, 2023, 144 pp. ISBN 978-84-1364-195-9.

Marignolli, Giovanni de, Relatio. Un frate francescano nella Cina e nell’India del XIV secolo (Paola Mocella, notas y trad.; Irene Malfatto, texto crítico).

2025-02-25T08:38:15+00:00

Review of Marignolli, Giovanni de, Relatio. Un frate francescano nella Cina e nell’India del xiv secolo (Paola Mocella, notas y trad.; Irene Malfatto, texto crítico). Pisa, Pacini Editore, 2022, 142 pp. ISBN: 979-12-5486-126-4.

González Nieto, Diego, Alfonso de Fonseca y Ulloa: la Casa de un arzobispo de Sevilla en el siglo XV.

2025-02-25T08:38:15+00:00

Review of González Nieto, Diego, Alfonso de Fonseca y Ulloa: la Casa de un arzobispo de Sevilla en el siglo xv. Madrid, Dykinson, 2023, 337 pp. ISBN: 978-84-1170-696-4.

Grybauskas, Peter (ed.), Tolkien J.R.R. La Batalla de Maldon junto con El regreso de Beorhtnoth (Jorge Luis Bueno Alonso, trad.).

2025-02-25T08:38:16+00:00

Review of Grybauskas, Peter (ed.), Tolkien J.R.R. La Batalla de Maldon junto con El regreso de Beorhtnoth (Jorge Luis Bueno Alonso, trad.). Barcelona, Minotauro, 2023, 246 pp. ISBN: 978-84-450-1504-9.

Jiménez Moreno, Arturo, La incorporación de la mujer a la cultura escrita en el siglo xv: análisis contextual y censo de lectoras en Aragón, Castilla y Portugal.

2025-02-25T08:38:17+00:00

Review of Jiménez Moreno, Arturo, La incorporación de la mujer a la cultura escrita en el siglo xv: análisis contextual y censo de lectoras en Aragón, Castilla y Portugal. Salamanca, Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca, 2023, 639 pp. ISBN: 978-84-1311-854-3.

Martín Pascual, Llúcia, Bestiari medieval.

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Review of Martín Pascual, Llúcia, Bestiari medieval. Bar- celona, Editorial Barcino, 2022, 212 pp. ISBN 978-84-7226-905-7.

Ramírez, Janina, Fémina. Una nueva historia de la Edad Media a través de las mujeres.

2025-02-25T08:38:17+00:00

Review of Ramírez, Janina, Fémina. Una nueva historia de la Edad Media a través de las mujeres. Barcelona, Editorial Ático de los Libros, 2022, 460 pp. ISBN 978-84-18217-70-8.

Ríos Rodríguez, María Luz, Mujer, vida y memoria en la Compostela medieval.

2025-02-25T08:38:17+00:00

Review of Ríos Rodríguez, María Luz, Mujer, vida y memo- ria en la Compostela medieval. Santiago de Com- postela, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 2023, 158 pp. ISBN: 978-84-1967-962-8.

Roca Cabau, Guillem, Les olors de la Lleida medieval. Salubritat y salut pública entre els segles XIII i XV

2025-02-25T08:38:17+00:00

Review of Roca Cabau, Guillem, Les olors de la Lleida medieval. Salubritat y salut pública entre els segles XIII i XV. Lérida, Universitat de Lleida, 2023, 224 pp. ISBN: 978-84-9144-415-2.