Spanish History

Illicit trade was big business in many parts of the New World in colonial times. In the two centuries after 1600, it also grew increasingly complex. If the initial examples of inter-imperial smuggling usually involved exchanges between northern Europeans and settlers of Spanish America, after the establishment of French, English, and Dutch colonies many different bilateral and multilateral types of contraband trade emerged. Dividing the period 1600-1800 into eight sections of 25 years each, this essay shows how the dominant smuggling centers, the items exchanged, and the volume of trade kept changing.

For many foreigners, Spain is the country of flamenco, bullfighting, the Alhambra and sangria. While many Spaniards do not see themselves reflected in these stereotypes, it is clear that the identity of a country is not generated exclusively by the images its inhabitants have of their own nation, nor – we have to admit – is it entirely determined from abroad. The collective identity of a nation is in fact the product of a complex interaction between its native people and those from abroad. And perhaps the field in which this interaction is most immediate is that of tourism. In the case of Spain, one can see that this interaction between different actors, each with their own intentions and interests, has been very complex. Foreign tastes for the popular culture of Spain’s gypsies, the legacy of Al-Andalus or bullfighting, for example, have not fitted very well with the desire of many Spaniards to see themselves as a civilized western people. Equally, the efforts made by successive governments to encourage cultural tourism in the interior of the country have not been able to prevent tourists from seeking sun and beaches on a massive scale along the Mediterranean coast, where they have also expected to enjoy the cliché Spain of guitars and castanets. Hence, the images that foreign visitors have of the nature, culture and historic heritage of Spain have been very different from those held by its inhabitants themselves. People from outside Spain, moreover, have tended to see it as a uniform entity, while those within the country focus above all on its great internal variety. Nor have ideas on Spanish identity always been the same. There has been a clear historical evolution on this point, and to understand current clichés it is necessary to study this complex and dynamic process in its different stages, beginning with the nineteenth century.

This dissertation aims to depict the daily life of early seventeenth-century common soldiers in as much detail as possible. It is based on intensive statistical study of common soldiers in Electoral Saxony during the Thirty Years War, through which I both analyze the demographics of soldiers’ backgrounds and discuss military wages in depth. Drawing on microhistory and anthropology, I also follow the career of a single regiment, headed by Wolfgang von Mansfeld (1575-1638), from mustering-in in 1625 to dissolution in 1627. This regiment was made up largely of people from Saxony but it fought in Italy on behalf of the King of Spain, demonstrating the global, transnational nature of early-modern warfare. My findings upend several assumptions about early seventeenth-century soldiers and war. Contrary to the Military Revolution thesis, soldiers do not appear to have become more disciplined during this period, nor was drill particularly important to their daily lives. Common soldiers also took an active role in military justice.

Artículo publicado en el Catálogo de la exposición del Archivo General de Indias "El Viaje Más Largo" .
Se intenta reconstruir el camino recorrido por la expedición de Magallanes - Elcano en base a las posiciones diarias establecidas en el Derrotero de Francisco Albo y otras fuentes primarias.

The purpose of this study is to understand the political, social, economic and military factors that shaped the evolution of Spanish shipbuilding for the Acapulco-Manila trade route under the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties (1571–1815). It focuses on the main variables that affected the size of the trans-Pacific galleons, on the objectives of the Spanish crown’s shipbuilding legislation, and on the methods used by Spanish colonial administrators to mobilize human and material resources in the Philippines. It discusses the role of the religious orders in the functioning of this industry, particularly in opposing the negative social consequences of shipbuilding. It also details the administrative reforms that shaped the development of this industry during the eighteenth century, which sought to limit the exploitation of the local workforce by transferring executive powers from local government officials and encomenderos to the friars. Finally, it also discusses the measures implemented by the Bourbon regime to increase its control over the functioning of the shipyards, particularly during the late eighteenth century. Although this article focuses on the construction of the largest ships launched from the Philippine shipyards, its conclusions can be extended to other types of vessels built by the Spanish administration in the archipelago during this period.

Estudio que pone de relieve que el sistema de flotas entre la Península y América que Carlos V introdujo como reglamnto para el comercio y la comunicación con los territorios americanos no era solamente una medida de protección sino respondía también en gran medida a política simbólica resaltando el carácter imperial.

La proclamación de la Segunda República el 14 de abril de 1931 abre un nuevo período en la historia española cargado de grandes reformas políticas, económicas, sociales y laborales. Especialmente interesante es la obra legislativa realizada durante el primer bienio o "bienio reformista" por parte del gobierno de coalición socialista-republicana. El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar el alcance de algunas de las principales reformas en el ámbito económico, fiscal y laboral durante dicho período. Se hará especial incidencia en la Ley de Reforma Agraria de 1932 que supuso, más sobre el papel que en la práctica, una absoluta revolución en la historia legislativa española hasta entonces. En el ámbito laboral nos centraremos en la Ley de Contrato de Trabajo de 1931, sin desmerecer otros decretos que cristalizaron muchas de las aspiraciones del movimiento obrero y sindical.

Cet article étudie l’arrivée de près de deux mille républicains espagnols en Algérie française après l’échec d’une révolution en 1874. Il montre comment les autorités françaises et espagnoles coopèrent pour rendre ce séjour le plus court possible. Internés dans des forts militaires, plusieurs centaines de réfugiés sont soumis à des mesures d’extradition vers le bagne espagnol de Ceuta. Les autres sont éloignés vers les provinces d’Alger et de Constantine pour travailler dans des chantiers de travaux publics sous l’œil de l’armée. Beaucoup demandent à être rapatriés, une mesure qui dissimule l’expulsion.

Entre los desastres naturales que afectaron la geografía peninsular en la edad moderna, la plaga de langostas fue sin duda el más frecuente y devastador. La producción editorial relacionada a este tipo de evento constituye una valiosa fuente primaria para su estudio, tal y como demuestra la reciente historiografía. Así, las relaciones impresas pueden albergar en sus portadillas sugerentes imágenes sagradas de María, de Cristo o bien de diversos “santos de la plaga” representados en el acto de parar las langostas (es el caso, por ejemplo, de San Gregorio Ostiense).

En el presente trabajo se abordarán pues las diversas imágenes producidas en las relaciones impresas sobre la plaga de la langosta, consideradas como el reflejo de la creación y difusión en edad moderna de una cultura visual de la catástrofe.
Con respecto a las imágenes religiosas, se ahondará en su papel de transmisoras de mensajes y creencias finalizados a la promoción de ciertas prácticas devocionales en las comunidades afectadas por las plagas de campo.