Integración regional y especialización agraria en la España del Antiguo Régimen. La Rioja, 1545-1800

Durante el siglo XVI, La Rioja formó parte de los circuitos comerciales del Atlántico-Norte, lo que favoreció una economía muy diversificada para la época. A través de la contabilidad eclesiástica, este trabajo establece la evolución del producto agrario regional, el tempo y la intensidad de los ajustes en el campo riojano y en qué medida fueron impulsados por la demanda. La evolución de la producción agraria riojana muestra dos modelos de crecimiento complementarios: en las comarcas occidentales, la demanda de los mercados internacionales y urbanos sobre la lana y el vino fue determinante; mientras, en el oriente riojano la presión de la población sobre la capacidad productiva se manifestó de manera más contundente, evidenciando los límites de una agricultura tradicional. En el conjunto de la economía regional, las áreas con diversificación productiva obtuvieron mejores resultados en el largo plazo que aquellas donde dominó un único cultivo.In the sixteenth century, the Rioja region was part of the North Atlantic trade routes. This encouraged an economy very diverse for the time. Using ecclesiastical accounting sources, this paper establishes the evolution of the regional agrarian product, the speed and the intensity with which the changes in the Rioja countryside came about and to what extent they were a result of the demand. The evolution of agricultural production in the Rioja region highlights two complimentary models of growth: in the western areas, demand in international and urban wine and wool markets was a determining factor, while in the east, population pressures played a greater role underlining the limits of traditional agriculture. Within the regional economy, the areas which were able to maintain a certain degree of diversification of production gained better results in the long term than those areas which remained faithful to a single crop

La participación del bajo clero en el excedente agrario vasco y riojano (1545-1775)

This piece of work analyzes the evolution of the agricultural product received by the lower clergy between 1545 and 1775. To establish the annual income received by the parish priest, one must take into account both the quantity and the quantity in kind received as tithe, once all charges and the part set aside for the cathedral had been deducted. In the same way it is necessary to identify the place these priests occupied in the ecclesiastic hierarchy, since their incomes were closely related to this position. In this paper we compare the annual amount received in kind by an average priest and that received by a peasant in the same village. Eventually these figures give us the opportunity to determine how much the maintenance of the local clergy cost the community. KEY Classification-JEL: N33, N53, N93, Z12Tithe, Agrarian product, Low clergy, Modern Age

Alimentación, carestías y crisis de mortalidad en la España cantábrica (1680-1860)

This article examines the food consumption patterns, the evolution of catastrophic mortality and the role of famines in the appearance of mortality crises on the Cantabrian coast from the late seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century, before the start of the industrial era. Family budgets, burials and wheat prices are used here to measure how important the shortages were in the appearance of adult mortality crises. Though the population was generally well nourished, the main finding of this analysis is that on the rare occasions in which famines did occur, they were mainly a combination of local crop failures, a break down in the usual marketing channels or wars that caused situations of extreme food scarcity over the course of two or more years

La lógica económica de las dotes conventuales en la Edad Moderna

El principal objetivo de este trabajo es esclarecer la lógica económica que siguieron la mayoría de los conventos para determinar el importe medio de las dotes. Para ello, se han analizado las contabilidades de dos conventos muy diferentes en cuanto a fundación y estructura económica: Sta. Clara de Medina de Pomar (Burgos), de origen medieval y sesgo aristocrático, y el de mercedarias de Markina, (Bizkaia), fundado en el siglo XVI con los parámetros de la reforma descalza. Tras ello, se puede afirmar que las ordenes establecieron una ratio entre la dote y el importe de los alimentos consumidos en el periodo de noviciado de una proporción del 5%. Esta ratio era similar a la renta que devengaban sus capitales impuestos a censo, principal activo de las economías monásticas durante los siglos XVI y XVII.The principal aim of this report is to clarify the economic logic that was followed by the convents to determine the average of dowries. For that, the account books of two convents have been analysed. The first one of these, Saint Claire of Medina de Pomar (Burgos), had a medieval and aristocratic origin; the second one, Mercedarian convent of Markina (Bizkaia), was erected in 16th century in the context of reform barefoot. In conclusion, it can be affirmed that the orders established a ratio between the dowry and the outlay of the food consumed in the novitiate period. The proportion was similar to the interest earned by their capitals invested on loans to 5% per year, which guaranteed the standard of living of the convents in the Modern Age

El fin de un privilegio: la contribución eclesiástica a la Hacienda Real

[ES] A pesar de que teóricamente el clero estaba exento de impuestos, a partir de mediados del siglo XVI se le incluyó entre los contribuyentes habituales de la Hacienda real a través del Subsidio y del Excusado. Sus protestas por tributar en ambas gracias acabaron con la concertación de las mismas en un tanto alzado, fosilizado durante siglo y medio, consiguiendo una estabilidad contributiva que a la larga beneficiaría a la Iglesia. La estabilidad nominal de los impuestos eclesiásticos unido al pago de los mismos en una moneda devaluada con una serie de ventajas adicionales hizo que la carga contributiva descendiera en términos relativos.[EN] The Spanish clergy was free tax. As from second half of the sixteenth century, the clergy was included between usual taxpayers of Royal Finances through the Subsidio and the Excusado. The clergy's protests finished with compound a tax lump-sum which lay over the one century and half. During seventeenth century, the lump-sum payment, the devaluation to vellón and others advantages in the tax-payment did that the tax pressure would have descended comparatively

De curas, frailes y monjas: disciplina y regulación del comportamiento del clero en el obispado de Calahorra, 1500-1700

This paper analyzes the changing patterns of behavior of the clergy and the homogenization of models of holiness, in the process of transformation of the medieval church in a modern church. The Council of Trent tried to build a new identity for the priests, organized, neat and efficient at the service of the faith that would keep it away from private interests and attitudes, typical of a feudal church. It was necessary to clearly separate the profane and sacred spaces to ensure that the interactions between the two universes were dominated by the verticality. The post-Tridentine church opted for a model of holiness based on the compliance with the standard. The convents became real saints factories advertised through their stories, reinforcing the formation of a spirit identification, in which the church guided the recognition codes and its public excitement.Este trabajo analiza el cambio en las pautas de comportamiento del clero en el proceso de transformación de la iglesia medieval en una iglesia moderna. El concilio de Trento intentó construir una nueva identidad para los sacerdotes, organizada, pulcra y eficiente al servicio de la fe que la alejara de los intereses y actitudes privados, propios de una iglesia feudal. Era necesario separar con claridad los espacios profanos y sagrados hasta lograr que las relaciones entre ambos universos estuviesen dominadas por la verticalidad. La iglesia post-tridentina apostó por un modelo de santidad basado en el acatamiento de la norma. Los conventos se convirtieron en auténticas fábricas de santos que publicitaron a través de sus crónicas, reforzando la formación de un espíritu identificativo, en el que la iglesia marcaba los códigos de reconocimiento y su exaltación pública

Business Networks and Social Capital in Basque Industrialization (1886–1925)

The aim of this article is to analyse the potential role that social capital played in the industrialization of the Basque Country. The province of Gipuzkoa, together with the neighbouring Bizkaia (Biscay), was one of the most dynamic provinces in Spain in terms of the creation of companies. Using information obtained from the registration of new companies in the Mercantile Register, and through social network analysis, we try to measure the importance that social capital may have had in this process. The methodology is tested with the case study of the arms industry in Eibar, one of the most important sectors in the region.