Thèses sur le sujet « Pamplona (Spain) – History – 16th century »

Cattle are not endemic to the American continent. Nevertheless, they are present and thrive in many landscapes, all the way from Canada to Argentina. The narratives about the process of colonisation of the American continent include human actors, but there is very little literature in comparison that deals on the influence of cattle in landscapes in the continent. In this thesis, I will contribute to the discussion about more-than-human processes of landscape modification, by analysing archival sources from the New Spain. This region included a big part of the West of the United States, Mexico and Central America. The period I analyse, between 1550 and 1602, represents the first decades of encounter between the Spanish settlers and indigenous communities, in the region of New Spain, where the Spanish established administrative institutions to manage their empire. The documents that I analysed showcase the transformations that cattle caused in the landscape, from how indigenous people lived, to what plants and crops could be cultivated. Inspired by Multi-species studies, ethography, and the concepts of “animal” and “landscape”, I use Actor-Network Theory to create a thoroughly described network of relations. In my analysis, I find that cattle influenced the activities that were performed in the landscape, as well as the ways that other actors interacted with each other. These actions, complemented by religious, economic and cultural ideas that circulated during the XVI century, would form what I call Cowlonialism, a regime of ideas and practices where cattle invade the land and displace their inhabitants, exercising power over other actors.

Defence date: 26 January 2021
Examining board: Professor Regina Grafe (European University Institute); Professor Luca Molà (University of Warwick); Professor Carmen Sanz Ayán (Universidad Complutense de Madrid); Professor Manuel Herrero Sánchez (Universidad Pablo de Olavide)
This doctoral thesis analyses the process of state construction in the early modern period from a joint perspective that amalgamates the agencies of state officials, lending communities, and local elites in the Hispanic Monarchy during the four initial years of Philip II’s reign. The project examines the convergence of private agendas inside and outside the royal administration, which were channelled by the Genoese lending community to overcome the consolidation of royal short-term debt in 1557 and its consequences. The application of an institutional approach, based on the works of Avner Greif, to the analysis of the social organisations that prevented a failure of coordination in the Hispanic Monarchy offers a fresh perspective on a topic normally assessed under predatory models. The specific study of two Genoese lenders who contributed to the establishment of a more viable and efficient financial system in the monarchy, Costantin Gentil and Nicolao de Grimaldo, provides details about how interregional transactions and local economies contributed to the consolidation of the early modern state.

Charles I, King of Spain, or Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was the most powerful ruler in Europe since Charlemagne. With a Germanic background, and speaking French, Charles became King of Spain in 1516. Yet secondary sources and available sixteenth century Spanish sources such as Spanish Royal Council records, local records of Castro Urdiales in Castile, and Charles's correspondence show that he continued the policies of his predecessors in Spain, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. He strove to strengthen his power and unify Spain and his empire using Castilian strength, a Castilian model of government, Roman law, religion, his strong personality, and a loyal and talented bureaucracy. Charles desired to be another Charlemagne, but with his base of power in Spain.

Au XVIe siècle Laredo était un des ports les plus actifs des Quatre Villes de la Côte de la Mer, la façade maritime de l'actuelle Cantabrie au nord de l'Espagne. Cet essor cessa à la fin du siècle lorsque le port larédain plongea dans une crise économique profonde et irréversible. Comment expliquer cette trajectoire ?Le contexte géographique fut un obstacle majeur : la circulation vers l'arrière-pays était difficile à cause de la Cordillère Cantabrique et les infrastructures portuaires étaient particulièrement exposées aux caprices de la mer. Au XVIe siècle les Larédains jouèrent un rôle essentiel dans le transport de la laine de Castille vers les Flandres et dans l'importation de tissus et de marchandises. Laredo était alors une porte d'entrée pour tous ces produits qui étaient par la suite expédiés par les commettants larédains vers les principales places marchandes castillanes. Les connétables de Castille contribuèrent à l'essor de ce trafic. À la fin des années 1560 la rivalité avec l'Angleterre et les révoltes dans les Flandres paralysèrent les échanges commerciaux et l'économie larédaine déclina progressivement.Le XVIe siècle fut aussi pour Laredo le temps des armadas. Le port se transforma en base navale d'où la couronne expédiait soldats, matériel et argent pour ravitailler les troupes qui se battaient en Flandres. Mais à partir de 1572 Laredo cessa de jouer ce rôle au profit de Santander qui était un site plus facile à défendre. La présence de ces flottes fut à l'origine de nombreux conflits avec la population locale, mais l'organisation de ces armadas représenta pour de nombreux Larédains une source de revenus lorsqu'ils approvisionnaient les navires, ou effectuaient des réparations diverses
In the 16th century, Laredo was one of the most active harbours of the Cuatro Villas de la Costa de la Mar, the seabord of the present Cantabria Region in the North of Spain. This growth ceased at the end of the century when the harbour of Laredo plunged into a deep and irreversible economic crisis. How can we explain this reversal/this evolution?The geographical context was a major obstacle: movement of goods and people to the hinterland was difficult due to the Cantabrian mountain range, and the port infrastructures were particularly exposed to the whims of the sea.In the16th century Laredo inhabitants played an important role in the transport of wool from Castile to Flanders and in the import of fabric and goods. At that time, Laredo was a gateway for all these products, which were shipped afterwards to the main Castilian marketplaces. The constables of Castile contributed to the development of this traffic. In the late 1560s the rivalry with England and the rebellions in Flanders curbed this trading activity and the economy of Laredo gradually slumped.The 16th century was also for Laredo the time of the armadas. The harbour transformed into a naval base from which were sent soldiers, equipment and money in order to supply the troops who were fighting in Flanders. But, from 1572, Laredo stopped playing this role in favour of Santander which was an easier site to defend. The presence of the fleet was the cause of several conflicts with local people, but the organization of those armadas was for several people of Laredo a source of income when they supplied ships or when they made different repairs

Spanish and Portuguese organ music still remains a relatively unchartered area escaping the attention of most general assessments of European musical history. The work which has been done in this field has tended towards stylistic appreciations of the published large-scale compositions and the compilation of short biographies of prominent musicians. No extensive investigation has yet been undertaken which deals with such fundamental issues as the role of the organist and the origins and function of the extant organ repertory, of which a large proportion lies dormant in manuscripts, within the liturgy. Indeed, there is no monograph about organists and organ music in the Iberian peninsula as a whole. The overall aim of this thesis is to provide a musical background and liturgical context for short organ pieces called versos which were thoroughly integrated within a musical celebration of the Offices. For this end, a variety of musical and documentary material has been examined: practical sources of organ music; plainchant manuals; ceremonials and musical treatises. To an enormous extent this organ music was subject to long-standing liturgical customs and legislation, as well as to strongly defined traditions of musical composition. The prescriptions to the organist given in the ecclesiastical constitutions and how these may have been realized in the Canonical Hours and in the Mass constitutes the essence of part two of this thesis. This interpretation of musico-liturgical practices has entailed an examination of the relationship between plainchant and the organ verset and the technicalities of mode and tranposition which were involved when alternating the organ with choral plainchant. An analysis is also made of the musical development of versets based on the psalm-tones, organ hymns (the Pange lingua in particular) and the 'organ mass'. An anthology of transcriptions complementing this discussion is contained in a separate volume. As a counterbalance to the analytical discussion in part two, part one provides an historical and cultural background to the subject. An assessment is made of the contribution made by individual organists and organ 'schools' and some consideration is made of the extent to which both royal and ecclesiastical patronage was responsible for the livelihood of music and the arts.

Defence date: 6 October 2006
Examining board: Prof. I.A.A. Thompson, University of Keele ; Prof. Alfredo Floristán, Universidad de Alcalá ; Prof. Bartolomé Yun, IUE/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla ; Prof. Diogo R. Curto, IUE/Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Supervisor)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017

Defence date: 4 November 2016
Examining Board: Professor Luca Molá, Institut Universitaire Européen (Directeur de thèse); Professor Jorge Flores, Institut Universitaire Européen; Professor Pascal Brioist, Université de Tours; Professor Rafael Mandressi, CNRS, Centre Alexandre Koyré
This dissertation studies the gunners, a socio-professional group who played a key role in the political and military expansion of early modern states. During the sixteenth century, new designs of fortresses and warships resulted in the proliferation of heavy guns. This transformation has been well described by the historiography of the "Military Revolution", but its impact in terms of skills and knowledge has been largely neglected. Cannons were quite complex technical objects which could only be handled by specialists called "gunners". Before the end of the seventeenth century, all main military powers needed to resort to hundreds or even thousands of them. The dissertation shows the quantitative and qualitative aspects of this change by focusing on the Catholic Monarchy and its vast network of strongholds and war fleets spread between the western Mediterranean (mainly in Spain and Italy), Flanders and America. Thus, it aims to make a valuable contribution to military history as well as to the history of the Spanish empire. Furthermore, this study also tackles many issues at the core of the historiography of science and technology. As a result of this massive increase in the need for artillery specialists, new systems of technical learning emerged. In contrast with the traditional system of apprenticeship involving a small-scale transfer of skills from master to disciple, schools of gunners were created under the patronage of the Monarchy where one master taught to a large audience of apprentices. This new system of technical learning articulated theory and practice, training gunners in the use of cannons on a practice ground but also providing them with theoretical lessons validated by an oral examination. At the dawn of seventeenth century scientific transformations, these schools stimulated the publication of mathematical treatises, thus establishing the scientific and technological grounds of early modern seaborne empires.

Defence date: 29 June 2009
Examining board: Prof. Antonella Romano - Supervisor; Prof. Bartolomé Yun-Casalilla (EUI); Prof. Rafael Mandressi (Centre Alexandre-Koyré); Prof. Andrea Carlino (Institut d'Histoire de la Médecine)
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No abstract available

Defense Date: 28 May 2010
Examining Board: Prof. Giovanni Federico (European University Institute) Prof. James Simpson (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) Prof. Harold James (Princeton University and European University Institute) Prof. Maristella Botticini (Università Bocconi)
First made available online: 27 July 2021
From the early 21st century, the discipline of Economic History has paid a growing amount of attention to the phenomenon of preindustrial trade. Estimations of GDP per capita by Maddison (2001) and (2003) and Van Zanden (2005), for example, have attracted significant interest from scholars in different countries and have emphasized the relevance of Atlantic trade and its consequences for economic growth. Especially noteworthy in this regard has been the contribution of Acemoglu et al. (2002) and (2005). Their analysis of the different growth patterns among western States has placed Atlantic trade firmly in the spotlight. Taking the year 1500 as a starting point and conducting a long-term analysis, these authors have assessed the importance of political institutions as a major explanation for differences among States in terms of GDP per capita. They argue that the introduction of a parliamentary monarchy regime in England and the Netherlands explains the increments in GDP per capita for both countries. By contrast, countries such as Spain and Portugal, which continued as absolute monarchies, experienced much lower levels of development.

Defence date: 10 June 2016
Examining Board: Professor Jorge Flores, European University Institute (supervisor); Professor Regina Grafe, European University Institute; Professor Wolfgang Kaiser, Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne (external advisor); Professor Pedro Cardim, Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
This thesis offers an innovative study in the construction of the Hispanic Monarchy during the first half of the sixteenth century. Focusing on a king's man: Juan Rena (Venice, ca. 1480-Toledo 1539); I explore subjects such as the Spanish expansionism in Europe and beyond, the configuration of the empire's frontiers, the shaping of the new imperial administration, and the functioning of Charles V's military machinery in the Mediterranean. In analysing Juan Rena's activity as a crown servant, this work reveals how the Hispanic Monarchy was constructed from below, out of multiple interactions between a wide array of socio-political actors. Furthermore, and this is one of the main contributions of this research, it will allow us to rethink the role of that the myriad of king's men, like Rena, played in the configuration of early modern empires. Hence, this thesis seeks to do more than simply reconstructing the activities of a royal servant, it aims to provide an in-depth study, which will contribute to our historical understanding of the construction of early modern empires.

Defence date: 11 March 1995
Examining board: Prof. Louis Chatellier, Université de Nancy ; Prof. Olwen Hufton, IUE ; Prof. Dominique Julia, EHESS ; Prof. Robert Rowland, IUE (supervisor) ; Prof. Bernard Vincent, EHESS (co-supervisor)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017

Defence date: 06 February 2015
Examining Board: Prof. Luca Molà (Supervisor) Prof. Regina Grafe, EUI Prof. Bartolomé Yun Casalilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide Prof. Giovanni Levi, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Prof. Pedro Cardim, Universidad Nova de Lisboa
La gestión del pretendido monopolio comercial de la corona castellana sobre las Indias dio lugar a la fundación de instituciones especializadas en el comercio que resolvieran sus problemas y procuraran su regulación. En 1503 fue creada la Casa de la Contratación de las Indias, institución real que en adelante se ocuparía de la coordinación del comercio colonial, funcionando, entre otras cosas, como un tribunal especializado en la resolución de las disputas derivadas de la Carrera de Indias. ¿Pero realmente la audiencia de la Casa de la Contratación contribuyó a resolver las controversias jurídicas derivadas del comercio indiano? El planteamiento surge gracias a la interpretación de algunos historiadores económicos que conciben a la monarquía hispánica y a sus instituciones como un modelo opresor y deficiente, incapaz de proteger los derechos de propiedad, señalando específicamente a la Casa de la Contratación como la expresión institucional del perfil absolutista de la monarquía. Este trabajo busca responder a esa pregunta a través de la semántica de la eficiencia, definiendo si el desempeño jurisdiccional de la audiencia de la Casa de la Contratación reunió las cualidades de las instituciones eficientes. Tales cualidades, trasladadas al plano jurisdiccional suponen que la audiencia de la Casa haya conseguido administrar justicia restaurando el orden económico vulnerado entre los litigantes que frecuentaron dicho tribunal y garantizando el cumplimiento auténtico de las sentencias; todo ello de forma ágil y expedita. En otras palabras, esta tesis busca determinar si el tribunal de la Casa de la Contratación se erigió como una institución garante de los derechos de propiedad de quienes participaron en el comercio con las Indias y si favoreció una atmósfera contractual confiable, capaz de mitigar el problema fundamental de los intercambios.

Defence Date: 29/06/2009
Examining Board: Bartolomé Yun Casalilla EUI- Supervisor; Giovanni Levi ( U Ca’Foscari); Antonella Romano (EUI)); Irving Alexander Anthony Thompson (U Keele)
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No abstract available

Examining Board: Professor Antonella Romano, EUI (Supervisor); Professor Bartolomé Yun Casalilla, EUI; Professor Maria Antonietta Visceglia, Università di Roma La Sapienza; Professor Mario Biagioli, UC Davis School of Law.
Defence date: 27 October 2012
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This PhD thesis analyses the ways in which technological and scientific knowledge was acquired, circulated and employed in Renaissance Europe, and how technological innovation was practiced at the dawn of the Scientific Revolution. Janello Torriani (b. Cremona ca.1500 – d. Toledo 1585) was a craftsman from a minor centre of Northern Italy. In his late forties he was employed in the capital of the duchy of Milan at the service of the imperial governor. This was the first prestigious stage of a career that later took him to the imperial court of Charles V and later that of the Spanish ruler Philip II: a very late but remarkable professional blooming. Torriani created a number of technological devices that were hailed by contemporaries as mechanical marvels, such as the Microcosm, the most complex and compact planetary clock ever built, and the first gigantic machine: the Toledo Device (a 300 meter complex structure that could elevate water for a good 100 meters)1. Moreover, Torriani participated in the Gregorian reform of the calendar, contributing a tract and mathematical instruments for calculus. Further mathematical and mechanical endeavours included a waterworks-survey, celestial observations, automata and other curious clockworks. Historiography so far has mainly investigated Torriani as part of a narrative of Renaissance genius. The category of genius has been extremely popular in accounts dealing with the problematic and multi-faceted notion of Renaissance. Yet, it has little to offer when it comes to research that seeks to construct the social and cultural contexts in which careers as rich in innovation and craftsmanship as Torriani’s was, were moulded. This thesis aims to observe an existing topic - Janello Torriani’s career - through a new perspective. My PhD is thus intended as an essay in the social and cultural history of knowledge, and especially in its declination of technological innovation.

In 1587, an ambitious colonial bureaucrat in Mexico City published a handbook titled Instrucción náutica. Although navigational books were common throughout the 16th century, the Instrucción náutica was the first printed volume that included an extensive discussion of ship construction and design, and its publication was thus a significant event in the history of early modern nautical technology. While the work is frequently cited in discussions of 16th-century Spanish ship construction and seafaring, little in-depth analysis of the text has been undertaken to verify its accuracy. In order to understand the significance of the book, a critical evaluation was undertaken of its context and content and of the motivations and background of its author. Analysis of documents written by, about, and to Diego García de Palacio reveals that he held positions of academic, religious, and political power in New Spain, that his motives for publishing the book were complex, and that he consulted a range of disparate sources. Significantly, archival correspondence suggests that García de Palacio was an observer and administrator of navigation and ship construction, rather than an expert practitioner. Nonetheless, comparison of the technical content of the book with other sources of information for 16th-century ships and seafaring, including contemporary treatises, iconography, and archaeological materials confirms the overall accuracy of the text. The navigational materials included in the Instrucción náutica reflect information adapted from existing texts, providing a solid overview of the most common techniques of navigation in use at the time. While useful, García de Palacio’s discussion of ship design was clearly intended for a non-specialist audience. Perhaps the most original technical contributions are his descriptions of the rigging of Spanish ships. The brief discussion of naval strategy is historically significant due to its juxtaposition between the last of the great naval battles fought primarily with boarding tactics, and the movement toward increasing reliance on the broadside. By comparing García de Palacio’s text to other sources of information, this study has confirmed the reputation of the Instrucción náutica as one of the most comprehensive and accurate written descriptions of 16th-century Spanish seafaring practices.

Defence date: 7 October 2006
Examining Board: Prof. Irving A. A. Thompson ; Prof. Anthony Molho ; Prof. Diogo R. Curto ; Prof. Rafael Valladares
First made available online: 16 June 2021
A fines de 1638 o comienzos del año siguiente se concluyeron las obras de un pasadizo secreto que don Gaspar Alonso Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, IX duque de M edina Sidonia, había manado construir para unir su palacio con el castillo de Santiago, distantes ambos algunos cientos de metros y situados en lo alto del terraplén de Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Tan novelesca construcción incita a especular sobre su función, aunque la falta de datos concretos sobre su uso aconseja prudencia. En el tiempo del que nos vamos a ocupar, los descendientes de don Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, el héroe de Tarifa, comandaron expediciones de conquista, organizaron armadas, defendieron la costa andaluza y pacificaron reinos. Pero también pleitearon con la Corona, se opusieron a sus designios e interpretaron el bien común desde la perspectiva de su palacio sanluqueño, perspectiva que no siempre resultó coincidente con la voluntad regia. El objeto de este trabajo es desentrañar las lógicas que presidieron la elaboración de las estrategias políticas que los Medina Sidonia fueron desarrollando en este tiempo en un esfuerzo por armonizar sus propios intereses con los de la Corona, modificando unos u otros en la medida que sus posibilidades y cálculos les permitían hacerlo.

Defence date: 13 October 2006
Examining board: Prof. Bartolomé Yun-Casalilla (Supervisor, European University Institute) ; Prof. Antonella Romano (European University Institute) ; Prof. Ricardo García Cárcel (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona) ; Prof. Jean-Frédéric Schaub (École de Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017