Miscel·lània / 09

V:9 (1990), 254 pp.

Thomas F. Glick: Water mills in the medieval Valencian ‘Horta’: remarks on an article by Vicenç M. Rosselló (Molins d'aigua a l'Horta medieval de València: observacions a un article de Vicenç M. Rosselló) In a recent, important article, the geographer Vicenç M. Rosselló has set out much of the evidence of what is currently known about the mills of the medieval Valencian horta, an important topic but one  —as he observes— which has been practically ignored by historians. The purpose of the following essay is, first of all, to present some complementary data in order to draw attention to certain documentary references to the horta’s mills in the 14th and 15th centuries occurring mainly in records of litigation; and in the second place, to respond to a number of questions, both social and technological, raised by Rosselló in his discussion.

Àngel Casals i Martínez: The Catalan Courts of 1510-1520: a period of irregularities (Les Corts Catalanes de 1510-1520: una etapa d'irregularitats) Historiography has always been unanimous in considering the Cort as the most important institution of Catalonia. The development process of the Cort is better known by the numerous treatises of the Modern Ages that describe its performance than by the works of contemporary historians. In this article, the author studies the summonings of the Cort from 1510, 1512, 1515 and 1519 as well as the influence that the reforms of the Generalitat and the Consell de Cent from Barcelona both had in the Cort. This paper contains also some methodological aspects which can be applied to any time, prior or subsequent to the institution’s life.

José Manuel Pérez García: Agrarian growth and peasant landholding in the Galician ‘Ries Baixes’ and in ‘l’Horta’: a comparative study (Creixement agrari i explotacions camperoles a les Ries Baixes Gallegues i a l'Horta: un estudi comparatiu) Although the area of L’Horta and the Galician Ries Baixes are located in two extreme distant points of the peninsular geography, during the 17th and 18th centuries they shared two historical trajectories with common traits but divergent results. A strong demographic growth took place in both territories but the former peasant landholding did not disperse, but it consolidated in the latter minifundium though. The author points out some of the reasons for this antagonistic evolutions, focusing on the study of family structure and hereditary rules.

Santiago Sanchis Àvalos and Alfonso Madril Muñoz: Nuptiality and fertility in the village of Xulilla in the 17th century (Nupcialitat i fecunditat a la vila de Xulilla al segle XVII) The demographic studies based on the technique of the family reconstituting are very scarce in our country. If we take into account the strong demographic growth occurring in the Valencian Country from the second part of of the 17th century until the 18th century, the analysis of marriage and fertility rates shows that the main reason for demographic growth consists just in a high rate of both elements. Different parameters of those variables such as the age of marriage, fertility per ages...are also considered in this article.

Josep Mallol Ferràndiz: Ice trade in Alicante in the 18th century: some geographical aspects (El comerç de la neu a Alacant al segle XVIII: aspectes geogràfics) Throughout Modern History, ice trade in Mediterranean towns was a mean of relationship between mountain areas and maritime localities. Its development was determined by the presence of the proper physical environment, colder than it is nowadays. In the region of Alicante, during the 17th and 18th centuries some physical and climate aspects did combine, giving rise to a vigorous ice trade. This product in its different preparations as refreshments, drugs, conservatives….arrived to broad social segments.

Adela Mora Cañada: The rebirth of the Valencian’s commercial institutions in 1762. Its jurisdictional sphere (El renaixement de les institucions de comerç valencianes en 1762. El seu àmbit jurisdiccional) In 1762, the ‘Tres Cuerpos De Comercio’ were created in Valencia; the ‘Consulado’ was charged with mercantile jurisdiction. Unlike the Consulado established on 1283 —which disappeared at the beginning of the 18th century— the new one was only a kind of ‘Court of justice’ into the area of commercial activities; it lost the faculty to prescribe rules and the finality to defend the corporate interests of merchants, that were two characteristics of the ancient medieval Consulado.

Lluís Duch: Thomas Müntzer: Some considerations on his thought (Thomas Müntzer: Algunes consideracions sobre el seu pensament) The aim of this article is to offer an approach to the person and work of Thomas Müntzer as one of the most fascinating religious personalities of the early 16th century. Despite everything, neither his personality nor his work have been taken into account by Protestant historiography as largely as it deserves. Müntzer’s image started to improve a hundred years ago, by an increasing emphasis of his human category as an authentic religious personality, often marked with prophetic traits that remind some characters from the Old Testament. Perhaps Luther would not have become who he actually is without the impact of müntzerian thought and personality.

Víctor Gómez i Labrado: Perot Joan, a Catalan poet in the kingdom of Naples in the times of the king Alfonso the Magnanimous (Perot Joan. Un poeta català al Regne de Nàpols en temps del Rei Alfons el Magnànim) This article is about the study and edition of four poems attributed to Perot Joan, contained in the manuscript called Cancionero Catalán de la Universidad de Zaragoza (University Library of Zaragoza, 833.50 «14» Can.). The author tries to demonstrate that the writer of this four poems “Didactis qui us ha ginyat”, “Oh, Mare de Déu, Senyora” “Principi de males fades”, “En la pus alta fortuna” can be identified with the sculptor and ‘mestre d’obres’ of the same name, who was present at the Magnanimous Court between 1450 and 1458.

Postscriptum:

Thomas F. Glick: Beds and bed slats in Medieval Valencia (Posts de llit i llits de post a la València medieval) The bed-slat was a standard piece of lumber in medieval Valencia, measuring approximately 194 cm long by 21 wide. Because of its universality, it was used by irrigators or canal officials to block canals in order to divert water. The most commonly cited beds were made of five or six slats, of which both are presumed to have been used as double beds, even though a five-slat bed is around the same width as the single bed of today.

Jaime Vándor: Literature and ethics: the «rich of spirit» (Literatura i ètica: els «Rics d'esperit») In modern literature, it often appears a character whose better known exponent ins prince Mishkin, the protagonist of Dostoevsky's The Idiot. He embodies goodness, honesty and sensitiveness, neither ambitions nor vanity. He refuses violence and he is sociable but clumsy. Nobody understands him. The author if this article calls him and twenty other characters of the same kind taken from the universal literature of all times with the expression «rich of spirit»

Recensions: Juli Alandes, Joan Alcàzar Garrido, Jesús Alonso i López, James S. Amelang, Pere Anguera, Joan Bada i Elias, Coral Cuadrada, Xavier Ferré, Miquel Izard, Andreu Mayayo i Artal, Pelai Pagès, Pau Pérez Garcia, Hilari Raguer, Eduard Riu i Barrera, Eva Serra i Puig, Josep Torró i Abad, Xavier Vidal Olivares / Cultural Reviews: Neus Aguado, Lluís Roura, Pepa Soler i Solé, Josep M. Torras i Ribé, Xavier Vidal Olivares / Received publications.