Organización social y económica del Estado de Aguilar en los albores de la Edad Media

Abstract

This study is based, mostly, on the ordinances that the Marquis of Priego promulgated in 1519. The document is, in my opinion, quite important. Several reasons lead us to this conclusion. First of all the amount of pieces of information that it provides about the institutional and economic organisation of Aguilar's State at the beginning of the Modern Age. Secondly, because it is the first aristocratic document of this kind that, apparently, has been kept in the Province of Córdoba. Thirdly, because its articles refer to an important part of its territory, since it includes the villages and townships of Aguilar, Montilla, Puente Genil, Montalbán y Monturque. And forthly, because till now it has remained almost unpublished. These decrees, that were collected together in a notebook of forty-two pages, are divided, as it is usual, in different parts. 1. A prologue, where the landlords expose the motives of the promulgation; 2. The titles or chapters of decrees, that appear integrated in two different parts: the first one has ten chapters and reference is made in them to municipal life and aspects related to butcher's shops, wine, trade and militar parade; the second one, on the con­trary, laws are related to the defense of natural resources in the townships of the above mentioned villages, with special reference to rivers, mountains, woodland, country estates, pastures and livestock, sown fields and stubbles, fires, arenas, apiary and to the respective fines or infractions against what had been legislated; 3. The signature of the Landlords of Aguilar; 4. The date of promulgation and 5. The testification chat they had been proclaimed.