El acceso al gobierno de las ciudades castellanas con voto en Cortes a través del patronazgo regio durante el siglo XV

Abstract

The author proves that the most influential group in the government of the Castilian towns during the fifteenth century, and most of all in the seventeen towns that had the right to send deputies to Parliament (Cortes), was constituted by individuals that worked at the service of the king in the main organs of central and territorial government and administration of the kingdom. He gives account of the institutional mechanism that propitiated this situation, and he stresses the significance of the creation by the king of new offices of "regidores" (aldermen). He also proves that the most influential families of this group of king's servants accumulated posts of "regidores" (aldermen) in several towns, and contributed in this way to reinforce the political links that these towns established with each other and with the monarchy.