Iglesia y repoblación. La red parroquial de la Transierra extremeña (1142-1350)

Abstract

The parish network of Extremadura can be characterised by its slow development. Once the conquest of the territory had taken place, it would not be until the end of the 13th century that the parish structure would acquire a certain development. This development basically would rely, in essence, on two realities. Firstly, we must point out the still inadequate ecclesiastical organization in a space full of difficulties and slow colonization. Secondly, the extreme scarcity of the population in many of the regions of Extremadura by the middle of the 13th century should be taken into consideration as well. Without a doubt, Extremadura's reality of a weak parish system, evident until the start of the 14th century, is closely related to an insufficient repopulation process and to an intense localization in which major contrasts can be seen between settled zones and practically uninhabited zones. At the beginning of the 14th century, a better parish network organization can be seen as the evident result of a general population increase in the totality of the territory of Extremadura.