Valladolid and its Circles of Economic Relations (1475-1520) (SP)

Abstract

The paper analyzes the area of territorial influence of Valladolid’s market economy as well as the roles played by the latter in Castile during the transitional period between the 15th and the 16th centuries. This contribution results from research work that combines, on the one hand, the state of the question in the available literature and archival evidence, and, on the other, additional information drawn from both the city itself and other locations. Thus, against the larger background of the impact of urban developments on Hispanic and European territories in the late Middle Ages, the paper discusses the role played at the time by Valladolid as a focal point of commerce and consumption, and more particularly examines two main issues: the human and economic flows that were attracted by the town and the presence of Valladolid’s merchants in other areas. All of which allows the author to draw the extent and the limits of the territorial impact caused by the town and, in conclusion, to hypothesize that Valladolid became a midsized commercial hub within Castile.