Local and Central Power. Service to the King and Patrimonial Wealth in Thirteenth-century Castile. The merino Fernán González de Rojas and his Descendants (SP)

Abstract

In this paper we will study the patrimonial increase of the merinos mayores of Castile during the kingdom of Ferdinand III, using Fernán González de Rojas as a case in point. We aim to show the twofold bonds in the political relation between the king and his officials, and how that bidirectional relationship resulted in a considerable increase in the patrimonial wealth of the king’s merinos. The king took support from the local and regional powers to enforce his authority over the territories, but this allowed them, in turn, to reinforce their own power over those same local and regional areas. The bulk of our analysis will focus on the study of the lands and manors of Fernán González de Rojas in the mid-thirteenth century, and those of his direct descendants until the early fourteenth century.