The Settlement of the High Nobility in Burgos (1476-1516): An Approach Based on the Rojas, Manrique, Sarmiento and Velasco Lineages

Abstract

The presence of the high nobility in Castilian royal cities in the late Middle Ages is an uncontested fact. However, the process of noble encroachment was not equal in all cities: there were differences on account of the space and, especially, of the members of the nobility. This paper presents a first comparative study of the different models of noble penetration in the royal city of Burgos between 1476 and 1516. Based on the analysis of Burgos municipal records, the settlement in the city of four noble bloodlines –the Rojas, the Sarmiento, the Manrique and the Velasco lineages– is examined, as well as their participation in the town government. This study will show how the positions occupied by the nobility in Burgos result mainly from the role played by the nobility in Castilian politics, but also from the relationship they built with the urban elite.