The City and the Realm: Burgos and Castile, 1080–1492

The first part of this text examines the place of the city in the historical development of Castile. The second section deals with the controversial question of what impact the conquest of Seville and the subsequent settlement of al-Andalus had on the realm of Castile.

The articles in the first part of this volume, two being a revised English version of an article originally in Spanish, examine the place of the city in the historical development of Castile. The focus is the social and economic history of Burgos, and the work is founded on detailed research in the archives of the area. Professor Ruiz also calls into question the long held belief in the democratic character of medieval Castilian municipal life. In the second section he opens the field of enquiry to deal with the controversial question of what impact the conquest of Seville and the subsequent settlement of al-Andalus had on the realm of Castile, looking in particular at demographic factors and the emergence of the latifundia. The following articles analyse the symbolism and ceremonial of royal power, arguing that the claims for a sacred monarchy so usual in the medieval West were absent during this period of Spanish history, and that the kings used popular secular ceremonies, not anointments or coronations, to legitimise their rule. The book then closes with a study of the origins of the Spanish Inquisition. Les travaux contenus dans la première partie de cet ouvrage examinent la place de la Cité dans le développement historique de la Castille. L’intérêt central porte sur l’histoire sociale et économique de Burgos et l’analyse est fondée sur une recherche détaillée dans les archives de cette région. Le professeur Ruiz remet aussi en question la croyance que l’on avait depuis longtemps quant au caractère démocratique de la vie municipale dans la Castille médiévale. Dans la seconde partie, l’auteur élargit le champs de l’enquête afin de traiter de la question controversée au sujet de l’impact de la conquête de Séville et l’occupation consécutive d’al-Andalus sur le royaume de Castille, s’intéressant en particulier aux facteurs démographiques et à l’émergence de latifundia. Les études suivantes analysent le symbol