Publication: Bienestar y pobreza. El impacto del sistema de herencia castellano en Cádiz, el «Emporio del Orbe» (1700-1810)
Loading...
Identifiers
Publication date
1997
Defense date
Authors
Advisors
Tutors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Editada en la Fundación Empresa Pública
Impact
Export
Abstract
La continuidad de las grandes casas mercantiles establecidas en la Andalucía
occidental durante el siglo XVIII se vio obstaculizada no sólo por la crisis política y
económica finisecular, sino también por un factor estructural hasta ahora poco
analizado en la historia económica: el sistema hereditario castellano. La legislación
y las prácticas hereditarias castellanas protegieron la transmisión intergeneracional
de los patrimonios familiares y por ello fomentaron el bienestar de las familias. El
reparto igualitario castellano, sin embargo, tuvo también el resultado de propiciar
la disgregación de importantes patrimonios, difícultando la pervivencia de numerosas
empresas mercantiles de carácter familiar. El presente trabajo representa
una aproximación a este tema, estudiando algunos de los principales efectos que
tuvo el sistema hereditario castellano en Cádiz, y algunos de los frecuentes mecanismos
utilizados por la élite mercantil gaditana para transmitir patrimonios más
concentrados en el siglo XVIII, época en la que la ciudad andaluza tuvo el monopolio
del comercio legal entre España y sus posesiones en América.
The continuity of big mercantile houses established in Western Andalusia during the eighteenth century was jeopardized not only due to the political and economic crisis oí the end of the century, but also due to anodier source of instability that has received litde attention in economic hístory: the equalitarian principies of the Castilian hereditary systetn, whose aim was to safeguard the transmission of family wealth between generations. Castilian hereditary law and customs promoted family well-being, but the equalitarian división of patritnonies also had the result of forcing the dispersión of fortunes, therefore hindering the continuity of numerous tnercantile family firms. This article studies the effects of the Castilian hereditary system in Cádiz during the eighteen century, when the Andalusian city held the legal monopoly of trade between Spain and its American possessions. The study also analyzes some of the mechanisms that the Cádiz mercantile elites used in order to bequeath more concentrated patrimonies.
The continuity of big mercantile houses established in Western Andalusia during the eighteenth century was jeopardized not only due to the political and economic crisis oí the end of the century, but also due to anodier source of instability that has received litde attention in economic hístory: the equalitarian principies of the Castilian hereditary systetn, whose aim was to safeguard the transmission of family wealth between generations. Castilian hereditary law and customs promoted family well-being, but the equalitarian división of patritnonies also had the result of forcing the dispersión of fortunes, therefore hindering the continuity of numerous tnercantile family firms. This article studies the effects of the Castilian hereditary system in Cádiz during the eighteen century, when the Andalusian city held the legal monopoly of trade between Spain and its American possessions. The study also analyzes some of the mechanisms that the Cádiz mercantile elites used in order to bequeath more concentrated patrimonies.
Description
Keywords
Bibliographic citation
Revista de Historia Económica Año XV Primavera-Verano 1997 n. 2 pp. 243--268