La conformación del mercado interior castellano a través del sistema de abastecimiento madrileño de productos básicos (1560-1850)

Abstract

In 1561, Madrid became the capital of the Spanish monarchy, and thus one of the major urban markets of the Crown of Castile in the context of an economic growth phase. Rapid population growth stimulated demand for commodities, mainly food and fuel but the sudden increase in demand caused problems in making and distribution bread networks as they were not sufficient to cope with the growing consumption. So the authorities organized a system that relied on the obligations of the neighboring places. In addition, products such as meat, oil or charcoal were provided through private intermediaries, called “obligados”, under supervision of City Hall. The supply system Madrid forward was linked to the evolution of Castilian market, plunged into a deep depression especially since 1630, exacerbated by the increasing tax burden on the population. The evolution during the eighteenth century emphasizes this connection and shows that Madrid supply could not be separated from the conditions that marked agricultural production and social distribution of the surplus in the domestic market. The final crisis of the supply system in Madrid reflected the crisis itself around the building of the Old Regime in Castile.