El arte de usurpar: señores, moriscos y cristianos viejos en el Marquesado de los Vélez, 1567-1568

Abstract

During the 16th century, the titulars of manors increased their jurisdiction rights using all kinds of methods, one of the most extended was the usurpation of rights to vassals. In this study, crossing different documental sources proceeding from all the parts implicated in the actions used in this unequivocal process of usurpation in Velez Marquis in the inmediate years to the Moorish revolt are discovered. The noble agreeded with part of Moorish community from Vélez Blanco, organizing a complex web in order to appropriate some rights that were demanded by the Moorish and the old Christian. As a result of this "agreement" the local old Christian oligarchy instigated riots against the noble's objectives. These events were happening in 1568, the same year of the Moorish rebellion.