The incidence of factional conflicts in the political life of Castilian towns at the end of the Middle Ages: the case of Cuenca

Abstract

A contribution to the study of political conflicts in Castilian towns at the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age. The strong presence of the nobility, which was characteristic of the social and political structures of many Castilian towns, meant that inter-factional struggles were often of particular importance. On the basis of information provided by unpublished sources, the author shows that such inter-factional conflicts persisted without interruption in the town of Cuenca during the three first decades of the sixteenth century. He alludes to the main facts of the conflict, the composition of the factions, and the objectives that their leaders hoped to attain with their struggles.