Metadata: Medieval Notarial Records and Registers
Collection
- Country:
- Spain
- Holding institution:
- Historical Municipal Archive of Agreda
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archivo Historico Municipal de Agreda
- Postal address:
- Plaza Mayor 1. 42100 - Agreda
- Phone number:
- +34 976 647 188
- Web address:
- http://www.agreda.es/
- Email:
- informacion@agreda.es
- Reference number:
- ES. 42004. AM
- Title:
- Medieval Notarial Records and Registers
- Title (official language):
- Registros y protocolos medievales
- Creator/accumulator:
- Town council of Agreda
- Date note:
- 14th century
- Language:
- Spanish; Castilian
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- Good
- Scope and content:
-
The Medieval Notarial Records and Registers Section of the Municipal Archive of Agreda contains documentation from the fourteenth century. This section constitutes the most important medieval documentation in the archive due to its volume and the subjects that it deals with. The public notaries of Agreda dedicated notebooks to record different administrative and private acts, in chronological order. The records are kept in nine volumes, which have been classified into two subsections: “Protocolos antiguos” (Old registers) (volumes no. 5 and 6) and “Protocolos nuevos” (New registers) (volumes no. 1-4 and 7-9).
Volume no. 1 contains meeting minutes of the town council, judicial orders, and 22 royal letters (1334-1337) (128 folios). Concerning Jews, some records ban them from buying real estate (1335), and they were forced to pay the “moneda forera” for the war against the Moors (1335).
Volume no. 2 contains writings of liabilities and debts owed by Christians to Jews, especially to Don Osua, son of Don Nombre Bueno Xetevi (1339-1341) (12 folios).
Volume no. 3 contains a notarial register (1347-1348) (39 folios).
Volume no. 4 contains town council meeting minutes and judicial orders (1344-1346) (54 folios), as well as contract entries (1342-1345) (95 folios). It includes 20 royal documents.
Volume no. 5 contains 28 royal letters by King Pedro I and some contract entries (1352-1357) (fols. 1-30); 26 royal letters by Pedro I (1357-1364) (fol. 31-72); notarial registers, judicial orders, and contract entries (1348-1348) (fol. 73-89); contract entries (1346/1347; 1347; 1347; 1338) (fol. 93-137; fol. 138-142; fol. 143-161; fol. 94-101); royal letters by Alfonso XI and some contract entries (1338) (fol. 164-166); notarial registers, judicial orders, and contract entries (1340-1342) (fol. 167-186); contract entries (1341-1338; 1347) (fol. 187-191; fol. 192-194); notarial registers, orders, and four royal letters by Alfonso XI (1347-1348) (fol. 195-210). Concerning Jews, it contains information on the tax farmers of the “alcabalas” (sales tax) of the Bishoprics of Osma and Sigüenza and their interaction with the town council of Agreda (1352). Likewise, Yehuda Matud, from Guadalajara, the tax farmer of half the tithes of the mountain passes, notified the town council of Ágreda that Abraen Aben Xuxen would be the tax collector in Ágreda and required them in the name of the King to assist him (1354).
Volume no. 6 contains notarial registers, orders and contract entries (1342) (fol. 180-198); contract entries (1340-1341) (fol. 1-48); contract entries and notarial registers of 1339 (1340-1340) (fol. 104-144); some notarial registers, orders, and 16 royal documents (1339-1340) (fol. 49-93); orders and notarial registers (1340-1341) (fol. 146-187); contract entries (1342-1343; 1343; 1343-1344; 1344; 1344; 1345-1346) (fol. 199-218; fol. 219-231; fol. 232-262; fol. 263-269; fol. 270 -273; fol. 274-322).
Volume no. 7 contains town council minutes, judicial orders, and nine royal documents (1339-1342) (29 folios). Concerning Jews, Alfonso XI required an investigation for amounts taken from Jews (1341); Alfonso XI sent tax-collectors, among them Don Salamon de Burgos, to collect from the Jews the “moneda forera” tax to c+V3ontribute to the expenses of the war (1342).
Volume no. 8 contains town council minutes, judicial orders, and royal documentation (1340-1341) (18 folios).
Volume no. 9 contains town council minutes, judicial orders, and royal documentation (1340-1341) (59 folios). Concerning Jews, Don Zulema Abenyaex, tax-collector of the tithe of the Bishoprics of Calahorra, Osma, Tarazona, and Sigüenza, decried that some people brought merchandise through undetermined locations to avoid paying the tax in the legally established mountain passes (1342); Alfonso XI requested from the Jewish Aljamas of Agreda and Cervera a loan of 2,000 mrs with a commitment to restore it (1343).
- Archival history:
- In the 1980s, two sets of notarial registers (volumes 5 and 6) appeared and were scanned by the town hall. These notebooks are currently numbered and foliated in pencil. Later, seven new volumes appeared.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Agreda was conquered by Castile in 1118 and repopulated at the time of Alfonso VII with people from Yanguas, San Pedro Manrique and Magaña, towns located in the mountains of Soria. The Castilian monarchs granted numerous privileges to this frontier town. Agreda enjoyed its own jurisdiction, granted by Alfonso X in 1260. Throughout the Middle Ages, its border position made the town a prominent place in the trade relations between Castile and the kingdoms of Navarra and Aragon.
- Access, restrictions:
- It is necessary to make a previous appointment. Free access regulated by the current normative on access to Spanish historical archives (law 16/1985 of Spanish Historical Patrimony).
- Finding aids:
- Data on the collection are also available at the website of the Spanish National Archives (PARES)
- Links to finding aids:
- https://pares.culturaydeporte.gob.es/inicio.html
- Yerusha Network member:
- Spanish National Research Council
- Author of the description:
- Marina Girona Berenguer; ILC, CSIC; April 2020
