Mercado ganadero y estratificación social en el medio rural catalán (siglo XIV)

Abstract

The article looks at the place of livestock rearing in the Catalonian peasant economy during the fourteenth century. The results are derived from the analysis of 126 notarial ledgers dating from 1328 to 1371 and pertaining to various towns in the Les Gavarres region of northeast Catalonia. A case study of the town of Cassà de la Selva highlights the role of a flexible and widely used animal-lease contract known as the comanda. The peasant serfs who inhabited the region chose which markets to attend in their search for the best offers and there was geographical specialization in the type of domestic animals that were kept. The article also highlights the participation of peasants and other local specialized trade agents, and the role of the mas – peasant farm – in the animal market. The author discovered that a small group of local actors from the most powerful farms, along with a group of families from the urban center, supplied the rest with animals. In some cases, these actors became full professionals and contributed to social polarization within the community. An example of this was the cattle dealer Bonanat Alagot, who monopolized the trade of draft animals in his area of influence during the fourteenth century.