Historia de Barcelona

Etiqueta: Usatges de Barcelona

  • Decapitación para los banqueros insolventes

    Banking in Catalonia in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries: The Taula de Canvi

    The emergence of private banks in Barcelona coincided with the development of private banking in large Italian business centers. During the reign of Jaime I, the Conqueror, (1213-1276), the Gothic and Roman laws governing business were repealed and replaced by the Usos de Barcelona. In addition, a thorough, detailed set of regulations to control banking was established by the Cortes of 1300-1301. It set down the powers, rights, and responsibilities of bankers, and stipulated requirements with respect to guarantors. Some of the rules adopted are quite relevant to our topic.

    For example, on February 13, 1300 it was established that any banker who went bankrupt would be vilified throughout Barcelona by a public spokesman and forced to live on a strict diet of bread and water until he returned to his creditors the full amount of their deposits. [Usher, The Early History of Deposit Banking in Mediterranean Europe, p. 239.] Furthermore, on May 16, 1301, one year later, it was decided that bankers would be obliged to obtain collateral or guarantees from third parties in order to operate, and those who did not would not be allowed to spread a tablecloth over their work counter. The purpose was to make clear to everyone that these bankers were not as solvent as those using tablecloths, who were backed by collateral. Any banker who broke this rule (i.e., operated with a tablecloth but without collateral) would be found guilty of fraud. [Ibid., p. 239.] In view of these regulations, Barcelona’s banking system must initially have been quite solvent and banks must have largely respected the essential legal principles governing the monetary bank deposit.

    Nevertheless, there are indications to show that, in spite of everything, private bankers soon began to deceive their clients, and on August 14, 1321 the regulations pertaining to bank failures were modified. It was established that those bankers who did not immediately fulfill their commitments would be declared bankrupt, and if they did not pay their debts within one year, they would fall into public disgrace, which would be proclaimed throughout Catalonia by a town crier. Immediately afterward, the banker would be beheaded directly in front of his counter, and his property sold locally to pay his creditors. In fact, this is one of the few historical instances in which public authorities have bothered to effectively defend the general principles of property rights with respect to the monetary bank-deposit contract. While it is likely that most Catalonian bankers who went bankrupt tried to escape or pay their debts within a year, documentary evidence shows that at least one banker, a certain Francesch Castello, was beheaded directly in front of his counter in 1360, in strict accordance with the law. [65 Ibid., pp. 240 and 242. In light of recent scandals and bank crises in Spain, one could jokingly wonder if it might not be a good idea to again punish fraudulent bankers as severely as in fourteenth-century Catalonia. A student of ours, Elena Sousmatzian, says that in the recent bank crisis that devastated Venezuela, a senator from the Social-Christian Party Copei even «seriously» suggested such measures in a statement to the press. Incidentally, her remarks were quite well-received among depositors affected by the crisis.]

    Despite these sanctions, banks’ liquid funds did not match the amount received on demand deposit. As a result, they eventually failed en masse in the fourteenth century, during the same economic and credit recession that ravaged the Italian financial world and was studied by Carlo M. Cipolla. Though there are signs that Catalonian banks held out a bit longer than Italian ones (the terrible penalties for fraud undoubtedly raised reserve ratios), documents show that in the end, Catalonian banks also generally failed to meet their obligations. In March 1397, further regulations were introduced when the public began to complain that bankers were reluctant to return money deposited, offered their clients all sorts of excuses, told them to «come back later» and would pay them (in the end, if the clients were lucky) only in small coins of little value and never in the gold which had originally been deposited. [Ibid., p. 244.]

    The bank crisis of the fourteenth century did not lead to increased monitoring and protection of the property rights of depositors. Instead, it resulted in the creation of a municipal government bank, the Taula de Canvi, Barcelona’s Bank of Deposit. This bank was formed with the purpose of taking in deposits and using them to finance city expenditures and the issuance of government bond certificates for the city of Barcelona. Hence, the Taula de Canvi fits the traditional model of a bank created by public authorities to take direct advantage of the dishonest profits of banking.

  • Princeps namque

    El rey D. Pedro III, (IV de Aragon) llamado el Ceremonioso, en 1.º de diciembre de 1347 otorgó en Zaragoza el célebre privilegio que empieza: Princeps Namque, el cual consistia en una verdadera declaracion de guerra ó sea llamamiento al país, para que á la publicacion de este privilegio todos los hombres de paraje, barones y nobles, como tambien los vasallos debian tomar las armas contra los enemigos de la patria.

    Los sucesores de este Monarca aprobaron y confirmaron dicho privilegio, Jaime II, en las primeras Córtes que celebró en Barcelona… Alfonso IV, en las Córtes de Barcelona…, y Fernando I, en la constitucion…

    Todos usan de estas expresiones «Confirmants loants é aprobants la constitució feta per lo M.I.S. en Pere besavi nostre de gloriosa memoria den la córt de Cervera comensant, in primis, etc., en lo viatge Aliumque Namque, etc., cuant sdevendrá convocar lo Principat de Cathalunya en virtut del Usatge Princeps Namque, ó encara les hosts de les ciutats, viles e lochs del dit Principat, etc.» De manera que, publicándose el antedicho privilegio, todos los ciudadanos indistintamente estaban obligados á prepararse y comparecer armados sin excepcion de personas, verificándose dicha publicacion con una ceremonia digna de mentarse por su particularidad; y consistia, que cuando debia levantarse Somaten, ya fuese motivado por invasion al Condado de Barcelona, ya por razon de agravios hechos á la ciudad, ó por delitos atroces, entonces el veguer (bajo este nombre debe entenderse el representante del poder real…), salia de su córte ó palacio, algunas veces á pié y otras á caballo, vestido con sobrevesta real, precedido de saigs (especie de lictores ó alguaciles), los cuales con manojos de brezo encendidos (bruch) publicaba por la ciudad Condal el privilegio Princeps Namque á la usanza de la antigua Roma, que cuando declaraba la guerra á alguna nacion extranjera arrojaba un manojo de heno encendido en la direccion del pais que era declarado por enemigo de la república romana.

    Tan luego como era publicado el privilegio, expedia el veguer una circular á todos los barones, condes, vizcondes y hombres de paraje para que en el dia señalado acudiesen armados tanto estos como sus vasallos, delante de su palacio para proceder al Somaten…

    Reuníase este al toque del seny (campana) de la iglesia de san Jaime, y al grito catalan de via fos ó via fora, que equivale á decir, sal fuera, se armaba el ciudadano y todo hombre que podia empuñar armas, disponiéndose para acudir donde fuese necesario.

    Inmediatamente pasaba el veguer á Casa de la Ciudad para conferenciar con los Concelleres, y quedar acordes en el modo de llevar á efecto el Somaten, y una vez puestos de acuerdo, se mandaba publicar una crida (bando), en seguida tomaba el veguer la Bandera de la Ciudad que se custodiaba en la sala de 36 (trentenari), y al grito de via fos, Princeps Namque, la colocaba en la ventana principal de la Casa de la Ciudad…

  • Alfonso V entrega los Usatjes de Marquilles al Consejo de Ciento

    Alfonso IV de Barcelona V en Aragon entrega á los concelleres de dicha ciudad los Usatjes de Marquilles.

  • Desde Castilla, Fernando II dicta sentencia arbitral acabando con algunos de los peores abusos de la oligarquía catalana y abriendo camino a la emancipación de los siervos

    […]

    9. Item, sententiam, arbitram, é declaram, que los dits senyors no pugan pendre per didas per sos fills, ó altres qualsevols creaturas las mullers dels dits pagesos de remença, ab paga, ne sens paga, menys de lur voluntat, ni tampoc pugan la primera nit que lo pages prend muller dormir ab ella, ó en senyal de senyoria, la nit de las bodas, apres que la muller será colgada en lo lit, pasar sobre aquell, sobre la dita muller, ni pugan los dits senyors, de la filla, ó fill de pages, ab paga, ni sens paga, servirse dells, sens sa voluntat, ni pugan compellir los dits pagesos á pagar los ous appellats de cugul; ni dret de flassada de cap a casa, la cual se preten, que quant moria lo pages, lo senyor lals prenia, ó nols dexaba soterrar, fins que la millor flasada de casa se habia presa; ne tampoc pugan los dits seniors ó senioras, per respecte de la senyoria que sobre dits pagesos tenen (puix no sie per rapate de la senyoria del castell, ó jurisditio) ferlos prohibitions que no venan forment, civada, vi, é altres cosas, sens licentia, é permis dels dits senyors.

    10. Item sententiam, arbitram, é declaram, que los pagesos no sien obligats pagar polls de astor, ni pa de ca; ni dret appellat brocadella de cavall, ni tampoc los dits senyors pugan compellir los dits pagesos á usos appellats cussura, enterca, alberg, menjar de balles, pernas de carnsalada, arages, morto, é anell magenc, porc, é ovella ab let, canal de porc, vi de trescol, vi appellat den Besora, sistella de raims, carabassa de vi, fex de palla, cercols de bota, mola de moli, ni adob de resclosas, blat de acapte, jovas, batudas, jornals, podadas, fermadas segadas, traginas, é altres semblants drets é servituts personals, pus no sien capbrevadas, é si serán capbrevadas, é los dits pagesos, ó algu de ells mostrarán autenticament dins cinqanys de sus dits davant nos, ó de la persona per nos deputadora, com los dits drets é servituts son estats introduits ab cauthela, é deceptio per los dits senyors, ó en lo principi, quant se principiaren, foren principiats per los dits pagesos sens causa é titol procedent, sino graciosament, é per cortesia, é á pregarias dels dits senyors, é apres ab la dita introductio deceptiva, é cautelosa, ó principi gracios, los dits pagesos continuaren pagar, é los dits senyors ab la dita possesio axi adquirida los capbrevaren, declarat per nos lo sobredit, dallá avant los dits pagesos no sien tinguts pagar, ó fer las ditas servituts, ans cessen, é hajan á cesar en tota manera, no obstant sien capbrevats: pero que entretant que per los dits pagesos no será demostrat lo de sus dit, é per nos determinat, segons dit es, que paguen é fazan las ditas servituts capbrevadas, é azo mateix pronunciam é manam sie fet en lo dret appellat lo col, ó fabrega de destret……

    12. Item pronuntiam, sententiam, é arbitram que los pagesos, sens licentia de son senyor, ó senyors pugan, els sie licit vendre, dar, permutar, é alienar de sos bens mobles, á tota sa voluntat, exceptat lo cup mayor é principal del Mas, ó casa, lo qual nos puga vendre sens licentia del senyor, ó senyors.

    13. E mes sententiam é declaram, que lo pages no puga vendre, ni alienar á persona estranya lo Mas, ni las terras al dit Mas contigües, é afixas, é ab las quals lo te establit, pero las que haura adquiridas per sa industria, encara que las haja posseidas per trenta anys, ó mes, aquellas puga, é li sie licit alienar sens licentia del senyor, ó senyors. Si empero en los establiments expressament deva, que non poguessen alienar, que allo se haja de servar.

    14. Item, pronuntiam, é arbitram, é declaram que los dits pagesos no sien tenguts pagar censos de castlanias, ni guaytas des castells enderrocats, en los quals nos pos habitar, ni en temps de neccesitat si poria recullir…..

    15. Item, que los dits pagesos sien tenguts de aqui avant integrament, sens frau algu, be, é lealment á lur senyor, ó senyors, als quals pertany, pagar delmes, primicias, censos, tascas, quints, quarts, é altres drets reals que sien acostumats pagar, per raho é causa dels masos, terras é possessions que posseeixen é posseiran, si ja no era que per los dits pagesos, ó successors lurs, ó per algu de ells se mostrar ab instruments, ó alsres authenticas escripturas é documents, no esser tinguts á la paga dels dits delmes, primitias, censos, tascas, quints, quarts, é altres drets reals, ó de parte de aquells, ó de algu de ells…