Wednesday, November 2, 2011

2011-2012 Challenges. Number 7

As I´m going on strike (again) tomorrow, here you have this week´s challenge questions. If you answer them, you will learn something more about the first Bourbons in Spain.

QUESTION 1

Cadastre is a Catalan word used to refer to the single tax imposed in Catalonia by Philip V. This tax was part of the punishments imposed by Philip V to the territories of the former Crown of Aragon and its objective was to make tax collection more efficient and to balance the Aragonese contributions to the State finances with the Castilian contributions. The unique tax was called cadastre in Catalonia. How was this single tax called in Aragon, Valencia and Mallorca?

QUESTION 2

The Marquis of Ensenada had the idea of extending the cadastre to Castile. Ensenada was one of Ferdinand VI´s  most important and influential secretaries. However, he made a decision that could be considered racist today. He ordered the  arrest of  all the member of a minority  community. What was this community?


Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea, Marquis of Ensenada

QUESTION 3

Some years later Ensenada was arrested and exiled, first in Granada and later in El Puerto de Santa María. Why?

QUESTION 4

There is a royal pantheon in El Escorial, where all the kings of the Hispanic Monarchy and Spain since Philip II have been buried. Why wasn´t King Ferdinand VI buried there? Where is he buried?


Ferdinand VI

QUESTION 5

The first population census in Spain was made during Charles III´s reign. How is this census known? According to this census, how many people lived in Spain at the end of the 18th century?

QUESTION 6

Why didn´t Charles III´s firstborn male son reign in Spain?

1 comment:

Paqui Pérez Fons said...

You don´t even try.

QUESTION 1

Única contribución in Aragón, talla in Mallorca and equivalente in Valencia

QUESTION 2
In 1749 he ordered to arrest all the Gipsy in Spain. Men were sent to arsenals to do forced labour. Women and children were sent to prison. This action finished in 1763.

QUESTION 3
He was a francophile. The British conspired against him and accused him of preparing war against them without the king´s consent. He was imprisoned and exiled first in Granada and later in El Puerto de Santa María.

QUESTION 4
His wife Bárbara of Braganza couldn´t be buried in El Escorial Pantheon, because she hadn´t been mother of a king (they didn´t have children). This is why Ferdinand VI decided to be buried with his wife in the Church of Santa Bárbara in Madrid (Las Salesas Reales Covent)
Philip V wasn´t buried in El Escorial either. He preferred to be buried in La Granja Palace.

QUESTION 5
Census of Floridablanca. The Spanish population was 10,268,110 inhabitants.

QUESTION 6

Infant Philip Anthony, Charles III´s sixth son (he had 13 sons and daughters) was excluded from the throne because he was mentally disabled.