Administracion
Item
Country
ES
Name of institution (English)
General Archive of the City of Madrid
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
spa
Contact information: postal address
Calle Conde Duque 9 and 11, 28015 Madrid
Contact information: phone number
0034 915885761
Contact information: email
archivovilla@madrid.es
Reference number
ES. 28079. AGVM
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Administration
Title (official language of the state)
Administracion
Language of title
spa
Creator / accumulator
City council of Madrid
Date note
12th century/15th century
Language(s)
spa
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
The Administracion (Administration) section within the city council documentary fonds (Ayuntamiento de Madrid) of the General Archive of the City of Madrid contains documentation produced and received by the city council of Madrid from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. This collection is based on the medieval documentation preserved.
The range of activities organized by the city council gave rise to many files and books on different subjects related to local administration. Among them, letters of concord (agreements letters), letters of command and warrant, land boundaries, the appointment of officials, and judicial proceedings stand out. It is important to stress the task of the municipal scribes that were the officials in charge of collecting and controlling the documents generated by or addressed to the city council. The Notarial Minutes (Minutas de escribanos) series gather the actions taken by the officials of the city council regarding contraventions of municipal ordinances, complaints of public order disturbances, employment contracts, commercial agreements, and dowry and counter-dowry letters. There are four volumes for the period 1442 to 1493.
There are more than 500 entries related to Jews in the Notarial Minutes between 1442 and 1475, which provide data on the social and economic life of the Jews of Madrid. These notarial records inform us about the Chief Judge of the Aljama, Samaya Alubel, who appears acting together with other Jews. There are also data about officials of the Jewish Aljama such as Mayr Aben Xuxen, who acted as its representative (1446), or Salomon de Monsoria, who acted as judge (1442) and “adelantado” (1446). Appointments of doctors are recorded, such as those of Jaco Aben Nuñez (1466, 1477) and Abraham Alubel (1472), and the salaries that the city council gave them, as well as news about their exemption from wearing badges (1481). Information regarding the rental of properties and the leasing of services by Jews, such as butchers, is also preserved (1463). There is also information regarding the rental and purchases and sales of real estate in Madrid and its surroundings; loans made by Jews to Christians and Muslims; the lease of local and royal taxes; the appointment of an attorney, etc. Information is also collected about Jewish textile artisans.
The range of activities organized by the city council gave rise to many files and books on different subjects related to local administration. Among them, letters of concord (agreements letters), letters of command and warrant, land boundaries, the appointment of officials, and judicial proceedings stand out. It is important to stress the task of the municipal scribes that were the officials in charge of collecting and controlling the documents generated by or addressed to the city council. The Notarial Minutes (Minutas de escribanos) series gather the actions taken by the officials of the city council regarding contraventions of municipal ordinances, complaints of public order disturbances, employment contracts, commercial agreements, and dowry and counter-dowry letters. There are four volumes for the period 1442 to 1493.
There are more than 500 entries related to Jews in the Notarial Minutes between 1442 and 1475, which provide data on the social and economic life of the Jews of Madrid. These notarial records inform us about the Chief Judge of the Aljama, Samaya Alubel, who appears acting together with other Jews. There are also data about officials of the Jewish Aljama such as Mayr Aben Xuxen, who acted as its representative (1446), or Salomon de Monsoria, who acted as judge (1442) and “adelantado” (1446). Appointments of doctors are recorded, such as those of Jaco Aben Nuñez (1466, 1477) and Abraham Alubel (1472), and the salaries that the city council gave them, as well as news about their exemption from wearing badges (1481). Information regarding the rental of properties and the leasing of services by Jews, such as butchers, is also preserved (1463). There is also information regarding the rental and purchases and sales of real estate in Madrid and its surroundings; loans made by Jews to Christians and Muslims; the lease of local and royal taxes; the appointment of an attorney, etc. Information is also collected about Jewish textile artisans.
Archival history
This archive was first mentioned in a Royal Provision by Charles V (1525), although the so-called three keys ark, a medieval repository for official parchments and documents, is repeatedly mentioned in the city council minutes beginning in the fifteenth century. The Archive was finally set up in the eighteenth century. The first professional archivist was appointed in 1748. The first regulations and operating instructions for the archive were approved in 1753, and it became a Public Office by virtue of a Royal Decree (1781). This Institution was opened for research in 1844. It has transferred its headquarters several times: the Tower of San Salvador Church and Monastery of Santo Domingo (fifteenth-seventeenth centuries), the first City Hall of Madrid (seventeenth century-1868), second City Hall “Casa Panaderia” in Plaza Mayor (1868-1987), and Conde Duque cultural centre (currently). The custody of the materials was never interrupted, not even during either the Peninsular War (1808-1814) or the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).
Administrative / Biographical history
Madrid joined the Crown of Castile in 1085 during the campaign that culminated in the conquest of Toledo. The granting of the “Fuero” (City Charter) in 1202 brought about the consolidation of the city council, an open municipal institution in charge of the administration, the government, justice, and the finances of Madrid and its municipal boundaries. In 1346, a royal decree issued by King Alfonso XI restricted the popular participation in the town council that would be composed of 12 members (“regidores”) for life. Isabel I and Fernando V added a new permanent public position: the “corregidor” or royal representative that presided over the city council.
Access points: locations
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Access, restrictions
Free access regulated by the current legal environment on access to Spanish historical archives (law 16/1985 of Spanish Historical Patrimony).
Finding aids
Indexes based on this collection are available online and at the archive. Data on the collection are also available at the website of the Spanish National Archives (PARES).
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Linked resources
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Archivo General de la Villa de Madrid | Collections (official language of the state) |