The society of "Villa and Court": Hidalgos in Madrid during the reign of Charles IV

Abstract

At the end of the Former Regime the development of Madrid like political and economic center attracted a great amount of immigrants from every corner of the Hispanic world. Some of them settled in this community aiming to reach social recognition. The welcoming of noblemen in the city hall of Madrid was one of the strategies developed to obtain a status. The study of the processes of hidalguía, promoted with this aim, provides abundant information about these people: geographical and familiar origins, occupation or domicile are fundamental in knowing the profile of this new nobility in ascent.