Castilian Wool Trade and the Spanish Treasury (1501–1510)

Name: Castilian Wool Trade and the Spanish Treasury (1501–1510)
Start: 1501
End: 1510

Type Event Region Europe Time 1501–1510

From 1501 to 1510, merino wool controlled by Castile's Mesta shepherds' guild remained the core of royal revenue, exported via Burgos and Medina del …

Timeline

1501–1505Segovia · CastileThe Mesta guild on the Castilian plateau maintained the system of seasonal transhumance, keeping merino wool output stable; the crown protected droving roads (cañadas) and restricted farmland expansion to ensure wool export taxes were not eroded by agricultural expansion.
1505–1510Bruges · FlandersCastilian wool was shipped via the Burgus customs station to Bruges and Ghent, supplying raw material for the Low Countries' high-end textile industry; the crown levied export duties and port fees on each bale of wool, forming the treasury's most stable cash flow after church income.

Sources

Imperial Spain, 1469–1716 — J. H. Elliott (2002)
The Sheep and the Wool Trade in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries — E. M. Carus-Wilson (1987)