Un oligarca converso de la Mancha en el siglo XVI: El caso de Marcos de Madrid

Abstract

Although his father had been condemmed by the Inquisition, Marcos de Madrid efficiently managed to integrate the 16th century's Almagro's society. He, indeed, owned a large property, and a flock of 10.000 sheep (merinos). He dedicated himself to the private income tax farming of the gentry and the king. His descendants were allowed to be called lords (don), and married members of the nobility. He was a regidor in Almagro's Council, and he formed a mayorazgo. As a consequence, we can consider Marcos de Madrid highly representative of the elite and the semi-rural oligarchy of the Mancha in the 16th century.