Office of linajudo. Extortion about habits of Military Orders in Sevilla of the XVII century

Abstract

At the beginning of the XVII century, the habits of the Castilian Military Orders had acquired an inestimable value in the society of the epoch. Moreover, Orders Council had constituted as the court of honor par excellence and the requirements for the achievement of its honors had increased significantly over the primitive rules of access. In this context, appeared some ''professional people'', normally experts of lineages, who dedicated to extortion and bribery, interposing with charges — false or true— in the honor tests, suborning the candidates to the habits of Military Orders, so the aspirants did not have another option to pay the amounts required, except they wanted to see their honor defamed and their habit failed. Despite of being an extended criminal practice over Castilian geography, Sevilla stand out extremely like the city where more abuses were perpetrated. Their negotations were so common that it became into a job; ''office of linajudo''.