The intra family conflicts of the house of los Vélez (1546-1567)

Abstract

This work discusses the intra family conflicts within the Spanish aristocracy during the Early Modern Age. Using the example of Fajardo lineage studies the origins, development and consequences of several lawsuits faced by the second Marquis of los Vélez with her stepmother, brothers and cousins. These disputes report about the internal organization of the house, the tensions that arise when distributing the inheritance and family debts, and the importance of royal courts to resolve conflicts which, in some cases, drag on for years. In this case uncontested family primogeniture, but the rights to obtain the needed dowries to get married or enter in a convent, as well as foods, which are used for the maintenance of second sons.