The next session of the Seminar in Medieval Studies takes place on 29 May 2018 at 4pm. The session will be held in the ID building, Room 1.05 (1st floor).

At the end of the Middle Ages, the infrastructures that allowed contact with the settlement centers were, for the most part, very precarious. Taking the case of Western Andalusia as a reference, most stretches of road were practically impassable with carts. The situation was not much better in the case of port facilities, limited in many cases to wooden structures or natural spaces suitable for loading and unloading, such as beaches. This reality became a major drawback for a large part of the population centers that throughout the fifteenth century were prospering economically thanks to mercantile activities. The documentation preserved for some Atlantic Andalusian cities, especially for Jerez de la Frontera, the second most important city of the region in those dates, allowed us to analyze the different actions taken by the urban powers to solve these deficiencies. The lack of support from the Crown, left the impulse of these works in the hands of the council and its weakened treasury, the initiative of the neighbors and the interests of the dominant socio-economic elite, the greatest beneficiary of the good functioning of communications.

Biographical note
Enrique José Ruiz Pilares holds a PhD from the Universidad de Cádiz (2017) and is a researcher at the PAIDI Medievalismo Gaditano Group (HUM 182) and the Agustín de Horozco Seminar of Ancient and Medieval History at the same university. His research focuses on the political, social and economic history of cities in the Lower Middle Ages, specifically in the area of the ancient kingdom of Seville. He is particularly interested in the analysis of power relations and the interaction between society and the environment through the use of new technologies. His main publications include: “La estructura del poder de las élites andaluzas bajomedievales: familiares, amigos y vecinos. El caso de Jerez de la Frontera-España” in The role of small towns in the construction of Medieval Europe (2017), “Un exemple de relations commerciales entre le Pays de Leon et l’Andalousie au debut du XVIes siece d’ apres le compte d`un marchand de Morlaix”, Annales de Bretagne et des Pays de l’Ouest (2016) – with Michel Bochaca -, “El papel de los matrimonios en la configuración de las relaciones de poder en las élites bajomedievales castellanas. La aplicación del Social Networks Analysis en Jerez de la Frontera (1475-1500)” Norba. Revista de Historia (2011).