ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Germanias revolt, Valencia 1519-1522

Synopsis
In 1519 the brotherhoods (“germanías”) took over the city of Valencia. Several factors led to this situation: in the long run, the great plagues of the 14th and 15th centuries had caused demographic, commercial and administrative unbalances, as well as an increasing religious hatred against Muslims. During this period tensions between the bourgeoisie and the noblemen grew significantly. Even though the 15th century had been a prosperous one, in 1519 a new plague outbreak hindered food supply in the populous city of Valencia. Meanwhile, both the king and the noblemen were absent: the latter had fled away, thus causing a void of power that was to be occupied by the guilds. Thus one day, Joan Llorenç proposed the so-called Junta de los Trece (Council of Thirteenth) to rule the guilds without the intervention of the king nor of the noblemen. After all, they had been granted the right to carry weapons to defend the coast from the constant threat of Muslim pirates and corsairs and could therefore govern the city. The noblemen protested, and the Valencian society split up in two sides. As the revolt expanded out of the limits of the city and reached the fields, violence spread. The conflict left numerous casualties in battlefield and forced the migration of Muslims, who very often became the target of such violence as noblemen had fled. After their defeat, many rebels were fined, executed and/or dispossessed of their belongings.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 2,6 years. Name in sources: Germanías de Valencia. Location: Valencia Country (current): Spain. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Artisans, Local elites, Peasants. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-seigneurial, Political. Leadership: Joan Llorenç and Vicente Peris. Relevance: high.

Further reading
FERRERO MICÓ, Remedios (2013). “Las Germanías desde la perspectiva jurídica y política”, in I. Szászdi León-Borja, M.J. Galende Ruiz (eds), Imperio y tiranía: la dimensión europea de las Comunidades de Castilla. Universidad de Valladolid, pp. 177-195. GARCÍA CÁRCEL, Ricardo (1981). Las Germanías de Valencia. Barcelona: Edicions 62. QUAS, Luis de (2006). La Germanía de Valencia. Facsímil. Valladolid: Maxtor.
Cite this entry

(2023) "Germanias revolt, Valencia 1519-1522", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. (accessed on ).