Revolts in Palermo broke out in a context of urban financial crisis, dearth and epidemic. It was also a period of instability in the Spanish monarchy, economically and militarily exhausted by the 30-year war, and stressed by the extraordinary government of the Count-Duke of Olivares which led to rebellion in Portugal and Catalonia. Popular discontent in Palermo for the reduction of the weight of bread turned into rioting on 20 May. Rioters acted with violence against places linked to urban government, treasury and tax offices, and to people considered to be profiting from the fiscal and the food supply systems. After 2 days of unrest, the viceroy restored the weight of bread, abolished the 5 gabelle (excises on grain, wine, oil, meat and cheese), deposed the local senate, and granted guilds the right to elect 2 popular senators. On 14 August a new uprising was led by an artisan Guiseppe D´Alesi with the tanners´ and fishers' guilds. With the assistance of lawyers and intellectuals they demanded the acceptance of 49 capitoli, which would abolish the gabelle in the whole kingdom and grant the guilds greater participation in local government. Alesi was murdered by a coalition of artisans, noblemen and the Inquisition on 22, then the guilds´ demands were published. The viceroy, who had fled from Palermo, returned in September and negotiated new capitoli with the guilds, which maintained some popular claims and reforms in the urban government that lasted for almost one year.