Luis Almenar Fernández
Luis Almenar Fernández (International PhD Valencia, 2018; MA Cambridge, 2014) is an economic and social historian of late medieval Iberia. His research explores medieval objects and material culture in a number of ways. The focus of his research has been on the role of household consumption for economic growth in the late medieval period. More recently he has been paying attention to the relationship between production and consumption for the development of particular industries (e.g. ceramics, glass-making), to textile fashions, to the changes of private space in medieval dwellings and to the meanings of medieval objects. His doctoral research was concerned with the material culture of food of the late medieval peasantry.
The main sources of his research are probate inventories and public auctions, as well as notarial records in general from the Crown of Aragon, particularly the kingdom of Valencia. He is also interested in the combination of these sources with the material evidence as seen in the archaeological record, contemporary iconography and other written records.
He works at Universidad Complutense de Madrid as Assistant Professor in Medieval History. He has formerly been a postdoctoral researcher at the universities of Saragosse and Valencia, as well as a predoctoral researcher at the university of Valencia. He has been a visiting researcher at the Université de Perpignan-Via Domitia, the University of Cambridge and the Universidad of Zaragoza.
Scientific journal management:
-Academic Secretary of En la España Medieval (Ediciones Complutense)
-Book Review Editor of Continuity and Change (Cambridge University Press)
Key publications:
-L. Almenar Fernández, "Moulding clay, making gold. Credit, labour and demand in ceramic businesses in late medieval Barcelona", Business History, DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2024.2359711.
-C. Villanueva Morte and L. Almenar Fernández, Agencia económica femenina. Mujeres y cambio social en la Baja Edad Media. Monographic section of the journal Cuadernos Medievales, vol. 35, 2023.
-A. Furió and L. Almenar Fernández, "Land, ceramics and seigniorial rents. The manor of Manises in the kingdom of Valencia", Historia Agraria, 90. 2023, pp. 39-69.
-J. V. García Marsilla and L. Almenar Fernández, "Fashion, emulation and social classes in late medieval Valencia. Exploring textile consumption through probate inventories", in Giampiero Nigro (ed.), Fashion as an economic engine, Firenze: Firenze University Press, 2022, pp. 341-366.
-L. Almenar Fernández, 'Bell e net vidre. Producción, distribución y consumo de vidrio en el reino de Valencia durante la Baja Edad Media', Revista de Historia Industrial - Industrial History Review, 2021
-A. Furió, P. Viciano, L. Almenar Fernández et al., "Measuring economic inequality in Southern Europe: the Iberian Peninsula in the 14th-17th centuries", in Giampiero Nigro (ed.), Economic inequality in pre-industrial societies: causes and effect, pp. 169-201.
-L. Almenar Fernández and A. Belenguer González, 'The Transformation of Private Space in the Later Middle Ages. Rooms and Living Standards in the Kingdom of Valencia (1280-1450)', Journal of Urban History, 48:4, 2022, pp. 782-806, https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144220967990.
-L. Almenar Fernández, 'Why Did Medieval Villagers Buy Earthenware? Pottery and Consumer Behaviour in the Valencian Countryside (1280-1450)', Continuity and Change, 33/1, 2018, pp. 1-27.
-L. Almenar Fernández, 'Consumir la "obra de terra". Los orígenes de la cerámica valenciana por el lado de la demanda', Hispania. Revista española de historia, 78/258, 2018, pp. 69-101.
-L. Almenar Fernández, 'Los inventarios post mortem de la Valencia medieval. Una fuente para el estudio del consumo doméstico y los niveles de vida', Anuario de estudios medievales, 47/2, 2017, pp. 533-566.
Supervisors: Antoni Furió (PhD, Postdoct), Chris Briggs (MA), and Carlos Laliena (Postdoct)
Address: Departamento de Historia de América, Historia Medieval y Ciencias Historiográficas
Facultad de Geografía e Historia
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
C/ Profesor Aranguren, s/n
28040-Madrid (Spain)
The main sources of his research are probate inventories and public auctions, as well as notarial records in general from the Crown of Aragon, particularly the kingdom of Valencia. He is also interested in the combination of these sources with the material evidence as seen in the archaeological record, contemporary iconography and other written records.
He works at Universidad Complutense de Madrid as Assistant Professor in Medieval History. He has formerly been a postdoctoral researcher at the universities of Saragosse and Valencia, as well as a predoctoral researcher at the university of Valencia. He has been a visiting researcher at the Université de Perpignan-Via Domitia, the University of Cambridge and the Universidad of Zaragoza.
Scientific journal management:
-Academic Secretary of En la España Medieval (Ediciones Complutense)
-Book Review Editor of Continuity and Change (Cambridge University Press)
Key publications:
-L. Almenar Fernández, "Moulding clay, making gold. Credit, labour and demand in ceramic businesses in late medieval Barcelona", Business History, DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2024.2359711.
-C. Villanueva Morte and L. Almenar Fernández, Agencia económica femenina. Mujeres y cambio social en la Baja Edad Media. Monographic section of the journal Cuadernos Medievales, vol. 35, 2023.
-A. Furió and L. Almenar Fernández, "Land, ceramics and seigniorial rents. The manor of Manises in the kingdom of Valencia", Historia Agraria, 90. 2023, pp. 39-69.
-J. V. García Marsilla and L. Almenar Fernández, "Fashion, emulation and social classes in late medieval Valencia. Exploring textile consumption through probate inventories", in Giampiero Nigro (ed.), Fashion as an economic engine, Firenze: Firenze University Press, 2022, pp. 341-366.
-L. Almenar Fernández, 'Bell e net vidre. Producción, distribución y consumo de vidrio en el reino de Valencia durante la Baja Edad Media', Revista de Historia Industrial - Industrial History Review, 2021
-A. Furió, P. Viciano, L. Almenar Fernández et al., "Measuring economic inequality in Southern Europe: the Iberian Peninsula in the 14th-17th centuries", in Giampiero Nigro (ed.), Economic inequality in pre-industrial societies: causes and effect, pp. 169-201.
-L. Almenar Fernández and A. Belenguer González, 'The Transformation of Private Space in the Later Middle Ages. Rooms and Living Standards in the Kingdom of Valencia (1280-1450)', Journal of Urban History, 48:4, 2022, pp. 782-806, https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144220967990.
-L. Almenar Fernández, 'Why Did Medieval Villagers Buy Earthenware? Pottery and Consumer Behaviour in the Valencian Countryside (1280-1450)', Continuity and Change, 33/1, 2018, pp. 1-27.
-L. Almenar Fernández, 'Consumir la "obra de terra". Los orígenes de la cerámica valenciana por el lado de la demanda', Hispania. Revista española de historia, 78/258, 2018, pp. 69-101.
-L. Almenar Fernández, 'Los inventarios post mortem de la Valencia medieval. Una fuente para el estudio del consumo doméstico y los niveles de vida', Anuario de estudios medievales, 47/2, 2017, pp. 533-566.
Supervisors: Antoni Furió (PhD, Postdoct), Chris Briggs (MA), and Carlos Laliena (Postdoct)
Address: Departamento de Historia de América, Historia Medieval y Ciencias Historiográficas
Facultad de Geografía e Historia
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
C/ Profesor Aranguren, s/n
28040-Madrid (Spain)
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Journal articles by Luis Almenar Fernández
This essay addresses the supply of basic natural resources for the development of the ceramic and glass industries in the late medieval period, by exploring the extraction of clay, soda, wood and, to a lesser extent, the access to some minerals like tin, led, and cobalt. The case of the kingdom of Valencia between the 13th and the 15th is analised through a combination of notarial, normative, judicial and literary sources, without leaving aside the evidence of the archaeological record.
diferentes sectores sociales de la época. Todo ello invita a reconsiderar la relevancia de esta industria en el reino de Valencia, mucho menos estudiada que sus homólogas catalanas y mallorquinas, en el contexto de la Corona de Aragón y del Mediterráneo noroccidental durante la Baja Edad Media.
This essay analyses the development of the Valencian glass industry over the 13th–15th centuries, by looking at around one hundred documents from notarial, normative, legal and tax records, held in various Valencian archives. These reveal the location of glass furnaces in the kingdom of Valencia and the glass-makers’ activities, as well as the sale and distribution systems of domestic glass. Finally, it addresses the demand and consumption of these goods and their usage within the dwellings of various social strata for the period. This all leads to a reconsideration of the relevance of this industry in the kingdom of Valencia, far less studied than its counterparts from Catalonia and Majorca, in the context of the Crown of Aragon and the North-Western Mediterranean during the Late Middle Ages.
This essay represents an approach to the phenomenon of social emulation as to feeding and the objects around it. Some of the most representative works by Ramon Llull, Francesc Eiximenis and Vicent Ferrer are studied for this purpose, for they fiercely criticized the moral of those ordinary and humble individuals that wished to eat and drink like the rich. Relying on the perceptions and statements contained in their writings, this essay addresses which aspects of the food of the elites could be reproduced by common people, how food fashions could spread, and why it all was so severely attacked by these authors.
Los orígenes de las vajillas cerámicas valencianas, uno de los productos más codiciados de la Baja Edad Media, se han explicado tradicionalmente desde el punto de vista de la oferta. El interés por los aspectos tecnológicos y estilísticos —productivos— ha tendido a eclipsar las cuestiones que van más allá de los objetos, que afectan al punto de vista del consumidor: ¿hasta qué punto fue clave la demanda de obra de terra de la propia sociedad valenciana en el inicio de su producción? Este artículo valora esta cuestión a través de una muestra de 232 inventarios de bienes de entre 1283 y 1349, sobre los que se aplican los análisis cuantitativos propios de la historiografía del consumo. Se argumentará que, antes de la Peste Negra, el consumo de vajillas cerámicas presentaba enormes desigualdades en el seno de la sociedad medieval, y que el peso de su demanda recaía sobre un sector social particular de la ciudad de Valencia. Se propondrá además que era el factor de la moda, y no el del coste, el que no sólo explique este consumo restringido, sino la posterior popularización de estos productos.
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The origins of Valencian ceramic tableware, one of the most coveted products of the Late Middle Ages, have traditionally been explained from the supply perspective. The attention given to technological and stylistic–i.e. productive–aspects has tended to eclipse the issues that go beyond the objects themselves and affect the viewpoint of the consumer: to what extent was the demand for obra de terra by Valencian society key to the start of its production? This essay considers this matter using a sample of 232 probate inventories from between 1283 and 1349, to which will be applied quantitative analysis based on the historiography of consumption. It will be argued that, before the Black Death, the consumption of
ceramic tableware illustrated huge inequalities within medieval society, and that the weight of its demand corresponded to a particular social group in the city of Valencia. It will be also advocated that it was fashion rather than cost which explains not only this limited consumption, but also the subsequent popularization of these products
Basic questions about the nature of postmortem inventories in late medieval Valencia have rarely been asked. What distinguished them from other lists of goods and what was their legal basis? Why were inventories made? Which goods were listed and which ones omitted? How many inventories are preserved today? Which sectors of medieval society requested them? The answers that this paper provides clearly show the potential of a serial and quantitative usage of the Valencian inventory for the study of household consumption, an analysis that would enable us to measure far more accurately the changes in living standards in late medieval society to a degree that is difficult to achieve in other regions of Europe.
Book chapters by Luis Almenar Fernández
https://www.casadevelazquez.org/es/publicaciones/libreria-en-linea/?tx_cvzfe_books%5Bsearch_word%5D=Luis%20Almenar%20Fern%C3%A1ndez&tx_cvzfe_books%5Bdo_search%5D=1&tx_cvzfe_books%5Bview%5D=search
This essay addresses the supply of basic natural resources for the development of the ceramic and glass industries in the late medieval period, by exploring the extraction of clay, soda, wood and, to a lesser extent, the access to some minerals like tin, led, and cobalt. The case of the kingdom of Valencia between the 13th and the 15th is analised through a combination of notarial, normative, judicial and literary sources, without leaving aside the evidence of the archaeological record.
diferentes sectores sociales de la época. Todo ello invita a reconsiderar la relevancia de esta industria en el reino de Valencia, mucho menos estudiada que sus homólogas catalanas y mallorquinas, en el contexto de la Corona de Aragón y del Mediterráneo noroccidental durante la Baja Edad Media.
This essay analyses the development of the Valencian glass industry over the 13th–15th centuries, by looking at around one hundred documents from notarial, normative, legal and tax records, held in various Valencian archives. These reveal the location of glass furnaces in the kingdom of Valencia and the glass-makers’ activities, as well as the sale and distribution systems of domestic glass. Finally, it addresses the demand and consumption of these goods and their usage within the dwellings of various social strata for the period. This all leads to a reconsideration of the relevance of this industry in the kingdom of Valencia, far less studied than its counterparts from Catalonia and Majorca, in the context of the Crown of Aragon and the North-Western Mediterranean during the Late Middle Ages.
This essay represents an approach to the phenomenon of social emulation as to feeding and the objects around it. Some of the most representative works by Ramon Llull, Francesc Eiximenis and Vicent Ferrer are studied for this purpose, for they fiercely criticized the moral of those ordinary and humble individuals that wished to eat and drink like the rich. Relying on the perceptions and statements contained in their writings, this essay addresses which aspects of the food of the elites could be reproduced by common people, how food fashions could spread, and why it all was so severely attacked by these authors.
Los orígenes de las vajillas cerámicas valencianas, uno de los productos más codiciados de la Baja Edad Media, se han explicado tradicionalmente desde el punto de vista de la oferta. El interés por los aspectos tecnológicos y estilísticos —productivos— ha tendido a eclipsar las cuestiones que van más allá de los objetos, que afectan al punto de vista del consumidor: ¿hasta qué punto fue clave la demanda de obra de terra de la propia sociedad valenciana en el inicio de su producción? Este artículo valora esta cuestión a través de una muestra de 232 inventarios de bienes de entre 1283 y 1349, sobre los que se aplican los análisis cuantitativos propios de la historiografía del consumo. Se argumentará que, antes de la Peste Negra, el consumo de vajillas cerámicas presentaba enormes desigualdades en el seno de la sociedad medieval, y que el peso de su demanda recaía sobre un sector social particular de la ciudad de Valencia. Se propondrá además que era el factor de la moda, y no el del coste, el que no sólo explique este consumo restringido, sino la posterior popularización de estos productos.
---
The origins of Valencian ceramic tableware, one of the most coveted products of the Late Middle Ages, have traditionally been explained from the supply perspective. The attention given to technological and stylistic–i.e. productive–aspects has tended to eclipse the issues that go beyond the objects themselves and affect the viewpoint of the consumer: to what extent was the demand for obra de terra by Valencian society key to the start of its production? This essay considers this matter using a sample of 232 probate inventories from between 1283 and 1349, to which will be applied quantitative analysis based on the historiography of consumption. It will be argued that, before the Black Death, the consumption of
ceramic tableware illustrated huge inequalities within medieval society, and that the weight of its demand corresponded to a particular social group in the city of Valencia. It will be also advocated that it was fashion rather than cost which explains not only this limited consumption, but also the subsequent popularization of these products
Basic questions about the nature of postmortem inventories in late medieval Valencia have rarely been asked. What distinguished them from other lists of goods and what was their legal basis? Why were inventories made? Which goods were listed and which ones omitted? How many inventories are preserved today? Which sectors of medieval society requested them? The answers that this paper provides clearly show the potential of a serial and quantitative usage of the Valencian inventory for the study of household consumption, an analysis that would enable us to measure far more accurately the changes in living standards in late medieval society to a degree that is difficult to achieve in other regions of Europe.
https://www.casadevelazquez.org/es/publicaciones/libreria-en-linea/?tx_cvzfe_books%5Bsearch_word%5D=Luis%20Almenar%20Fern%C3%A1ndez&tx_cvzfe_books%5Bdo_search%5D=1&tx_cvzfe_books%5Bview%5D=search
exploring changes in rural consumption and living standards. Apart from the evidence coming directly
from probate inventories and similar lists of chattels, estimates on real wages and household budget
models have occupied a significant place in recent discussion throughout Europe, leading to intense
contradictions and discussion. How representative for living standards are real wages in rural societies
wherein much of that consumed did not come from the market? To what extent do household budgets
adjust to historical reality? Are they are unreliable, hardly generalisable historians’ constructs? This
paper will explore recent contributions of both analytic variables –real wages and household budgets–
on a European scale to assess not only their contributions to the general debate of living standards, but
also to what extent these perspectives match with each other
El mercado y su importancia para la integración económica constituye así el foco de atención de esta segunda edición de la Escuela Doctoral en Historia Económica Medieval. La escuela se desarrollará durante tres días. Cada día, un especialista impartirá una conferencia plenaria. El resto de la mañana y de la tarde se abrirá a que doctorandos y jóvenes doctores presenten sus investigaciones. Estas sesiones estarán moderadas por investigadores en estadios intermedios de su carrera con el fin de contribuir al debate entre los comunicantes.
La actividad es parte del proyecto "Mercados, instituciones e integración económica en el Mediterráneo Occidental (siglos XIII-XVI)" con referencia PID2021-128038NB-I00, financiado por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ y por FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa, UE.
Mediante este Call for papers animamos a aquellos doctorandos y jóvenes doctores que estén interesados en el tema a mandarnos su propuesta. Esta debe ser enviada a lalmenar@ucm.es antes del 30 de abril.
El abanico temático de las ponencias que se imparten es amplio, al tratar desde los festines y banquetes organizados por la monarquía y la nobleza cristiana (con la ostentación, pompa material y representación de poder político que les caracterizaba) hasta el abastecimiento de alimentos de las clases populares, pasando, entre otros temas, por la alimentación monacal y la propia o característica de la población judía y musulmana. Si bien buena parte de los temas del seminario tienen como marco geográfico los territorios hispánicos, principalmente Castilla, sin olvidarnos de Aragón y Navarra, también están presentes visiones generales que ayudan a comprender diversos aspectos temáticos desde una perspectiva general del medievo europeo.
(CiSEM) de la Universitat de València organiza la I Escuela doctoral
sobre historia económica de la Edad Media.
Esta primera edición tiene como objetivo mostrar las posibilidades
que ofrecen las fuentes económicas y fiscales conservadas en los
archivos medievales y modernos para el estudio de la desigualdad
económica en época preindustrial.
La escuela se desarrollará durante tres días. Cada día, un
especialista impartirá una conferencia plenaria seguida de un
debate. El resto de la mañana y de la tarde se abrirá a que
doctorandos y jóvenes doctores presenten sus investigaciones.
Estas sesiones estarán moderadas por investigadores en estadios
intermedios de su carrera con el fin de contribuir al debate entre los
comunicantes.
Consultas al correo: naturaleza.edadmedia@gmail.com
Martes 22 de junio 2021, vía zoom
14:00-16:30 horas (Santiago de Chile)
15:00-17:30 horas (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
20:00-22:30 (Madrid, España)
Farm animals, now and in the past, are mid-way between production and household consumption. They can be a resource of meet and secondary products (milk, butter, cheese, eggs, honey, wax), or an investment in productivity (draught animals) and manure. They could be young, strong specimens or, conversely, old and weaker ones, which could be acquire in the second hand market for a lower price. We invite scholars to share evidence of these phenomena in the light of the current debates of the rural economic and social history of the later middle ages in their respective areas under exploration. We would like to hear discussions about the very reasons behind the possession of such animals, the economic logic behind their acquisition and its relation with the current debates about the relevance of markets and self-sufficiency for the rural economy.
Should you be interested in participating, please, submit a title proposal alongside an abstract of no more than 200 words to Luis Almenar (luisal5@uv.es) or Antoni Furió (antoni.furio@uv.es) by 15 September 2017. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of September 2017.
El curso de articula en torno a tres sesiones diarias de mañana y tarde. En cada una de las sesiones matutinas, reconocidos especialistas en la materia serán los encargados de introducirnos distintas cuestiones relacionadas con el estudio de la desigualdad económica. Una de ellas se centrará en metodología, otra en fuentes documentales y otra en estudios de caso. Las sesiones de tarde se abrirán a la participación de doctorandos y jóvenes doctores en historia económica o general con la finalidad de que presenten sus investigaciones y estas sean debatidas por el resto de los participantes.
Mediante este call for papers animamos a aquellos doctorandos y jóvenes doctores que estén interesados en el tema a mandarnos su propuesta antes del 30 de septiembre de 2020. Véase la información completa en el pdf.
Más detalles en: http://www.uimp.es/sedes/valencia.html?view=article&id=5973
***
From 2 to 4 December 2020 the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (seat of Valencia) in collaboration with Fundación CSIC (Formavanz program) will organize a short course on ‘Sources and Methods for the Study of Economic Inequality in Preindustrial Societies: the Iberian Peninsula (1300-1600)’.
The course is organized around three daily sessions, in the morning and afternoon. In the morning, well-known scholars in this field will be in charge of introducing several questions as to economic inequalities. One session will be focused in the method, second session on documentary sources, and Session 3 on study cases. Afternoon sessions will be open to the participation of PhD candidates and recent doctors in economic history or general history who wish to present their ongoing doctoral research for discussion with the rest of the participants.
Through this call for papers we encourage PhD students and young doctors who are interested in the subject to send their proposal before 30 September 2020. See the complete information in the pdf.
More details at: http://www.uimp.es/sedes/valencia.html?view=article&id=5973
Una visió interdisciplinar (segles XIII-XVI). AICO/2020/044”, que dirijo.
Ficha y versión digital disponible en: https://ifc.dpz.es/publicaciones/ver/id/3998
En este volumen se recoge una compilación de inventarios de bienes extraídos de los registros notariales del Archivo Histórico de Protocolos Notariales de Zaragoza (AHPNZ), situado en el Colegio Notarial de Aragón, en la ciudad de Zaragoza. Se trata, en concreto, de 124 documentos que se hallan dispersos entre los registros que conserva el fondo histórico de la mencionada institución desde el protocolo más antiguo, que data de 1316, hasta el año 1360. La documentación transcrita comprende fundamentalmente inventarios post mortem, particiones e incautaciones de bienes. En menor medida se incluyen, asimismo, relaciones de enseres de otra naturaleza, como entregas en comanda y cesiones directas de bienes muebles. El elemento común a todos estos listados es, en efecto, el hecho de ofrecer un registro detallado y descriptivo de las posesiones personales de hombres y mujeres cuya vida transcurrió en la Zaragoza de los primeros dos tercios del siglo XIV, transportándonos al interior de sus viviendas.
Coordinación: Luis Almenar Fernández e Irene Velasco Marta
Organización:
Grupo de Investigación de Referencia CEMA (Gobierno de Aragón). Ref. H20_20R.
Proyecto Coordinado CORE, Subproyecto 1: El Estado dividido.
Contestación, conflicto y revuelta social en la Corona de Aragón
(siglos XIII-XV). Una perspectiva comparada (Ministerio de Ciencia e
Innovación, Gobierno de España). Ref. PID2021-123286NB-C21.
Instituto de Patrimonio y Humanidades (Universidad de Zaragoza).
Bien se trate de reafirmar, construir o borrar identidades, justificar prácticas culturales y religiosas, reivindicar derechos de todo tipo, desde aspectos económicos, dinásticos, patrimoniales, culturales, etc., la memoria es un elemento justificativo presente en documentación de naturaleza muy diversa, emitida en la Edad Media.
La memoria es, entre otros aspectos, sinónimo de poder, y de manera sobresaliente, un mecanismo utilizado en el medievo con objetivos diversos, y la vemos presentes en cuestiones de naturalezas temáticas variadas, que en no pocas ocasiones se hallan interrelacionadas.
A nuestro entender, esta propuesta relativa al “poder de la memoria”, que presentamos como posible temática central del próximo seminario, se caracteriza por tener un carácter abierto y poliédrico, que puede permitir la presencia de ponentes que presenten ponencias de temáticas diversas, enfocadas desde la historia del pensamiento, historia política, historia cultural, historia del arte, historia social, historia económica.