Guide to visit the museum

On the fringes of the Empire

In 1469 the marriage between Ferdinand II of Aragón and Isabel I of Castile marks the dynastic union between the two kingdoms. But despite sharing a sovereign, each territory continues to be governed in accordance with its laws and institutions.

The maps of the 16th to 18th centuries show that their heirs, of the Hapsburg dynasty, govern a vast empire in Europe and America, led from Castile. Catalonia, still weakened by uprisings and the loss of population from famine and plague, is a fringe territory with scant capacity for intervention in general affairs. Royal visits are fewer and farther between and the parliament does not meet to debate the problems of the country. That strengthens the role of the government, which emerges as interpreter and protector of the laws and the pacts in the face of royal authority. There will be constant confrontation between the monarchy and the Catalan institutions over the following centuries.

From the 16th century the population and the economy begin to grow again. New production and exchange networks arise all over the country, while the peasants experiment with new work systems. The prosperity of a sector of the peasantry is reflected in the building of the great country houses.

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