La demanda de juros en castilla durante la edad moderna: los juros de alcabalas de murcia

Abstract

The Spanish Crown not only made short term loans frommajor international bankers, it also borrowed by issuing long term bonds called «juros», which were bought by Spanish and foreign investors. The issue of such public debt instruments was particularly intense in the 16th and 17th centuries in order to finance the Spanish Crown’s ambitious foreign policy. This paper studies the «juros» issued on Murcia’s «alcabalas » using a data base with all their bonds issued on this tax and city. Theresearch tries to obtain a picture as clear as possible of the supply and demand of «juros» during that period. We were able to observe a growth in the number of «juros», changes in the average value of their annual rents and the decline of the interest rates paid over time. It shows the development of a market for public debt in Castile.