CCEA A-Level History 4010
England 1509–58AS Unit 1
England 1603–49AS Unit 1
Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80AS Unit 1
Italy and Germany 1815–71AS Unit 1
Germany 1919–45AS Unit 1
Spain and Europe 1556–98AS Unit 2
The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714AS Unit 2
Ireland 1823–67AS Unit 2
France 1815–70AS Unit 2
Russia 1914–41AS Unit 2
Italy's Quest for Great Power Status 1871–1943AS Unit 2
Crown and Parliament in England 1625–1714A2 Unit 1
Ireland Under the Union 1800–1900A2 Unit 1
The Causes and Consequences of Great Power Conflict 1848–1945A2 Unit 1
The American Presidency 1901–2000A2 Unit 1
Clash of Ideologies in Europe 1900–2000A2 Unit 1
England 1558–1603A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1685–1714A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1778–1803A2 Unit 2
Partition of Ireland 1900–25A2 Unit 2
Spain and Europe 1556–98
Agriculture, industry and commerce 1556–98
- 3 things to know
- AS Unit 2
Overview
How the Mesta's privileges damaged arable farming, three Spanish industrial centres and what each produced and casa de Contratación.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Why did the Crown protect the Mesta despite the harm to arable farming?
What was the tasa del trigo and what did it do?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Why was Castilian agriculture so unproductive?
Model answer
Much of Castile is dry upland with thin soil, holdings were small or worked by tenants with little capital, and there was no incentive to improve rented land.
- 2
What was the Mesta?
Model answer
The Mesta was the guild of the great sheep owners, whose flocks moved between summer and winter pastures under privileges granted by the Crown.
- 3
Explain how the Mesta's privileges damaged arable farming.
Model answer
The Mesta's rights of way and grazing kept vast stretches of land out of cultivation and allowed flocks to cross sown ground, so arable farmers could not extend their fields securely.
- 4
Why did the Crown protect the Mesta despite the harm to arable farming?
Model answer
Wool was Castile's chief export and the flocks were easy to tax, so the Mesta was a dependable source of revenue that the Crown would not sacrifice.
- 5
What was the tasa del trigo and what did it do?
Model answer
The tasa del trigo was a maximum price fixed for grain. The tasa was meant to protect consumers but discouraged farmers from growing more than they needed.
- 6
How did Spain feed itself when the harvest failed?
Model answer
Spain imported grain from the Baltic, France and Sicily in bad years. Those imports drained bullion abroad and left prices at the mercy of shipping and war.
Other ways to work this
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