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Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, 1500-1558. Racalmuto documents, 1558-1928.

Title: Racalmuto documents, 1558-1928.

Collection of documents relating to Racalmuto (also referred to as Recalmuto), a small city in the province of Agrigento, Sicily. The collection, spanning over three centuries (with a the bulk of the documents dated between the late 18th and the late 19th century) of history of the city, is predominantly comprised of items that pertain to the local aristocratic families that controlled the territory. These families, usually of Spanish descent or related to the Spanish crown, include the Burgio, the Naselli, the Requesens, the Carretto, and many others. Over the centuries, they received a wide range of privileges and grants over the areas of Racalmuto, as well as Pantelleria, Gibellina, and Comiso. Numerous financial and notarial documents record in great detail the activities of the local nobility under such privileges (including tax collection, sulfur extraction and trade, and sale and lease of real property). A large part of the remaining items consists of expert witness reports, trial proceedings (some printed), agreements, summonses, and other miscellaneous legal documents relating to lawsuits over use, ownership, and abandonment of the sulfur mines in the area. Most of these trials involved members of the Naselli and Burgio families, both as defendants and plaintiffs. A few documents cover the story of the castle of Racalmuto, a large estate owned by different families over the years that underwent multiple phases of remodeling and rebuilding. Various stamps, perhaps indicating the payment of the customary governmental stamp tax to issue official documents, appear on numerous items; they are the same as or similar to stamps on other documents in the Villafiorita Ducal Records. Additional maps of the Racalmuto mines (some of considerable dimensions), as well as miscellaneous financial documents are housed in the Oversize series.

ArchivalResource: 102 folders (9 boxes)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/692422440 View