In this book Linda Martz explores the major developments in the theory
and practice of poor relief in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spain
and determines how far Spanish attitudes to poverty compared with those
of other countries in western Europe. This scholarly and lucid
exploration of attitudes to poverty and welfare has been prepared with
the interests of non-Hispanists also borne in mind and all quotations
are in English. It provides an original contribution to the
socio-economic history of western Europe.