UN ESTUDIO SOBRE LAS MILICIAS LOCALES EN EL REINO DE VALENCIA EN EL SIGLO XVII. LA VILLA DE ALZIRA (1615-1705)

During the seventeenth century in the Crown of Aragon, particularly the Kingdom of Valencia, traditional forms of military organization such as local militias were far from being a thing of the past: it was still an obligation and defending the cities, towns and villages of the kingdom was the responsibility of the neighbours. Focusing on the recovery of municipal areas, we have chosen the village of Alzira as the beginning of our research. According to the documentation found in its municipal archive, their militia intervened primarily in actions for the restoration of public order, guarding the entrances to the village during the plague of 1647-1648 and as part of their civic duties.