PhD Program in Historical studies
The “Bosque” of Béjar: holiday residence or place of economic exploitation?
In addition to being the second residence of the Dukes of Béjar and their garden for rest and recreation, El Bosque also allowed the dukes to control the economic performance of their properties, forests and hills. A series of lawsuits that pitted the Dukes and the town of Béjar for control of natural resources date from the Baroque era. The king did not in fact have the authority to levy taxes in Béjar, as the dukes and lords were masters of the whole territory of the resident population and since medieval times. When the latter decided, at the end of the sixteenth century, to build the house that still stands today, they raised the fence on the spot that extended to the forest, where the duke, to be able to go hunting, set up a herd of fallow deer and deer, at the same time forcing the local population to feed these animals. In addition, the Dukes of Béjar banned entry into the woods, thus preventing the population of Béjar from supplying themselves with timber, which until then had benefited them as a common good. To this were added the various interventions of the dukes, during the seventeenth century, to change the natural course of the river called Garganta del Oso (Throat of the Bear) in order to channel its waters towards the El Bosque villa and be able to fill the lake, run fountains and watering gardens and trees, but leaving, in this way the population of Béjar with a limited amount of water. The suit between the population and the dukes over the use of land and water in the area lasted for years, but was won, in the end, by the dukes, by virtue of their privileges enjoyed from medieval times. By invoking the latter, the dukes could also have absolute control over the snow from, and the annuities associated with, the Sierra de BéjarThe Sierra de Béjar is a mountain range that extends into the province of Salamanca, Castilla y León. Béjar is the main urban center of the area. It is a sierra lined with trees, with many varieties of chestnuts, and from it descends the Cuerpo del Hombre river, a tributary of the Tagus. and prohibit fishing for trout in the creek. This policy of appropriation of natural resources surrounding it was a fairly common practice in the villas in the countryside. It is enough to recall the example of the Neapolitan villa of PoggiorealeWas a villa outside the walls of the city of Naples, now disappeared. Alfonso II had it built in the late fifteenth century, following the model of florentine villas, and it experienced a period of great splendour during his reign. However, since 1494, with the abandonment of the villa by Alfonso II after the French invasion, it came under several owners and was gradually abandoned., the waters of which Alfonso II of NaplesBelonging to the Aragonese dynasty, King Alfonso II (1448-1495) ruled the kingdom of Naples for only two years (1494-1495), due to the French invasion commissioned by Charles VIII. Years before, his father, Ferdinand I, had planned to build a large house for the royal family in Poggioreale, with a large garden and abundant fountains. joined to those of the area, extending his possessions to the sea to create parks and gardens.
In this way, the house of the Dukes of Béjar was no longer just a place to rest, but also a symbol of power and control of natural resources by local lords. And although the rugged area in the middle of the Sierras mountain did not allow for cultivation, it was possible, nonetheless, to make use of the forests of chestnut trees on the mountains. Another resource which was even more successful was linked to the use of livestock, so that, during the seventeenth century, the dukes maintained extensive property, which were in common use, to raise large amounts of livestock and thus give a start to the textile industry, which has given so much fame to the town of Béjar over the centuries. It is no wonder, therefore, if the building of this villa is not in a lateral position to the axis of the urban area and the fortress-residence of the Dukes, but instead is placed in front of the forest and the Sierra, for exercise effective control over these natural resources.
The importance of this “Italian” villa is thus remarkable, because it not only served as a place of leisure and entertainment for the ZúñigaThe noble Zúñiga clan were originally from the kingdom of Navarre. The Zúñigas were at the service of the Spanish Crown in the guise of ambassadors, archbishops, and military advisors. They were also Spanish Grandees. Their titles included the Duchy of Béjar and County of Miranda. family , but also as a tool through which the dukes reaffirmed their power and exploited the full economic potential of their properties.