| Part of History of Camtabria | |
 Map of the merindades that existed in the territory of present-day Cantabria. The Nine Valleys were integrated in that of Santillana. | |
| Native name | Pleito de los Nueve Valles |
|---|---|
| English name | Nine Valleys lawsuit |
| Duration | 1544 - 1581 |
| Location | Santillana del Mar, Spain |
| Type | Lawsuit |
| Cause | Designation of Íñigo López de Mendoza as lord of the valleys and the claim of his realengo by the valleys themselves |
| Organized by | Chancellery of Valladolid |
| Participants | Asturias de Santillana Valleys against the Dukedom of the Infantado |
The Nine Valleys lawsuit (Spanish: Pleito de los nueve Valles) or simply Valleys lawsuit was a legal battle between the Nine Valleys of the Asturias de Santillana (present-day Cantabria, in Spain) and the Dukedom of the Infantado. It was initiated in 1544, and a ruling was issued in 1581 in favor of the Nine Valleys.[1] This result was important in the process of the territorial configuration of Cantabria, since it achieved the independence of the valleys, which were constituted in the province of the Nine Valleys in 1589. This was later formed into the province of Cantabria in 1778,[1][2] and caused the retreat of the manorial domains in the region.[3] The memorial occupies 178 folios.[4]
It is important to note that the Asturias of Santillana were organized in valleys perpendicular to the sea. That is to say, despite the rise of feudalism, the contemporary society did not have only the village as its nucleus, but there were connections between all the villages in a valley,[5] with a sort of federation of councils.[6] Each valley had its board and ordinances. When the neighbors of those territories litigated against the nobility, they did so therefore through the representation of each valley.[5] The lawsuit was not isolated in time, as other regions of present-day Cantabria tried to shake off the lordly rule, as happened in Liébana.[7]
- ^ a b Bar Cendón, Antonio (1995). De la montaña a Cantabria. La construcción de una comunidad autónoma. Universidad de Cantabria. p. 207. ISBN 8481021121.
- ^ Moure Romanillo, Alfonso (2002). Cantabria: historia e instituciones. Universidad de Cantabria. p. 190. ISBN 9788481023176.
- ^ Alberto (1995). Estudios sobre la sociedad tradicional cántabra. Continuidades, cambios y procesos adaptativos. Universidad de Cantabria. pp. 102–104. ISBN 8481021091.
- ^ Casado Soto, José Luis (1980). Cantabria vista por viajeros de los siglos siglo XVI y siglo XVII. Institución Cultural de Cantabria / Diputación provincial. p. 87. ISBN 9788485349166.
- ^ a b García de Cortázar, José Ángel; Ruiz de Aguirre (1999). Del Cantábrico al Duero. Trece estudios sobre organización social del espacio en los siglos siglo VIII a siglo XIII. Universidad de Cantabria. p. 187. ISBN 8481022209.
- ^ Revista Hidalguía. N.º 190-191. Madrid: Ediciones Hidalguía. p. 437.
- ^ Lanza García, Ramón (1991). La población y el crecimiento económico de Cantabria en el Antiguo Régimen. Universidad de Cantabria. pp. 147–148 (incluidas notas al pie n.º 98 y n.º 99). ISBN 9788487412394.