El Parlamento General de Nápoles de 1642: sociografía, desarrollo y conflictos

The study of the Parliament of Naples has been addressed until now just from its role as an intermediary in obtaining the donativo, forgetting one of its main functions, which is to be the interlocutor between the interests of the Neapolitans and the needs of the Monarchy. Thus, we aim to show how this dialogue is not only relevant, but revealing, of the state of the relationship between the Monarchy and the Kingdom of Naples, the monarch and the viceroy, and the viceroy and the people. This institution, voice of the kingdom, combines the power of barons and feudal lords and universities, and at the same time the power of the members of the city of Naples who together with a group of Barons are concerned that the privileges of the Capital do not be harmed. In 1642 the last Neapolitan parliament was convened. From that on, it occurred the cession of the sovereignty of the whole kingdom to the representatives of the capital city, that is, to the members of the Seggi. This work focuses, therefore, on the study of this crucial moment of the Neapolitan viceroyalty, placing emphasis on the analysis of the Neapolitan elites, on the dialogue that took place in this assembly as well as relating the problems that derived from it with the difficulties that the Monarchy was going through.