Titulado furioso y ejercicios indecentes. Violencia y locura de un aristócrata de la frontera, 1686-1703

Abstract

The Royal Council of Castile scrutinized life and customs of a seventheenth century Spanish entitled nobleman in 1689 to determine whether he was capable of governing his own house and his seigneurial domains. As a result of the reserved procedure, the nobleman was declared incompetent, and consequently the Crown took the administration of their states. It was established firstly that he suffered violent episodes of mania furiosa, mainly against his wife, and secondly some of his everyday practices were not appropriate for a noble status. This essay also analyzes the way of life and customs of the noblemen as a cultural construction, assuming that the so-called “indecent exercises” could overrule the eminent status of early modern nobilities.

Keywords

• Iberian aristocracies
• cultural features
• everyday violence
• craziness