Postal history of Spain
As Campomanes writes in his Itinerario Real , Spain may have been one of the first countries to realize the importance of having a postal facility with solid rules.
First knowledge of the post: Philip I of Castile and the Catholic Kings
It was Philip the Fair and Queen Johanna , of whom it is known that they established the office of chief master of the postmen and post offices of the royal house, the court, the rich and feudal lords in the person of Francisco de Tasis ; but we have not been able to discover either the certificate of appointment drawn up for him or the regulations applicable to the exercise of his office.
The Catholic Monarchs had previously appointed García de Ceballos chief master of the post offices and post offices in Granada , which suggests that there were post offices in Spain as early as the time of the Catholic Monarchs and that these were created almost at the same time as the post offices in France .
Properly regulated post offices
“ In the XVI. In the 19th century, properly regulated courier and postal stations were introduced in most of the cultured peoples of Europe, which gradually spread to almost all peoples. "
Charles I.
After his death, Queen Johanna and her son Charles I , who later became emperor , transferred this office or this position of chief courier to the brothers by means of the document issued in Saragossa on August 28, 1518 and countersigned by the secretary Francisco de los Cobos Baptista Mateo and Simon de Tasis, with Baptista, a nephew of Francisco de Tasis, heading the office. The document formally provided:
- that only they can send assistants or couriers, that they are authorized to pay them for their journeys, whereby the main courier may withhold their fees, that they can impose a fine of 100,000 maravedis on those who carry mail without their authorization ;
- that the chief courier may appoint, appoint and approve as many couriers as he deems appropriate to the Royal Service, swearing the oath prior to the exercise of office;
- that they and no one else may bear the royal coat of arms, that no one else may exercise this office, that those who exercise this office without being appointed and sworn in face the death penalty and the confiscation of their property in favor of His Majesty's treasury;
- that their houses are exempt from the obligation to provide accommodation and other community requirements;
- that the judiciary cannot arrest or arrest them on account of debts and in the form provided for in serious cases;
- that they provide the couriers who travel with the necessary maintenance and mounts for which the Chief Courier estimates they will pay reasonable, but not too much, as well as other provisions for the safety and immunity of the couriers and themselves Houses are taken: exemption from feudal fees, taxes, customs duties and the obligation to lodge, so that they are also authorized to carry weapons for their personal protection both at court and throughout the kingdom, which may not be taken away from them.
Regarding the tariffs of the fees that the main courier had to charge, there were some doubts about the "tenth" of the trips, which the kingdom put to Queen Joan and Emperor Karl:
- before the estates of La Coruña in 1520, application 31
- before the estates of Valladolid in 1523, application 68
- again before the estates of Valladolid in 1531, application 151
- and before those in 1548, application 135
From these decisions, the two laws in Title 9 of Book 6 of the collection of laws, which deals with the main courier, arose.
Since this office was in its infancy, it was not uncommon to need explanations about the fees and the exercise of office, which were consolidated in the confirmations of the deed of August 28, 1518 in favor of the successors in this office. By another royal charter dated November 8, 1530 by the same kings, countersigned by Juan Vázquez de Molina, Ramon de Tasis, knight of Santiagoorden, was appointed chief courier with the same powers and privileges for life.
Reign of Philip II, Philip III. and Philip IV.
Philip II issued another document on February 27, 1556 in Amberes , countersigned by Francisco de Eraso, with which this office is conferred on Juan de Tasis, the son of the predecessor, and expressly in Castile , Aragon and all other territories in which His Majesty can dispose are included; The aforementioned Juan de Tasis is given the authority to exercise the post of chief master of post office officials, post offices and couriers for life, in accordance with the customs and the previous documents.
After his death, Philip III transferred. on December 4, 1598 in Vaciamadrid the post of chief courier in the second with the name Juan de Tasis, son of the predecessor, the later Count of Villamediana, and confirmed the same benefits and privileges both for the chief courier and for his employees.
Philip IV confirmed in the document issued on June 4, 1642 in Cuenca , countersigned by Fernando Ruiz de Contreras, to the post office masters:
- that in this office they are exempted from lodging stationed or passing soldiers;
- that one may not take away from them the wagons and mounts that they use on the postal routes for luggage or other items, regardless of how urgently they are needed: this favor is enjoyed by everyone who has at least three horses exclusively for riding to the post office to have;
- that the postmaster, if they have no barley and no straw for the maintenance of the horses, in the service of His Majesty can exercise the right of confiscation and make the appropriate appraisal, and they are permitted to leave their horses on the property and pastures in the vicinity to hold the post offices so that the couriers are not held up by waiting times;
- that they must not be subjected to community service, that neither they nor their postilions are called up to serve as soldiers, and that they cannot be recalled to serve anywhere;
- that, after valuation, they receive the necessary horses to be confiscated by the judiciary, with the owners and the postmaster each designating a person for the valuation, so that there is a justified value by which the Royal Service is not harmed and interference is avoided become; the judiciary is responsible for adhering to the rate under the threat of 50,000 maravedis.
Since His Majesty, after consulting the War Council, worried that if the earlier documents were not observed, there would be neither postmaster nor postillione, the previously granted privileges are confirmed in a further document from the same king dated November 11, 1647, countersigned by Alonso Pérez Cantarero and it is stated that only one postmaster and one postillion enjoy these privileges at each post office of the regular postal rate, which means that even if there are several assistants and postillions, only one post office master and one postillion can enjoy the privileges; their names and the royal deed had to be entered by the judiciary in the books of the town hall so that these privileges would not be extended to persons other than the aforementioned and so that one knew who was entitled to enjoy them.
By a decree of the Royal Council of October 1, 1662, countersigned by Gabriel de Aresti y Larrazabal, the previous documents and the privileges conferred on the postmaster in every respect are ordered to be upheld; This was preceded by a Royal Decree to the Council issuing the order at the request of the Count of Ofiate and Villamediana, who was then chief courier.
Due to the fact that the privileges of the post station masters with regard to the price of barley and straw for their horses were not respected, at the request of the aforementioned war council of Maria Anna of Austria, regent of these empires, a confirmation document was issued again, dated April 5, 1669 by Diego de la Torre was countersigned.
Rule of Charles II and Philip V.
Charles II also issued a certificate in April 1678, countersigned by Antonio Lises de Lara, confirming the privileges in favor of the postmasters and postillions; attached to this document was the document given by the reigning queen, his mother.
Since the Estafetten- and letter transport of the Kingdom of Castile, Aragon, the New World, Italy and Flanders as well as the established postal rates were in lease from Diego de Murga, Knight of Santiagoorden, Margrave of Monte-Sacro, Philip V issued on his Again requests a document confirming the privileges so that they may be preserved for the masters of the post offices, couriers and postillions on all postal courses in the manner in which they were previously conferred on the main courier; the deed was issued on September 10, 1707 and is countersigned by Lorenzo de Vivanco Angulo.
Similar reasons were put forward to exempt the houses in which the estafettes and post stations were housed in the cities, villages and towns of the kingdom from the lodging of war men; the same king issued another charter for this purpose on June 5, 1711, in which captains general, governors of arms and other political and military officials were asked to observe this exemption: the charter was issued at the request of Juan Francisco de Goyeneche, the tenant of the Estafetten of Spain, and countersigned by Juan Elizondo.
As a result of this and the previous decrees, the Marquis of Grimaldo, First Secretary of the State for Internal Affairs, communicated to the General Administrator for Postal Affairs Juan de Azpiazu and the Royal Commissioner of Madrid on March 11, 1720 another Royal Decree, which states that the postal workers at this farm and in its area of responsibility are exempt from the barracks tax, since this tax corresponds to the accommodation obligation, from which the aforementioned privileged documents exempt them.
The abuse that occurred in the management of the Estafetten and post stations, because - due to the separation of the main courier office from the royal crown and the later leasing upon admission to the royal crown - no fixed rules were set for travel and the fees to be charged In April of the same year the General Ordinance was issued for the direction and management of the main courier and post offices of Spain, the trips to be carried out and the exemptions provided for all employees of these offices. In chap. 67 of this ordinance confirmed the exclusive jurisdiction of the court for the postal system: the ordinance contains everything essential to the management of postal stations, and it is this ordinance, the content of which seems appropriate to be mentioned in the next paragraph.
At various times orders and general public notices were issued prohibiting the use of handguns of all types, with the exception of postal workers. In view of the defenselessness of those who leave the offices at inopportune times at night to go home, a Royal Decree signed by the royal hand in El Pardo on January 29, 1725, explains that these public notices are not those civil servants and persons who are on duty in the regular post offices of Italy, Castile and El Parte are affected, and the manner in which this special regulation is to be implemented is specified. The decree was promulgated with effect in the Council on February 1 of the same year, copies were sent to the Governor of the Chamber and Royal Commissioner of Madrid, as indicated in the certificate of January 19, 1740, issued by Miguel Fernandez Munilla, the senior clerk of the Council Government , is signed.
The same was done for the couriers and drivers of postal bags so that they could carry and use the forbidden weapons with them during their travels; this is found in the Royal Decree of January 2nd, 1729, communicated to the Archbishop of Valencia, Governor of the Council, by the Count of La Paz, First Secretary of the State of Internal Affairs: it was also promulgated in the Council and its observance was made arranged. This Royal Decree is inserted and published in the third volume of Decisions adopted and is the only decision in Title 9, hb. 6 of the latest collection of laws.
In 1739 stagecoaches were introduced on the routes from Madrid to the Royal Sites of El Pardo, Aranjuez, San Ildefonso and El Escorial, with the aim of making such an offer available to the public on the main routes of the kingdom, so that both locals and foreigners can could travel without the previous difficulties and drive from place to place. The exact correspondence of the routes with those of the couriers and post offices was the reason why the employees of this area were granted the same privileges by royal decree of January 29, 1739 as the employees of the courier and post offices, whereby they were the management of the General Administration, as stated in the deed issued on February 21, 1739, countersigned by Fernando Tribiño.
The need for appropriate rules for the administration of all branches of the postal service led to two royal decrees: one for the management of the main offices and another for the main courier offices of Castile and Italy, which was issued on November 19, 1743 in San Lorenzo el Real by the Marquis of Villarias, the First Secretary of the State, signed and published and in which under XXV of the points established for the offices the penalty for embezzlement is provided and under XXVII a fine of five ducats per letter for those who carry letters outside of postal pockets. These ordinances are not further explained as they do not deal with the management and use of the postal stations.
Reign of Ferdinand VI.
The confirmation of all these prerogatives and powers was reaffirmed in the charter of the general supervisor, issued by Ferdinand VI. on June 17, 1747 in Aranjuez in favor of José de Carvajal y Lancaster, dean of the Council of State, and which provides that the general supervisor, for the purpose of the speed, convenience and safety of the postal stations with horses and wheels, mail bags and ordinary couriers are authorized to make decisions about the repair of old roads and the opening of new ones at the expense of the locality or at the expense of His Majesty. This deed corresponds exactly to the deed of the General Superintendent, which was given to Ricardo Wall on July 29th, 1734 in Buen Retiro by the State Council of His Majesty, the First Secretary of the State for Internal Affairs and War Matters, which was announced in the Council and its implementation in the on 20 October 1756 decree issued was ordered.
Until 1759, no more mail a week arrived in the various towns in the kingdom. That very year began to introduce two programs a week, and by the following year 1760 the latter frequency was already widespread.
In 1764 the first courier service to and from the New World was introduced; the parcel boats that carried the mail bags drove every month from La Coruña to the various points in America, to which letters without postage were delivered from all boxes; the letters arriving from the New World were punctually distributed to the appropriate administrations in La Coruña .
During the rest of the reign of Charles III. and especially during the supervision of the Count of Floridablanca , the postal system received an extraordinary impetus and improved of the highest quality, the positive effects of which can still be felt today.
Reign of Charles IV and Ferdinand VII.
Under the reign of Charles IV , the general ordinance still valid today was formulated, compliance with which was ordered and with which the postal system, which was extremely receptive to this, was brought into an orderly and perfect condition. In these last years and in 1813 the postal service, which had been completely destroyed in the confusion of the previous five years, found the strength in itself to rise from the ruins, to quickly reorganize its services for the administration and transportation of public mail to think of repairing the roads that have been forgotten for so many years and of building new important and costly roads. In the course of the withdrawal of the enemy troops from the occupied provinces, the postal authority reinstated the administration and the post office houses, so that when His Majesty arrived in Madrid in May 1814 there would have been neither main post offices nor branches that had not been put in order would have been, neither postal rates nor cross-communication routes that would not have been set up again.
In 1815 a new tariff for mail was introduced because the tariff previously set by the Count of Floridablanca in 1776 was considered insufficient.
In 1816 work was started again on the roads that had been neglected for many years, and the road from Madrid to France via Aranda, Burgos and Vitoria was immediately completed as one of the most important roads.
literature
- Bob Lamb: Kingdom of Spain. In: American Philatelist May 2013 Edition; from the series of articles / category Worldwide In A Nutshell
credentials
- Guía general de correos, postas y caminos de España , 1830 (≈General Guide to Courier Stations, Post Stations and Routes in Spain), 1830