The hated and tyrannical Vow of Santiago in the Kingdom of Granada (1492-1834)

Abstract

In 1492, the Vow of Santiago was imposed by the Reyes Católicos to all residents of the Kingdom of Granada who cultivated lands, who had to cultivate half a bushel of wheat every year. This tax, of suspicious medieval origin, was intended to maintain the cult of the Apostle St. James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. But the Kings decided to distribute it among the canons of that temple, the music chapel and the hospital they founded in Compostela. From the beginning, the tax was unpopular and its collection was very conflictive, due to the opposition of the peasants to pay it and of the powerful groups —clergy and nobility— who supported them. The Vow was abolished in the Cortes of Cadiz in 1812 but was not abolished until 1834.