La Sierra de la Demanda durante la Guerra de la Independencia (1808-1814)algunos aspectos económicos y sociales del conflicto

Abstract

This article examines several aspects of the economic and social reality of life in the Sierra de la Demanda, a mountainous region that straddles the border between the provinces of Burgos and Rioja, with an important textile (wool) tradition. In particular, we test two hypotheses. The first is that the Peninsula War, far from being disastrous for the rural textile industry in eastern Castile, and in contrast to what happened in Catalonia, actually permitted the accumulation of the capital necessary for a subsequent partial mechanisation of the industrial process. Secondly, we question the Romantic idea of a common cause between the guerrilla forces operating in the area and the local communities. More typical was an attitude of distrust on the part of the rural communities in the face of the violent and arbitrary behaviour of the guerrillas, similar to, if not worse than, that of the regular forces.