Compañías y comercio de la madera en Castilla a fines del siglo XV e inicios del XVI

The expansion of the Castilian economy at the end of the Middle Ages and in particular the development of business encouraged both international and regional trade. In this context, the possibility to diversify investment in companies and the existence of new forms of labour organization were the two pillars that sustained the growth of commerce and the supply of different products. Moreover, the increasing demand from urban centres and the use of inland waterways consolidated some businesses like the wood trade, a scarcely known activity that will be the focus of this study.La expansión de la economía castellana a fines del Medievo y, en particular, del mundo empresarial impulsó de manera notable la actividad comercial internacional y regional. En este contexto, la posibilidad de diversificar la inversión en compañías y las nuevas formas de organización del trabajo conformaron dos pilares sobre los que se asienta el auge del comercio y el abastecimiento de productos. Además, la creciente demanda procedente de centros urbanos y el aprovechamiento de las vías de comunicación fluvial terminaron por consolidar determinados negocios como el de la madera, una actividad económica poco conocida de la que pretendemos dar cuenta en este trabajo.The expansion of the Castilian economy at the end of the Middle Ages and in particular the development of business encouraged both international and regional trade. In this context, the possibility to diversify investment in companies and the existence of new forms of labour organization were the two pillars that sustained the growth of commerce and the supply of different products. Moreover, the increasing demand from urban centres and the use of inland waterways consolidated some businesses like the wood trade, a scarcely known activity that will be the focus of this study