Spanish Sardinia: Conflicts And Alliances 261
imprisonments, predominantly of poor people condemned for bigamy and
illicit cohabitation. On the other hand, people of some influence invariably
succeeded in escaping the Inquisition, often placing themselves under the
protection of the Holy See, as relations between local and Roman power were
held at a premium by these types of people. Heresy trials were held ever more
randomly, and if local elements were invested, the Inquisition was authorized
to confiscate the goods of the interrogated, once they had left the island.
Aside from the conflicts among the various courts (the royal, the ecclesi-
astical, the feudal, and the municipal), during these years Philip II was most
preoccupied by the financial situation, not only of the Crown—which had fre-
quently declared bankruptcy due to huge military expenses—but also of the
kingdoms that constituted it. For example, squeezed by all too rigid normative
ties, Sardinia’s economy was unable to satisfy the dietary needs of the popula-
tion, let alone the financial demands of the kingdom. As for the “prudent king,”
in order to stimulate agriculture and offer incentive to trade, he issued certain
pragmatic sanctions, which returned to the Sicilian model of production and
could have revived the economy in its entirety.16 In fact, the management of
the agricultural sector was reorganized with an incentive to cultivate olives
and grapes. A quota was set on the percentage of the harvest that could be ex-
ported, providing small-scale producers with financial assistance. Meanwhile,
tools and grain reserved for planting or feeding were protected against seizure
for debt, and firm borders were fixed between lands meant for pasturage and
those used for growing grain.
In 1587, the Spanish sovereign ordered a census of the population in order
to determine the rationing needs within the kingdom and the amount of grain
that could be exported. Afterwards, he set the per capita annual requirement
at six quintals (around 300 kg). He subsequently authorized exportation from
certain minor coastal centers in order to break up commercial monopolies and
mercantile speculation, encourage competition, and raise the price of grain
(among the lowest in the Mediterranean market), thus making the crops of
small-scale producers more remunerative. Following such provisions and an
openly liberal exportation policy, farming activity increased. Nevertheless,
sharp climatic changes that afflicted the Mediterranean region in the final de-
cade of the century frustrated all possibility of the kingdom’s true agricultural
expansion.
Economic, commercial, and demographic growth had to wait for a more
favorable time, when Spain entered a long period of peace in both the
16 On the era of Philip II’s rule, see Anatra and Manconi, Sardegna, Spagna e Stati italiani.