A Royal Decree from Carlos IV dated 1791 and preserved in the Municipal Historical Archive of Cañete la Real ordered the cessation of trade with Morocco. The now-digitised document reflects the tensions between both kingdoms.
The Municipal Historical Archive of Cañete la Real has kept a document for over two centuries that transports us to late 18th century Spain and its tensions with Morocco. This is a Royal Decree from Carlos IV dated August 19, 1791, which ordered the cessation of trade, dealings, and communication between the subjects of the Spanish Crown and those of the King of Morocco, as reported by Diario Sur.
The document is part of file number 70, corresponding to the Royal Decrees of 1790 and 1791, and has gained prominence thanks to the digitisation and indexing work being carried out by the Town Hall on its documentary collection. Its pages reflect the disputes existing at that time regarding enclaves in North Africa such as Ceuta, Melilla, Alhucemas, and the Rock of Vélez de la Gomera.
The decree outlines the claims of the Moroccan monarch and the events that led Carlos IV to decree the break in commercial relations. The text itself states that it prohibited "all trade, dealings, and communication" between Spanish vassals and Moroccan subjects, in a context of hostilities during that summer of 1791.
"All trade, dealings, and communication" between Spanish vassals and Moroccan subjects.
The decree shows how a decision made at the Court was communicated to local authorities. Issued in Madrid, it was communicated from Seville so that the order reached the towns within its jurisdiction. One of those copies ended up in Cañete la Real, where it has been preserved until today.
The recovery of the document is an example of the heritage that is still preserved in municipal files. The Town Hall has been working for some time on the digitisation, classification, and indexing of its archive, where there are chapter records, censuses, rolls, conscription files, and other royal decrees.
Leading this effort is Federico José Heras Delgado, accompanied by a team of researchers and collaborators, under the coordination of the councillor for the Historical Archive, Joaquín Beltrán Ponce. The task not only involves obtaining a digital copy of each document but also organising and indexing them to facilitate consultation and reduce the handling of originals that are centuries old.
The Town Hall advocates for the value of these local archives beyond the history of each municipality. Documents that once served an administrative function today allow us to reconstruct everything from the daily lives of residents to events of national significance. This Royal Decree is an example of how an order regarding an international crisis ended up archived in a small municipality in the province of Málaga.
