Th e construction of an economic and political capital for the Mediterranean and Iberian region

Once a small maritime city poorly connected to the networks of international commerce, between the middle of the 11th century and the beginning of the 14th century Barcelona became a major economic and political capital, by both Mediterranean and Iberian standards. Th is paper analyses the commercial, manufacturing and fi nancial bases for this growth, as well as the development of the specific regulations that enabled them. Social and political changes in the Catalan capital during the period are also discussed, with consideration given to the link between the Ciudad Condal and the territorial expansion of the Crown of Aragon across the Mediterranean and the contemporary international context.