A War of Nations? Political Mobilization, Unrest and violence among University Nations in Salamanca during the Baroque Period

Abstract

The phenomenon of violence during the early modern period of Castille as something structural is a topic currently revisited by certain lines of research that are starting to interpret the issue from the perspective of political mobilization. From this new perspective, the university atmosphere and the unrest in this specific subset of the population within university towns and cities take shape as a breeding ground for the expansion of studies carried out on the matter, as well as on the history of universities itself. As a result, violence and disturbance emerge among groups of students, clustered in university nations that comprise genuine power groups within the institution, as a struggle for power and university government with political goals, often well directed and organized in an attempt to wrestle control over the University. This article will examine a range of cases from Baroque period of University of Salamanca in which these elements are brought together.