The Royal House of Isabel I of Castile (1492-1504): use of silk, wool and linen according to the accounts of Gonzalo de Baeza

Abstract

Thanks to the conservation of the expense accounting of the Royal House of Isabel I of Castile (1492-1504), it is possible to analyze the consumption of silk, wool and linen fabrics (excluding fabric with metal threads) by class status from the time of the discovery of America to the death of the queen. The most frequently used fabrics by quantity was linen, followed by wool and silk. By cost, however, silk reached 60 % of expenses, followed by wool (31 %) and linen (8 %). As the accounts move down the social ladder, silk disappears altogether, while wool and linen remain. Attending to the colour, black was the most commonly used dye for silk fabrics and red was the most common dye for wool.