Income inequality in Alentejo during the Ancien Régime: Arraiolos, Avis and Portalegre (1690-1725)

Abstract

Inequality was one of the structural elements of the society of the Ancien Régime. Departing from this idea, this article aims to trace income inequality levels among tax payers in the municipalities of Arraiolos, Avis and Portalegre, all in the province of Alentejo. It will hopefully contribute to the discussion of income inequality in pre-industrial European societies. The main sources for this work are the records of the décima, a direct and universal tax created to meet the expenses of the Restoration War and that lasted until the end of the Ancien Régime, being deeply changed during the Constitutional Monarchy. Covering several different types of income, it constitutes a source of great importance for the study of pre-industrial economy.