The competition for the control of the urban space in medieval Galicia. The case of the diocese of Lugo (XIIth-XIIIth Centuries)

The period between the twelfth and the thirteenth centuries was a crucial moment in the development of urban space in the northern Iberian Peninsula, especially in Galicia. The Galician sources of this period are extremely valuable for studying both the co nflicts between the citizens and the local bishops for control of urban space and the development of some smaller rural villas which built deep relationships with local monastic communities. The episcopal city of Lugo and its diocese provides asignificant case study. Examining the published and unpublished charters and cartularies of the episcopal See of Lugo and the documents of the Cistercian monastery of Meira, I will try to outline some of the most relevant features of the medieval Galician urban world.