La ‘lezda’ de Coulliure: Processes of the ‘lezdier’ Joan Raynant

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the conflict derived from the payment of a real tax that was levied on the transit of goods: the "lleuda", specifically, of Colliure in the mid-15th century. The first part includes an introduction to this tax rate, the role it played in the framework of the collection administration of the royal treasury: What the rates were, what the franchises entailed, and who collected the tax. The second part focuses on the town of Colliure, providing the list of identified tax collectors, and accounting records, as well as the legal resources to collect the fee. In the third part of the article we delve into the analysis of five cases of conflicts brought to justice between 1449 and 1454, all of them by Joan Raynant, a merchant from Perpignan residing in Barcelona. Finally, examples of maritime trade that appear in the litigation studied are provided.